Can I Run Horizon Zero Dawn?
If like many others out there, you are excited that you’ll finally be able to experience the world of Horizon Zero Dawn on PC, the most pressing question on your mind will be “Can I run it?”.
Developer Guerrilla Games have shared the system requirements for Horizon Zero Dawn on its Steam page, giving us our first heads up as to how demanding on PC hardware this game will be. It’s famously one of the better looking open-world games on PS4, so it’s going to be interesting to see how it performs when it releases. Especially with the various visual enhancements specific for PC.
These system requirements will give you an indication of how well the game will run on your system when comparing the specs listed here with the specs of your system.
If you’re not too sure on how to do this, we have put together a short guide on how to find out exactly what your system is running. If this seems a bit long-winded to you don’t worry, we’re in the process of creating our own bespoke tool to do this automatically. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as it progresses.
When Does Horizon Zero Dawn release?
Horizon Zero Dawn is scheduled for a 7th of August release, roughly three years and six months after it’s initial PS4 release. This is interesting because it is indeed quite some time since the original console release, but it also raises the question over whether Sony will consider bringing other games to PC after a similar window of PS4 exclusivity.
Where Can I get Horizon Zero Dawn?
The PC version of Horizon Zero Dawn is going to be available on both Steam and Epic Game Store.
Horizon Zero Dawn Game Details
- Release date: PlayStation 4: 28 February 2017, PC: 7 August 2020
- Genre: Action role-playing
- Developer: Guerrilla Games
- Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Don’t worry, we’ll try to keep this section as spoiler-free as possible if you haven’t played the game before. Players will take control of the hunter Aloy on their travels through a post-apocalyptic world full of robotic creatures.
Combat in this game is particularly interesting as each of the 26 species of enemies you’ll come up against will have a different set of strengths and weaknesses, as well as a couple of key locations to target during combat.
While mastering bow and arrow combat, you’ll be able to upgrade this as well as select different types of arrows for certain situations to make things easier. You’ll have to dodge and roll out of the way of enemies if you want to stay alive though, especially if you’re caught without consumables to help you out.
It’s the large post-apocalyptic landscape that might test your system, however, with a series of large and diverse landscapes to discover, each more spectacular than the last. You’ll also encounter scattered tribe-like populations who can help you along on your journey.
Horizon Zero Dawn Minimum System Requirements
- CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz or AMD FX 6300@3.5GHz
- RAM: 8 GB
- HDD: 100 GB available space
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 (3 GB) or AMD Radeon R9 290 (4GB)
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit
- DirectX: 12
- Screen Resolution: 720p
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
Horizon Zero Dawn Recommended System Requirements
- CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K@3.5GHz or Ryzen 5 1500X@3.5GHz
- RAM: 16 GB
- HDD: 100 GB available space
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 580 (8GB).
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit
- DirectX: 12
- Screen Resolution: 1080p
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
Optimal Hardware Suggestions
The exact hardware you need is ultimately going to depend on what settings you’ll be playing this game at, and what levels of performance you want. If you’re hoping to run this game at higher resolutions and higher framerates, a system that surpasses these recommended system requirements will help boost performance.
We’d say with this game you’ll definitely want to hit the recommended requirements we’ve laid out and, if possible, go a bit further. It’s likely that if you meet the recommended requirements you’ll be able to play this title at 60 FPS at a 1080p resolution but you may have to tweak the graphics somewhat.
This game was at one point a technical showcase of what the Playstation 4 was capable when pushed, but now it’s going to serve as similar on PC. It’s a particularly nice looking game, and we can’t wait to put it through its paces when it releases next month.
What Gaming PC Do We Recommend?
Not only would a system that matches the recommended requirements be a great choice to start with, but we’d also always recommend aiming a bit higher if possible. If you opt for a mid-high range gaming PC you’ll likely have no worries running a title like this.
Some key components we’d recommend if you’re building on a budget would be the following.
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
- RAM: 16 GB
- GPU: AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT
If you’re looking for a great starting point to put a PC like this together, be sure to check out our $800 gaming PC build. This will also leave you a bit of room for upgrading if you want to push for higher resolution gaming. This is just a starting point though, and depending on your budget, your requirements, and your preferences, you may wish to use a different hardware configuration. Check out our build guides to get an idea of what options are available.