The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt PC Requirements Clarify the New Normal

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CD Projekt Red's long-awaited sequel to its best-selling fantasy adaptation, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, finally has a release date: May 19, 2015 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. If you're going on console route, you can buy the game and be done with it. On PC, you have to ask the age-old question, "Can my desktop or laptop run this game?"

Today, CD Projekt Red finally released the PC system requirements for the game. The Minimum specs are quite doable on three to four year old PC, but the Recommended specs are going to require a beefy, modern rig to run it.

Minimum System Requirements

• CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz or AMD Phenom II X4 940
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 or AMD Radeon HD 7870
• RAM: 6GB
• OS: 64-bit Windows 7 or 64-bit Windows 8 (8.1)
• DirectX 11
• Install Size: 40 GB

Recommended System Requirements

• CPU: Intel Core i7 3770 3.4 GHz or AMD FX-8350 4 GHz
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 or AMD Radeon R9 290
• RAM: 8GB
• OS: 64-bit Windows 7 or 64-bit Windows 8 (8.1)
• DirectX 11
• Install Size: 40 GB

Yeah, that Recommended range is above the system specifications for The Evil Within, which I thought were fairly high for a PC title. What we're seeing instead is the new normal for PC titles developed cross-platform with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. I've been holding off on building a new PC, but it looks like now is the time to break and plan out a new build.

On the low-end, we're looking at three to four year gear. The Intel CPU was released in 2011 and was end-of-lifed in 2013, while the AMD CPU is from all the way back in 2009. Likewise, the GPU requirements are pretty ancient in PC terms: the Geforce GTX 600 and the Radeon HD 7800 series series came out in 2012. There's also the 64-bit operating system requirement that CD Projekt Red has snuck in there. If you've kept up with PC, you should be able to hit this easily.

When it comes to the Recommended specs though, you're going to need to shell out a bit of money if you haven't purchased PC equipment in the past two years. The Core i7-3770 3.4 GHz launched in 2012, but it's a high-end processor. It'll still run you around $300 if you can find one, but you could potentially get away with a Core i5 4590 3.3 GHz, which will run you $100 less (MicroCenter has it for in-store pickup at a cool $159.99). The AMD FX-8350 4 GHz is a much better option for the price and will only set you back $170.

On the graphics side of things, GeForce GTX 770 (CD Projekt Red doesn't specify, so I'm assuming the basic 2 GB model) will cost you around $300, and there's not many alternatives at this performance level without going to AMD. The AMD offerings include the Radeon R9 280x, which is a comparable GPU to the GTX 770 for around $250, but you might as well go with the R9 290 CD Projekt recommends for only $30 more.

I won't go into the rest of the specs, because you should be rocking a 64-bit operating system and 8 GB of RAM if you intend to be gaming these days. The install size is also in line with other recent games: if you're gaming on PS4 or Xbox One, you can expect a similar install size on those platforms. Honestly, at this point it's looking like if you want to play current games on your PC, you need to upgrade to this level sooner rather than later. On the bright side, Recommended Specs should continue to hover around this level, as the PS4 and Xbox One aren't going anywhere and developers will hamstring their titles so as to not exclude those platforms.

If you're on the struggle when it comes to planning out your system, you can use our Gaming PC Build Guide to help you out.