Permafrost PC requirements: what you need for the October 9 Early Access launch
Permafrost, SpaceRocket Games' co-op survival game, enters Early Access on Steam on October 9. It needs 16 GB of RAM and a GTX 1060 6GB at minimum. Here are the GPUs that clear the minimum and the recommended, plus the Steam Deck picture.
In this guide 4
Permafrost, the open-world survival game from SpaceRocket Games and Toplitz Productions, enters Early Access on Steam tomorrow, October 9. You can play solo or with up to 3 friends on a frozen Earth. It is Windows only, and it launches at $24.99 with a 20% launch discount and regional pricing. The detail that matters most for your PC: it asks for 16 GB of RAM even at minimum.
Permafrost PC requirements
These are the official requirements from the Steam page:
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB or AMD Radeon RX 590 8GB | Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti 8GB or AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT 12GB |
| CPU | Intel Core i5 8600K or AMD Ryzen 5 3500 | Intel Core i5-12400 or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X |
| RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| Storage | 30 GB | 30 GB |
| OS | Windows 10 (x64) | Windows 10 (x64) |
Both tiers require DirectX 12. Memory is the same at minimum and recommended, so what separates the two tiers is the GPU and the CPU. If your PC has less than 16 GB of RAM, it falls below the minimum even if your graphics card is good enough.
Which GPUs make it
The gap between minimum and recommended is wide, and most popular cards land somewhere in between. canirun grades are measured against the recommended requirement:
- GTX 1650 and RX 580: they do not reach the minimum.
- GTX 1060 6GB: this is the minimum card itself. It clears the minimum but grades F against the recommended, so it will launch and struggle.
- RTX 3060 and RTX 3070: they clear the minimum and grade C against the recommended. Note the 3070: the recommended asks for a 3070 Ti, so it does not get there.
- RTX 4070 and RX 9070 XT: they meet the recommended with a B. The RTX 5070 goes up to an A.
Keep in mind this is Early Access. The developers wrote that some players had trouble playing during the weekend playtest, that they are applying fixes for the launch, and that they will post an update on what was fixed before release.
What about Steam Deck?
Valve has not verified it yet. Our spec-based estimate gives the Steam Deck an F and puts it below the minimum. That is an estimate from the specs, not a real-world test: once Valve rates it, you will see it on the Permafrost Steam Deck page.
Can your PC run Permafrost?
Here is how your PC grades against Permafrost and two related survival games, ARK: Survival Ascended and Abiotic Factor:
| Game | Rec. GPU score | Rec. RAM | Min. RAM | Your PC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permafrost | 22,430 | 16 GB | 16 GB | ? |
 ARK: Survival Ascended | 22,650 | 32 GB | 16 GB | ? |
 Abiotic Factor | 21,750 | 16 GB | 8 GB | ? |
The full game page shows the exact grade for your GPU and RAM.
Sources: Permafrost on Steam, Steam: Early Access price announcement
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