Every so often a game comes along that is designed to absolutely spank even high-end PCs. We didn't expect the Frostbite 3-powered Star Wars Battlefront to be that game but it turns out it is. If you were holding out hope of playing DICE's multiplayer shooter, set to whip Star Wars fans into a midichlorian-fuelled frenzy ahead of Episode VII: The Force Awakens, then it may be time for that upgrade you've been holding out on.
Despite Star Wars Battlefront's 40-player cap coming in some way below the 64-player behemoth that is Battlefield 4, what we've got here our the most demanding system requirements we've seen for a game yet. Perhaps Darth Vader was given a job at DICE HQ. Â So check your bank balance, compare your rig to Battlefront 3's demands here on GD, and check out the official Star Wars: Battlefront system requirements.Â
Star Wars Battlefront Minimum System Requirements
- OS: Windows 7 64-bitÂ
- CPU:Â Intel Core i3-6300T 3.3GHz or AMD FX-4350 4.2 GHz
- RAM:Â 8GB System Memory
- GPU RAM: 2GB Video Memory
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 or AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB
- DX: DirectX 11
- HDD: 40GB Free Hard Drive Space
- Audio:Â Sound Card: Direct X-compatible sound card
- Online: 512 KB/s or faster internet connection
Star Wars Battlefront Recommended System Requirements
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit
- CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 3.3 GHz or AMD FX-8370 4.1 GHz
- RAM:Â 16 GB System Memory
- GPU RAM:Â 4GB Graphics Memory
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon R9 290
- DX: DirectX 11.1
Ok, where to begin. Down at the minimum requirements for Star Wars Battlefront, DICE reckon you'll need a fairly beefy rig. The processors and graphics cards down here are no slouches, and are all more than capable of taking on other titles built on the Frostbite 3 engine. Perhaps most eye-opening is the Radeon HD 7850 needed. This is marginally more powerful than the PlayStation 4's integrated GPU, which is equivalent to a Radeon HD 7790. This either means Star Wars Battlefront looks worse than minimum PC graphics on PS4, or your graphics hardware is being underutilised. I think we know which is more likely.
Elsewhere you'll need 8GB RAM minimum to play Star Wars Battlefront. Yep, 8GB minimum. According to DICE that is. If you want to play Star Wars Battlefront at higher settings then it's recommended you get hold of an eye-popping 16GB system memory. No game has ever asked of this before, and no game has ever truly tested 8GB RAM, so this should be interesting to see. Before you ask, no, EA don't have stocks in Corsair.Â
Things don't get any easier for those without top-end rigs either. Not only do DICE recommend you grab that pesky Windows 10 download, but they also want you to have some seriously expensive graphics cards in the shape of the GTX 970 and the R9 290. This pair are some beefy cards, both backed up by 4GB video memory. Okay, okay, 3.5GB + 0.5GB on the GTX 970, which we're guessing means a 3GB GPU could just about get away with it.
From what we've seen of the betas these system requirements seem a little laughable. Star Wars Battlefront is a nice looking game, sure, but not quite nice enough for these system requirements. 40-player battles are always going to be fairly demanding, but DICE is no stranger to large-scale warfare. Perhaps most unusual is the 16GB RAM requirement. There's nothing that suggests this should be the case, and 16GB RAM is overkill for pretty much everything out there at the moment.Â
We'll be only too eager to put them to the test when the Star Wars Battlefront beta goes live in just two days time, from October 8th.Â
Remember, you can always check out how well your PC can run the Star Wars Battlefront System Requirements here, where you can check benchmarking and performance from other users. Compare your graphics card to the Star Wars Battlefront GPU benchmark chart.
