Outlast 2: PC Requirements & Best Hardware (2026)

Thinking about playing Outlast 2 on PC and wondering what hardware you actually need? Outlast 2 arrived on April 24, 2017, and this first-person horror game from Red Barrels is light by modern standards: the official requirements start at a 2008-era graphics card and a dual-core Intel chip. That means most PCs built in the last several years can run it without breaking a sweat, and the decisions you make about a graphics card, CPU, and memory are mostly about how much headroom you want at higher resolutions. This guide breaks down the real PC requirements for Outlast 2, the best GPU for each resolution, and complete build recommendations to hit your target frame rate.

How Demanding Is Outlast 2?

Outlast 2 is a light game on PC hardware. It is a first-person horror game built around exploration, hiding, and the camcorder, with no large open world, no physics simulation, and no big multiplayer lobbies — so it leans on the GPU only mildly and on the CPU very little. The official minimum targets 720p at 30 fps and the official recommended targets 1080p at 60 fps, both with hardware that is a decade or more old. In practical terms, almost any dedicated graphics card released in the last decade will run it, and 1440p or 4K is limited more by your monitor and your card’s general capability than by anything Outlast 2 specifically demands. The figures below follow the developer’s published numbers; always check the game’s official store page for the exact published requirements.

ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4060 V2 OC Edition (PCIe 4.0, 8GB GDDR6, DLSS 3, HDMI 2.1a, DisplayPort 1.4a, 2-Slot Design, Axial-tech Fan Design, 0dB Technology), 3 Year Warranty

Chosen because it specifies 8GB GDDR6 and DLSS 3.

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ASUS Dual GeForce RTX™ 4060 V2 OC Edition (PCIe 4.0, 8GB GDDR6, DLSS 3, HDMI 2.1a, DisplayPort 1.4a, 2-Slot Design, Axial-tech Fan Design, 0dB Technology, and More) (Renewed)

Chosen because it specifies 8GB GDDR6 and DLSS 3.

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ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4060 Ti OC Edition 8GB GDDR6 Gaming Graphics Card Black (Nvidia GeForce RTX4060Ti DLSS 3, PCIe 4.0, 1x HDMI 2.1, 3X DisplayPort 1.4a, DUAL-RTX4060TI-O8G)

Chosen because it specifies PCIe 4.0 and 1x HDMI 2.1.

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ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 3050 6GB GDDR6 OC Edition Gaming Graphics Card

Picked as a relevant option in this category.

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Outlast 2 Official PC System Requirements

Source: the official Outlast 2 Steam store listing (app 414700), checked October 2026. Publishers can update these specs after patches.

Best GPU for Outlast 2 by Resolution

1080p

The official recommended GPU for 1080p at 60 fps is a GeForce GTX 660 or Radeon HD 7850, so a modern card is far more than you need. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 will hold maximum settings at 1080p with an enormous amount of headroom to spare, and it is a sensible pick if you also play newer, heavier games. Cheaper current options such as an RTX 5060 or RX 9060 XT are equally comfortable here, and even older cards like a GTX 1050 Ti or GTX 1650 clear the recommended spec.

1440p

Outlast 2 has no 1440p profile from the developer, but the workload scales gently. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is overkill for this particular game, which makes it a good choice if 1440p high-refresh is where you want to sit for years of releases. An RTX 5070 or Radeon RX 9070 plays the same role in the current generation, and much humbler cards such as an RTX 3060 or RX 6600 already push 1440p comfortably in this title.

4K

For 4K, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is a realistic entry point for high frame rates, though it is worth stressing that Outlast 2 is not a demanding 4K game — a GTX 1080 Ti-class card from the same era can still handle it. A current RTX 5070 or RX 9070 sits in the same bracket. The bigger factor at 4K is your display and how much you value headroom for other, heavier titles.

CPU, RAM and Storage for Outlast 2

Outlast 2 is not CPU-heavy. The official minimum is an Intel Core i3-530 and the official recommended is simply an Intel Core i5, so a modern six-core chip is far beyond anything the game asks for. The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is excellent value if you are building fresh, while the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is far more than this game can use — worth it only for much heavier titles. Intel fans can opt for the Intel Core i5-14600K. For memory, the official recommended figure is 8 GB, so a 16 GB kit is a comfortable modern baseline rather than a requirement; a larger kit such as the Corsair Vengeance DDR5 32GB is more than Outlast 2 will ever touch. The game needs 30 GB of drive space, and an SSD is not required — it simply shortens load times, which a drive like the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD does very well.

