Want to run Overwatch on your PC? Here’s what you’ll need

By Gabe Carey October 28, 2015

want to run overwatch on your pc heres what youll need zarya — Image used with permission by copyright holder

With closed beta keys for Overwatch finally out in the open, Blizzard has revealed the minimum and recommended spec requirements to get your PC running the game as soon as possible. They are as follows, according to PC Gamer:

Minimum (at 30fps):

Operating system: Windows Vista/7/ 8/10 64-bit (with the most recent Service Pack update)
Processor: Intel Core i3 or AMD Phenom X3 865
Video: Nvidia GeForce GTX 460, ATI Radeon HD 4850, or Intel HD Graphics 4400
Memory: 768 MB VRAM, 4 GB System RAM
Storage: 7200 RPM with 5 GB available HD space

Recommended (at 60fps, Medium settings):

Operating system: Windows Vista/7/ 8/10 64-bit (latest Service Pack)
Processor: Intel Core i5 or AMD Phenom II X3, 2.8 GHz
Video: Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 or ATI Radeon HD 7950
Memory: 2 GB VRAM, 6 GB System RAM
Storage: 7200 RPM with 5 GB available HD space

For those not in the know, Overwatch is described as a squad-based first-person shooter that sets teams of six players up against each other in a sequence of competitive arena matches. In the game, there are a number of playable characters to choose from, with each character equipped with distinctive weapons and abilities designed to assist the team as a whole.

Though Blizzard has yet to confirm a release window for the final product, the publisher plans to accept more players into its closed beta as time goes on. And, while many will apply for the closed beta, Blizzard says a number of players will only be accepted into Beta Test Weekends, a similar promotion designed as a series of stress tests during certain weekends selected by the developer. The first Beta Test Weekend will take place next month, after BlizzCon 2015 comes to a halt.

Regardless of which pool of gamers you’re thrown into, be it the closed beta testers or Beta Test Weekend-ers, Blizzard says you’ll be able to “discuss and dissect every hero, map, ability, and other aspect of the game on our upcoming beta forums.”

If you’d like to opt in to the beta, you can attempt to do so using the guide on Battle.net, although as we reported earlier this month, Blizzard stresses that closed beta spots are “extremely limited.”

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

A freelancer for Digital Trends, Gabe Carey has been covering the intersection of video games and technology since he was 16…

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