Fear not, potato gamers, the RuneScape Dragonwilds system requirements are pretty light and hallelujah for a new UE5 game that doesn't require ray tracing

RuneScape Dragonwilds has been in the works since at least 2022, but we hadn't heard much about it until late last year when Jagex started recruiting Alpha testers and then a few days ago when it was officially announced and named. There was no word on what it'd take to run the game, though—until now, that is, because the system reqs are now listed on the game's Steam page.

Saying 'potato gamers' need not fear is admittedly an exaggeration, because you won't be able to run the game on an actual potato. But compared to the slew of demanding games to hit the shelves over the last few months, Dragonwilds is somewhat of a breath of fresh air. Especially as it's meant to see a full release in 2026, by which time this gear will be practically ancient.

Here are the requirements:

Yes, that's just an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060, AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, or Intel Arc A750 that's required to run Jagex's upcoming survival game. Which means, importantly, that there's finally a big game launch that doesn't require ray tracing.

It's also testament to Jagex knowing its market, because one of the benefits of RuneScape itself compared to many other MMOs is that it doesn't require a beefy machine to run. For sure RuneScape itself is much lighter, requiring just a GeForce 400-series GPU or equivalent, but given how good it seems to look, Dragonwilds being open to GTX 1060 or RX 5600 XT gamers is on the right tack.

And it does, indeed, look rather gorgeous, no doubt in part due to the simple fact that it's an Unreal Engine 5 game. Compared to other recent UE5 games we've seen—Black Myth: Wukong, Avowed, and so on—these requirements are incredibly light.

And we've not even touched on the storage, yet. It's becoming rare for big titles to keep their installation sizes down to 50 GB, let alone 25 GB. To give some examples, Atomfall requires 60 GB, Avowed requires 75 GB, and Kingdom Come Deliverance II requires 100 GB.

Although RuneScape Dragonwilds will of course feature RS lore, as well as presumably some RS spells and maybe even some gameplay elements, it's a survival game, not an MMO. To me, it seems like it might be closest to a game like Valheim, especially given the MO is "grind skills, slay dragons", much as Valheim's MO is 'grind gear, kill bosses'.

Compared to Valheim, RuneScape Dragonwilds is actually pretty demanding. Valheim has lighter system reqs, with the recommended GPU being a GTX 1060 or equivalent and the minimum being a GTX 950 or equivalent. And storage space? Valheim requires just 1 GB of it, thanks to ultra-low res textures (it's the lighting that makes it look so nice despite this).

Still, for a great-looking UE5 game, it seems Dragonwilds will be pretty light on resources. Which is great news for my RTX 3060 Ti, as I'll certainly be wanting to try the game out. I'm sure plenty of others will similarly ageing hardware must feel the same.

Best CPU for gaming: Top chips from Intel and AMD.
Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.
Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.
Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game first.