Northgard Battlegrounds is out in Early Access: what's new and can your PC run it

Northgard Battlegrounds launched in Early Access on Steam on October 27, and it arrived with more than the Steam Next Fest demo had: the Bear clan, Loki as a new god and 41 new cards. It costs $13.49, with a 10% discount. On October 26 we covered what it needs on PC and how it does on Steam Deck, and at launch the Steam page is unchanged: GTX 1050 at minimum and GTX 1060 recommended.

What Early Access brings

According to Funday Games’ release patch notes, these are the main additions:

• Bear clan: 3 unique structures (Kaija’s Den, Winter Festival and the Scabbard of Gram), 3 clan skills and two Warchiefs, Borgild and Kaija. That makes 4 clans: Stag, Raven, Wolf and Bear.
• Loki as the fourth god: each run now randomly assigns you 3 gods, and the god your clan already has favor with is guaranteed.
• 41 new cards and a new Transform mechanic.
• 3 new structures, including Seal of Valhalla and Urdarbruun.
• Treasures, a new cosmetic system, plus a Supporter Pack with Warchief skins, battlefield and shield decorations, and a title.

There is also a balance pass on the structures and units that defined the meta. The leaderboard was reset since the demo and runs until the next update; the studio says it will warn players weeks in advance before the season closes.

Northgard Battlegrounds PC requirements

It is Windows only. These are the requirements from the Steam page:

Which GPUs run it

This is a light game. Every popular GPU we checked clears the minimum:

• GTX 1650 and RX 580: they clear the minimum but sit below the recommended, grading C (Tight) against the recommended requirement. It runs, with less headroom.
• GTX 1060 6GB: meets the recommended, grade B.
• RTX 3050, RX 7600 and Arc B580: grade A, smooth against the recommended.
• RTX 4060 and up: grade S, more than enough.

Grades assume 16 GB of RAM, which is exactly what the recommended spec asks for.

What about Steam Deck?

Valve rates it Verified, and the studio confirms it ships with dedicated controls so you can play it directly on the handheld. There is more detail on the game’s Steam Deck page.

Can your PC run Northgard Battlegrounds?

Here is how your setup grades against the Early Access requirements:

Game	Rec. GPU score	Rec. RAM	Min. RAM	Your PC
Northgard Battlegrounds	9,500	4 GB	4 GB	?

To see your grade with your detected GPU and RAM, head to the full game page.

Sources: Northgard Battlegrounds on Steam, Early Access announcement, Release patch notes