Recommended PC Builds for Outlast 2

1080p budget build: AMD Radeon RX 7600 + AMD Ryzen 5 7600 + 16 GB DDR5 — comfortably beyond the official 1080p 60 fps target, and a good base for newer games too.

1440p sweet-spot build: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER + AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + 32 GB DDR5 + 2TB NVMe SSD — far above what Outlast 2 needs, and the setup most players should aim for if they want one machine for everything.

4K high-end build: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER + AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + 32 GB DDR5 + fast NVMe SSD — a 4K build chosen for the games that come after Outlast 2, not for Outlast 2 itself.

Is It Worth Upgrading Your PC for Outlast 2?

For Outlast 2 alone, almost certainly not. If your PC can play most games from the last few years, it clears the official requirements by a wide margin, and a machine from around the game’s 2017 release window is still perfectly capable. Treat Outlast 2 as a title to enjoy on what you already own, and let the games you actually struggle with drive any upgrade. If you do decide to buy, the graphics card delivers by far the biggest jump in gaming performance, so upgrade the GPU first. A mid-range CPU from the last few years will not hold back a modern GPU in this game, so you can usually keep it, and adding memory only matters if you are short of the 8 GB the developer recommends. Rather than replacing everything at once, target the weakest link in your build for the best value.

Can You Play Outlast 2 on a Laptop or Handheld?

Easily. Because the official requirements are so modest, gaming laptops with an RTX 4060 or better mobile GPU will run Outlast 2 at 1080p without working hard, though expect the usual shorter battery life and more heat than a desktop. On handhelds like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally, this light 2017 horror game is a comfortable fit at sensible settings, which makes it a great portable pick. If portability matters, prioritise a device with a decent GPU and pair it with a fast microSD or SSD for storage, since the game only asks for 30 GB of space.

How to Boost FPS in Outlast 2

If frame rates are low, start with resolution: Outlast 2 predates modern upscalers, so check the graphics menu for the resolution scaling option the game offers and drop it a notch rather than expecting DLSS or FSR to be present. Next, reduce the more expensive visual settings — shadows and post-processing effects are usually the first candidates — before lowering the overall resolution. Keep your GPU drivers up to date, close background apps, and make sure the game is installed on an SSD to cut load times, though storage has little effect on frame rate itself. On hardware this far above the official spec, a stable frame rate should be easy to reach, and lowering settings a little almost always feels better than chasing maxed-out visuals with stutter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my PC run Outlast 2?

The official minimum is an Intel Core i3-530, 4 GB of RAM, and a 1 GB card such as a GeForce GTX 260 or Radeon HD 4870, targeting 720p at 30 fps. The official recommended is an Intel Core i5, 8 GB of RAM, and a GeForce GTX 660 or Radeon HD 7850, targeting 1080p at 60 fps. If your PC meets or beats those numbers, it runs Outlast 2.

Is Outlast 2 demanding on PC?

No. Outlast 2 is a light title by modern standards — its requirements date back to 2017 and reference hardware from several years before that. Most dedicated graphics cards handle it at 1080p without difficulty.

What GPU do I need for Outlast 2 at 1440p 60fps?

There is no official 1440p profile, but a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER-class card has far more power than this game requires and will hold 1440p with room to spare. Cards well below that tier, including older mid-range models, already run Outlast 2 comfortably at 1440p.

How much RAM does Outlast 2 need?

The official minimum is 4 GB and the official recommended is 8 GB. That is genuinely enough for this game, so 16 GB is a comfortable cushion for running other things in the background rather than a requirement, and 32 GB brings no benefit in Outlast 2 itself.

Do I need an SSD for Outlast 2?

No. The game needs 30 GB of free space, and it runs from a mechanical drive. An SSD shortens load times and makes the experience feel snappier, and a drive like the Samsung 990 Pro is a good general-purpose choice, but it is not part of the official requirements.