Square Enix has just confirmed Rise of the Tomb Raider is coming to the PC this very month. January 28th, in fact, so there's only just over three weeks to go until we can spend sleepless nights in the Siberian wilderness, with nothing but mercenaries and killer bears for comfort. By all accounts the Xbox One version that came out in November was magnificent, and also a bit of a looker. 

Great visuals usually come at a great price though. You only have to glance at a few Rise of the Tomb Raider screens to see jaw-dropping environments, spectacular lighting effects and grand vistas. So before you plonk down that cash on a pre-order, make sure you check out the Rise of the Tomb Raider minimum system requirements so you know your rig isn't a worthless old artifact.

Rise of the Tomb Raider Minimum System Requirements

• OS: Windows 7 64-bit
• CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 3.1 GHz or AMD FX-4100 3.6 GHz
• RAM: 6 GB System Memory
• GPU RAM: 2GB Video Memory
• GPU: GeForce GTX 650 2GB or  AMD Radeon HD 7770 2GB
• HDD: 25GB Available Space
• DX: DirectX 11
• Input: Mouse & Keyboard

Anyone hoping for a similar set of system requirements to the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot had best think again. These minimum system requirements for RotTR, which is all we've got to go on right now, is basically on par with, and in some cases more demanding than the recommended specs for Tomb Raider 2013. 

As such it looks as if 4GB of RAM just won't cut it, so 6GB is going to be a necessity. We've seen this with Batman: Arkham Knight and Call of Duty: Black Ops III, so it's not too much of a surprise by now. Comparatively speaking the GPU demands aren't too incredulous. A GeForce GTX 650 or Radeon HD 7770 (2GB versions remember!) are both getting a little long in the tooth by now, so it's fairly predictable to see them scrape in as a the minimum. If you are hovering around there it may be time for budget upgrade if you can.

Likewise the CPU requirements are technically more demanding, but both the Core i3-2100 and the FX-4100 are at the bottom of their families and getting on for five years old now. Processors still aren't very limiting factors right now though, so if you're below the minimum and looking for an upgrade, the graphics card should be your priority. 

Remember, you can always check out how well your PC can run the Rise of the Tomb Raider System Requirements here, where you can check benchmarking and performance from other users. Compare your graphics card to the Rise of the Tomb Raider benchmark chart.