Step 2 of 5
Working out whether your computer can run it
This step produces one piece of paper. On it you will have six facts about your own computer, written in the same units that game publishers use, so that reading a requirements list becomes a comparison rather than a hope.
Why this is the step worth doing first
A modern online game is a large download that then wants a particular amount of memory, a graphics chip of roughly a particular age, and a specific operating system version. If your computer falls short in one of those, you find out after the download, usually at the least convenient moment. Twenty minutes of looking now avoids that, and the same piece of paper will serve you for every game you consider afterwards.
The checking itself uses tools that came with your operating system. You do not need a diagnostic program, a driver updater or a "system scanner", and this course will never ask you to install one. If a website offers to examine your computer for you, treat that as a reason to leave the website.
The six facts to write down
| Fact | What it looks like | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system and version | Windows 11 24H2; macOS 15; Ubuntu 24.04 | Requirements are written per operating system, and old versions are dropped over time. |
| Whether it is 64-bit | "64-bit operating system" | Large games are generally published only as 64-bit programs. |
| Processor (CPU) | A brand, a family and a model number | It sets the floor for how much the game can calculate each frame. |
| Memory (RAM) | 8 GB, 16 GB | The single most common reason a game runs but stutters. |
| Graphics (GPU) | A separate card, or graphics built into the processor | It does the drawing; requirements lists name specific models. |
| Free disk space | GB free on the drive you will install to | A big download plus room for patches, which keep arriving. |
Two words are worth defining before you go looking. Integrated graphics means the drawing chip is part of the processor and shares the computer's memory; it is common in laptops and thin desktops. A discrete graphics card is a separate board with its own memory. Both can run games; the discrete card is usually faster, and requirements lists often name one of each as their minimum.
Finding them on Windows
Numbered procedure — Windows
- Press the Windows key, type System information, and open the result named System Information. The first page lists the operating system name and version, the system type (which is where "x64-based PC" tells you it is 64-bit), the processor, and the installed physical memory.
- Write those four down. Round the memory to whole gigabytes.
- Press the Windows key, type Device Manager, open it, and expand the entry called Display adapters. The names listed there are your graphics hardware. Laptops often list two: integrated graphics and a discrete card.
- Open File Explorer, select This PC, and read the free space under each drive. Note the free space on the drive you intend to install to, which is usually C:.
- If you prefer the newer interface, Settings then System then About shows the processor, memory, system type and Windows edition on one screen. Microsoft documents both routes in its own support pages, which are the authority if a menu has moved.
Finding them on macOS
Numbered procedure — macOS
- Open the Apple menu and choose About This Mac. You will see the model, the chip or processor, the memory, and the macOS version.
- Note whether the chip name begins with "Apple" or with "Intel". This distinction decides whether a game published for one kind of Mac will run on yours, and publishers increasingly list the two separately.
- For the graphics entry, open System Information from the same window, or hold Option and choose System Information from the Apple menu, then select Graphics/Displays.
- For free space, open the Apple menu, then System Settings, then General, then Storage.
- Apple's own support site documents these screens per macOS version, which is worth checking if your menus differ.
Finding them on Linux
Numbered procedure — Linux
- Most desktop environments have a Settings panel with an About page showing the distribution name and version, the processor, the memory and the graphics device. That is enough for a requirements comparison.
- If you prefer a terminal,
lscpureports the processor,free -hreports memory,df -hreports free disk space per filesystem, andlspci | grep -i vgareports the graphics device. - Note your distribution and release number as published, for example "Ubuntu 24.04" or "Fedora 41". Publishers that support Linux usually name the distributions they have tested.
- Note also which graphics driver you are using, because Linux support for games frequently depends on the driver rather than on the card. Your distribution's documentation is the right source for that.
Reading "minimum" and "recommended"
Nearly every game publishes two lists. Minimum requirements describe a computer on which the game is expected to start and be playable, usually at a low picture quality. Recommended requirements describe a computer on which it is expected to look and feel as intended. Neither is a promise, and both are set by the publisher rather than by an independent body.
