Microsoft's PC initiative is certainly shifting up a gear in March, with Killer Instinct and Gears of War: Ultimate Edition leading the charge. The latter we already know all about, but at long last Iron Galaxy Studios has seen fit to release the Killer Instinct system requirements. 

It may not have the unabashed violence of Mortal Kombat, or the eSports fame of Street Fighter, but Killer Instinct has carved out its own sector in the Xbox One fighting game market. Featuring some beloved Microsoft IP including Halo's Arbiter and the bizarrely popular Battletoads, Killer instinct has two players duking it out with some fast paced fighting. Oh, and it's free-to-play, so there's no harm in giving it a go. Before you click download later this month and suck all that bandwidth up though, pay heed to the official Killer Instinct system requirements to make sure you're good to go.

Killer Instinct Minimum System Requirements

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• CPU: Intel Core i5-750 2.66 GHz or AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4 GHz
• RAM: 4 GB System Memory
• GPU RAM: 1 GB Video Memory
• GPU: GeForce GTX 480 or Radeon HD 5850
• DX: DirectX 11
• Network: Broadband Internet Connection

Killer Instinct Recommended System Requirements

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4 GHz or AMD FX-4300 3.8 GHz
• RAM: 8 GB System Memory
• GPU RAM: 2 GB Video Memory
• GPU: GeForce GTX 670 or Radeon HD  7950
• DX: DirectX 11

Now, I'm not saying Killer Instinct is a bad looking game, but it's definitely not great either. These system requirements give us some respite from the sky-high ones coming from Microsoft fare of late, but they're still pretty hefty for a fighting game. 

Once again this is going to be Windows 10 Store only, so Microsoft's latest OS is a must if you want to have any chance of playing Killer Instinct on PC. While the minimum requirements for Killer Instinct aren't enough to give undue worry to most, you are going to need a decent mid-range sporting the equivalent of a GTX 480 or a Radeon HD 5850. Likewise, both the Core i7-750 and Phenom II X4 955 are very capable CPUs, even today. 

Luckily there's not a very big jump up at all to the recommended specs, but there is a strange gulf in processor demands. The Intel Core i5-4670K massively outclasses the AMD FX-4300, so I'm not quite sure how these two have become partners in crime. If an FX-4300 can do the job then expect an i5-3330 or so to be more than up for the task.

It's also worth bearing in mind that developer Iron Galaxy is the same port house which brought Batman: Arkham Knight over to PC. Make of that what you will, and it's obviously no definite indicator that Killer Instinct will perform badly, but I think it's an interesting nugget. 

One last thing and that's the controls. A fight stick is obviously the preferable way to play, but other than this I'd have to recommend a controller with a solid d-pad. The d-pad on the Xbox 360 controller in particular is an absolute pile of ass, so you may struggle to pull off combos with this. 

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