Earlier this month, Elite: Dangerous developer Frontier Developments revealed that the oft-anticipated expansion pack Dangerous: Horizons is set to arrive on November 24. For fans of the space combat simulator, one obvious thing to get excited over in the expansion is the ability to land on planets as opposed to the formerly imposed restriction on outer space travel.
In order to help players prepare for the extra weight the game is about to pack on, the developer has issued a minimum and suggested specs list to help you ready your PC for the open road, or the cosmos rather.
Because of the improvements to the game’s graphics as well as some new content, the game is obviously a bit more demanding with the Horizons expansion than without. If you’re champing at the bit to discover whether or not your system is capable enough to handle the add-on, your fears can be alleviated, as we’ve included a nifty comparison chart below.
| Elite Dangerous (without expansion) | Minimum | Recommended |
| CPU | Quad-Core CPU (4x2GHz) | Intel Core i7-3770K (3.5GHz) or AMD FX 4350 (4.2GHz) |
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 or AMD Radeon HD 4870 (DirectX 11) | Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 or AMD Radeon R9 280X (DirectX 11) |
| RAM | 4GB | 8GB |
| Storage | 7GB | 7GB |
| Connectivity | Broadband Internet Connection | Broadband Internet Connection |
| Operating system | Windows 7, 8.1 | Windows 7, 8.1 |
| Elite Dangerous: Horizons | Minimum | Recommended |
| CPU | Quad-Core CPU (4x2GHz) | Intel Core i7-3770K (3.5GHz) or AMD FX 4350 (4.2GHz) |
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce GTX 470 or AMD Radeon R7 240
(requires DirectX 11) |
Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 or AMD Radeon R9 280X
(requires DirectX 11) |
| RAM | 6GB | 8GB |
| Storage | 8GB | 8GB |
| Connectivity | Broadband Internet Connection | Broadband Internet Connection |
| Operating system | Windows 7, 8.1, or 10 (64-bit) | Windows 7, 8.1, or 10 (64-bit) |
Of everything covered, the most remarkable change is to the GPU requirements, which switched from a GTX 260 or AMD Radeon HD 4870 to a GTX 470 or AMD Radeon R7 240. RAM has been bumped as well, from 4GB to 6GB minimum. Lastly, you’ll need at least 8GB of storage space instead of the previously instilled 7GB, though if this is any sort of deal breaker, it may be time for some early spring cleaning nonetheless.
Additionally, at some point in the future, Frontier also plans on giving word of recommended specs for those interested in playing Elite Dangerous: Horizons in 4K or on a VR headset. Unfortunately, Frontier neglected to mention a time frame.
