Mass Effect: Legendary Edition system requirements aren't too demanding

Garrus looks moody yet loveable yet dark yet approachable
(Image credit: Electronic Arts)

Ahead of its May release, Electronic Arts has issued the minimum and recommended system requirements for Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. The good news is that you probably won't need to upgrade to play it, though you will need 120GB spare. That isn't unexpected: It includes all three games and their singleplayer DLC, with the exception of Mass Effect 1's Pinnacle Station.

Back in 2012 you could run Mass Effect 3 at its best settings on a GeForce 9800 GT. That's obviously no longer the case, but the recommended specs for the new edition won't break the bank either: If you're rocking anything between a GTX 760 and 1070, or a Radeon 7970/R9280X and Vega 56, you should be fine. 

It makes sense, because aside from some substantial gameplay changes to Mass Effect 1 (including a touching up of its gunplay and UI, to name two examples), the trilogy isn't a thorough modern remake: they still run on Unreal Engine 3, they're still the same games, albeit much prettier than they've ever been. You can read more about the finer details of the changes here.

Without further ado:

Minimum requirements for Mass Effect: Legendary Edition

  • OS: 64-bit Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel Core i5 3570 or AMD FX-8350
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: GPU: NVIDIA GTX 760, AMD Radeon 7970 / R9280X GPU RAM: 2 GB Video Memory
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 120GB available space
  • OS: 64-bit Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel Core i7-7700 or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM
  • Graphics: GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1070 / RTX 200, Radeon Vega 56, GPU RAM: 4 GB Video Memory
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 120GB available space

The Mass Effect: Legendary Edition release date is May 14. It'll have prettier graphics and 21:9 support to boot. It's a big, generous package—albeit lacking any multiplayer—and you can read all about it here.

Shaun Prescott
Australian Editor

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.

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