Red Dead Redemption 2 system requirements and PC features revealed

Last month, Rockstar finally announced that its console cowboy game Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming to PC.  We've got the full spiel on the new version, including a rundown on the new guns, horses, and missions being added.

We also have Red Dead Redemption 2's system requirements. Here they are:

Red Dead Redemption 2 minimum PC specifications:

OS: Windows 7 - Service Pack 1 (6.1.7601)
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K / AMD FX-6300
Memory: 8GB
Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 2GB / AMD Radeon R9 280 3GB HDD
Space: 150GB
Sound Card: DirectX compatible

Red Dead Redemption 2 recommended PC specifications:

OS: Windows 10 - April 2018 Update (v1803)
Processor: Intel Core i7-4770K / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
Memory: 12GB
Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB / AMD Radeon RX 480 4GB HDD Space: 150GB
Sound Card: DirectX compatible

The 150GB install size might require a bit of file maneuvering if you want to put it on a smaller SSD, but otherwise the official requirements aren't particularly demanding. According to Steam's hardware survey, the recommended GeForce GTX 1060 is currently the most popular card, and 8-to-12GB of RAM is standard these days.

We'll need to do our own benchmarking before we decide what specs we recommend. Though Rockstar didn't specify, 'minimum' specs often target 1080p 30 fps, while 'recommended' specs tend to target 1080p 60 fps. Many of us enjoy games at 1440p and want to target 120 fps or higher, and we'll find out what you'll need for that kind of performance once we've got a build.

No surprises, though: A 2018 console game shouldn't require a beast of a PC. That said, Rockstar's done some work on RDR2 since its console release. According to the developer, the PC version will include:

• Increased draw distance
• "Higher quality" global illumination and ambient occlusion
• "Improved" snow trails
• "Improved" reflections and higher resolution shadows
• Tessellated tree textures
• "Improved" grass and fur textures
• HDR support
• Unlocked resolution (4K and higher)
• Ultrawide aspect ratio and multi-monitor support
• Unlocked framerate

The most important takeaways from our perspective are the unlocked resolution and the unlocked framerate, which PC Gamer confirmed with Rockstar separately from today's press release, which just promised "faster" framerates.

RDR2 already looked pretty stunning on consoles, and it's hard to imagine the PC version won't be the prettiest way to play it, with or without the texture changes (though they're certainly welcome, even if they likely contribute to the 150GB install size). How well RDR2 runs on PC is another question, and we'll put it through its paces once we have a build. 

Red Dead Redemption 2 is up for pre-purchase now on the Rockstar Games Launcher, and will release November 5. It'll also come to the Epic Games Store, and there'll be a Steam release in December.

For more on the new items and missions being added and the pre-purchase bonuses, head here.

Update: Rockstar has now sent out a press release officially unveiling Red Dead Redemption 2's PC system requirements, as well as a suite of PC-specific technical improvements. We've added those details to the story above.