Three habits make the comparison more useful. First, compare like with like: an operating system version against the version line, memory against the memory line, and so on, rather than forming a general impression. Second, treat the graphics entry as the one that matters most, and the processor as the one that matters least, for most modern games. Third, if you meet the minimum but not the recommended list, expect to reduce the picture quality in the game's own settings — which is normal, free, and reversible.
A note on claims
This course does not tell you what any particular game requires. Requirements change with each major update, and the only current version is the one on the publisher's own page. For the game this course uses as its example, the description given to us states that it is offered for Windows, macOS and Linux desktop computers; it does not state processor, memory or disk figures, so we do not supply them.
Disk space and the size of the download
Plan for more space than the download size. An online game that patches often will grow, and an installer frequently needs room for both the compressed download and the unpacked files at the same time. A practical habit is to keep at least the stated install size free again on top of it.
If your main drive is nearly full, you have three ordinary options before buying anything: install to a second internal drive if you have one, install to an external drive, or clear space by removing software you no longer use. Installing to an external drive over USB usually works and usually loads more slowly. None of these requires a cleaning utility, and this course does not recommend one.
Your internet connection
Two separate things matter, and they are often confused. Speed decides how long the first download takes. Latency, the delay between your computer and the server, decides how the game feels while you play; it is measured in milliseconds and usually shown in the game as "ping".
For an Australian player, latency depends heavily on which server region you connect to, and a game with Oceanic servers will feel different from one whose nearest servers are overseas. That is a question of fact about each game, and the publisher's own forum or support pages are where it is answered.
Also check whether your connection is metered. If you pay per gigabyte, or share a fixed monthly allowance with a household, a multi-gigabyte download followed by weekly patches is a budget item and belongs in the same conversation as the spending cap from Step 1.
The example household at Step 2
Hypothetical example
Our invented household writes down: Windows 11, 64-bit, an eighth-generation Intel processor, 8 GB of memory, integrated graphics only, and 42 GB free on the single internal drive. They also note that the connection is unmetered but shared with schoolwork in the evenings. Reading their own sheet, they conclude two things without anybody telling them: 8 GB with integrated graphics means they should expect to set the picture quality low, and 42 GB free is workable but tight enough that they should clear some space first. No product has been judged, and no result has been promised; they simply know what they have.
Deciding, without buying anything
Your sheet will put you in one of three positions. You comfortably exceed the recommended list, in which case install and stop worrying. You sit between minimum and recommended, which is where most people are: install, then lower the picture settings until the game feels smooth. Or you fall below the minimum on one line, most often memory or graphics.
That last position is a decision, not a verdict. A game below minimum may still start, may run poorly, or may refuse. Trying it costs you a download and nothing else if the game is free to install. What this course will not do is suggest that you need to spend money on hardware; there is no obligation to upgrade anything, and plenty of games are built for modest machines.
Paid link: the affiliate network that operates it pays Solid Facet a commission if you register. The published requirements on the vendor's own site are the ones to compare against your sheet.
Step 2 checklist
Work through these before Step 3
- Write down your operating system and its version number, exactly as the system reports it.
- Write down whether it is 64-bit.
- Write down the processor brand, family and model number.
- Write down installed memory in whole gigabytes.
- Write down the graphics hardware, noting whether it is integrated, discrete, or both.
- Write down free space on the drive you will install to, and clear space if the figure is below roughly twice the game's stated install size.
- Note whether your internet connection is metered, and how much allowance is left this month.
- Open the publisher's own requirements page and compare it line by line with your sheet.
- Decide which of the three positions you are in, and write the decision down.
- Install no diagnostic tool, driver updater or cleaner to complete this step. None is needed.
Before you move on
You should now have six written facts, a note about your connection, and a decision about whether to proceed on this computer. Keep the sheet; Step 4 refers to the free-space figure, and Step 5 refers to the connection note. Step 3 leaves hardware behind and turns to the three documents a game asks you to accept.