PC requirements at a glance
The first two columns are the official Steam requirements. The other two (ray tracing and path tracing) come from the S-GAME spec sheet published when pre-orders opened (August 12, 2026), as reported by several consistent outlets. No CPU or RAM was given for those two tiers.
| Minimum | Recommended | Ray tracing | Path tracing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10/11 (64-bit) | Windows 10/11 (64-bit) | no data | no data |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-8700K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600 | Intel Core i5-10600K / AMD Ryzen 5 5600X | no data | no data |
| RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | no data | no data |
| GPU | GTX 1660 6GB / RX 5500 XT 8GB | RTX 3060 Ti 8GB / RX 6700 XT 12GB | RTX 5060 8GB | RTX 5080 16GB |
| Target | 1080p, 30 FPS | 1440p, 60 FPS | 1080p, 60 FPS | 2160p (4K), 60 FPS |
| Other | DirectX 12, SSD required | DirectX 12, SSD required | with upscaling | with upscaling |
Every one of these targets assumes upscaling is enabled, and Steam adds "SSD installation required". These are the developers' targets, not measurements: there are no independent performance tests yet.
Steam shows only the first two tiers. There is no separate "ultra" or 4K table on the store page, and media do not say which graphics preset the 1440p target assumes.
Can I run it on my PC
Without tests we cannot give you a frame rate. You can still work out honestly which row of the table you are in:
- Check your graphics card (Task Manager, Performance tab, GPU) and its VRAM.
- Compare it with the "GPU" row. A card at the level of a GTX 1660 6GB gets the 1080p and 30 FPS target, and one at the level of an RTX 3060 Ti 8GB gets the 1440p and 60 FPS target.
- Check your CPU and 16 GB of RAM: that is the shared bar for both official tiers.
- Make sure the game will sit on an SSD. It is a requirement, not a suggestion.
- Remember that each target is reached with upscaling. Without it, results may be lower.
Laptops. There is no official data on laptops. One conclusion from the table: a GTX 1650 is weaker than the minimum GTX 1660 6GB (4 GB of VRAM versus 6 GB), so it is a risky starting point. A laptop RTX 4050 and an RTX 5070 do not appear in any S-GAME row, so we promise no numbers for them. The safest move is to compare their performance with the cards in the table once independent tests appear.
You will only know "can I run it" after launch and the first tests. Until then, the table says what hardware the developers consider suitable, not how the game will behave on yours.
DLSS 4.5, frame generation and ray tracing
- DLSS 4.5. According to NVIDIA, the PC version launches with DLSS 4.5 and Dynamic Multi Frame Generation on GeForce RTX cards. Support is there on day one, not in a later patch.
- Ray Reconstruction. Path-traced lighting is further refined by DLSS Ray Reconstruction.
- Driver. NVIDIA released GeForce Game Ready Driver 621.01 WHQL (October 20, 2026) and recommends installing it before you play.
- Ray tracing. According to NVIDIA, the game has ray-traced reflections, shadows and caustics from launch, plus a full path tracing mode.
- What NVIDIA did not say. Which RTX series will support which frame generation modes, whether path tracing is on by default, and what the upscaling settings will be: unknown.
- FSR and XeSS. S-GAME has not confirmed either one. Steam says only "upscaling" in general, and the table lists Radeon cards, so the upscaler for Radeon owners is unexplained.
Creative director Qiwei Liang said in June 2026 that the team is polishing the look of the game without ray tracing too, so RT is meant as an extra, not a condition for a good image.
Denuvo
The game's Steam page lists in the DRM field: "Incorporates 3rd-party DRM: Denuvo". The protection was already spotted in December 2025. S-GAME has not commented on its effect on performance or on any plan to remove Denuvo after launch.
Install size
A figure of 134.86 GB of free space is circulating (PlayGround.ru, October 16-17). It is unofficial and described as the PS5 size, and Steam does not list a size for the PC version. So we do not know how much space the game takes on PC. PC preload is not confirmed; see everything about the game for the release date and time, and editions and the physical copy for the versions.
Steam Deck
Valve has not yet rated the game for Steam Deck (as of October 22, 2026). Liang told PC Gamer the team wants the game to run on the Deck, though with Unreal Engine 5 it is "a hard task". The minimum requirements (GTX 1660 6GB, Core i7-8700K) sit above what the Deck offers: that is our conclusion, not a statement from the developer. The game has full controller support (gamepad recommended), DualSense, DualShock and Steam Input. Other platforms: PS4, Xbox, Switch 2.
Best settings: what we know
The graphics options list is not out yet, so we will not name any sliders. Only a few general tips follow from the facts:
- Install the game on an SSD, because it is required at every tier.
- Expect upscaling to be on: all developer targets count on it.
- On GeForce RTX cards, install driver 621.01 or newer.
- Ray tracing and path tracing are separate, more demanding tiers. If your card is around the recommended level, start without them.
- Digital Foundry noticed occasional stutter on PC in the 2025 Gamescom demo. That build was older, so after launch check the tests and the day-one patch.
What we still do not know
Native HDR, ultrawide support (21:9, 32:9), a frame rate limit, the full graphics options list, shader compilation on first launch, the PC install size and the Steam Deck rating: we will check these after launch and update this article.
FAQ
What are the PC requirements for Phantom Blade Zero?
Minimum: Core i7-8700K or Ryzen 5 3600, 16 GB RAM, GTX 1660 6GB or RX 5500 XT 8GB (1080p, 30 FPS with upscaling). Recommended: Core i5-10600K or Ryzen 5 5600X, 16 GB RAM, RTX 3060 Ti 8GB or RX 6700 XT 12GB (1440p, 60 FPS with upscaling). An SSD is required.
Can an RTX 5070 or my laptop run it?
The RTX 5070 and laptop GPUs have no rows of their own in the S-GAME tables. Officially the closest point is the RTX 5060 8GB for ray tracing at 1080p and 60 FPS. We will not give specific numbers without tests.
Does Phantom Blade Zero have Denuvo?
Yes. Steam lists Denuvo as third-party DRM.
Does Phantom Blade Zero run on Steam Deck?
Unknown. Valve has not rated it, and the developers have only said they want to try.
What is the RTX 5080 for?
According to media, it is the card for path tracing mode at 4K and 60 FPS with upscaling.
