The Evil Within system requirements calls for some serious hardware

The Evil Within

Bethesda Softworks has finally revealed the system requirements for the rapidly-approaching The Evil Within, but in an unusual twist, it's not providing any minimum requirements to run the game. Instead, it offers a warning: If your rig doesn't meet the recommended spec, you're on your own.

The "go big or go home" approach to The Evil Within's system requirements is refreshing, in a way, but it's also a bit intimidating. These aren't the most accommodating specs ever put together:

  • 64-bit Windows 7/Windows 8
  • i7 with four plus cores
  • 4 GBs RAM
  • 50 GB of hard drive space*
  • GeForce GTX 670 or equivalent with 4GBs of VRAM
  • High Speed Internet Connection
  • Steam account and activation

"We do not have a list of minimum requirements for the game," Bethesda wrote on in a blog post. "If you’re trying to play with a rig with settings below these requirements (you should plan to have 4 GBs of VRAM regardless), we cannot guarantee optimal performance."

I take a certain amount of pride in maintaining a relatively old PC, built around a Core 2 Quad and a GTX-570, as a capable gaming system, but this may be beyond my reach. That's the downside of this approach to system requirements: It leaves people like me guessing, and thus a whole lot less likely to spring for the game until someone else—probably a whole lot of someone elses—takes the plunge first. The Evil Within is out on October 14. You can read Andy's bloody hands-on here.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.