Wing Commander 35th Anniversary Edition PC requirements: it runs on almost anything

Wing Commander: 35th Anniversary Edition came out on November 5 on Steam, alongside GOG and the EA App. It is part of the 25 classics EA pulled from its vault, and one of seven restored editions with quality-of-life updates. Can your PC run it? Yes: the requirements come from another era, and any graphics card from recent years clears them easily. On Steam it costs $4.99 with a 50% discount. According to EA, all 25 games have special pricing on Steam and GOG from November 5 to 19.

Wing Commander: 35th Anniversary Edition PC requirements

On the Steam page, the minimum and recommended specs are identical:

The game is Windows-only: the store page lists no Mac or Linux version.

What this edition brings

EA describes the 1990 original as the game that defined the space combat genre. For the anniversary, it was restored with help from the Wing Commander community:

• Kilrathi Saga built in: this is the first time this version has been released digitally. It adds digital music and sound, a re-orchestrated soundtrack and optional drop-away cockpit support.
• Wcdx patch: bundled with the Kilrathi Saga version. It adds gameplay speed fixes, improved controller support, planetary space backgrounds, optional cheats and windowed mode.
• WCAT patch: bundled with the DOS versions. It restores the gameplay and audio feel of a 386 PC, improves the controls and adjusts the asteroids.

If you already owned Wing Commander digitally on GOG or the EA App, you get the Anniversary Edition upgrade at no cost on that same platform. Tutorials were rare in 90s PC games, so the team included scanned manuals in the “Extras” folder inside the install directory. They recommend starting there. The FAQ also confirms that the Wcdx version can be played with a controller.

Which graphics cards run it?

Every one we checked. The GTX 1650, the RX 580, the RTX 3050 and the Arc B580 all clear both the minimum and the recommended spec. Each one grades S, “Overkill”, measured against the recommended requirement. RAM is not an issue either: the game asks for 2 GB. If your machine is truly old, our low-end PC games list has more options like this one.

What about the Steam Deck?

Valve has not verified the game for Steam Deck yet. On paper, the Deck clears the minimum, and our spec-based estimate gives it an A. That is only an estimate built from the specs, not a test on the device. The details are on the game’s Steam Deck page.

Can your PC run Wing Commander: 35th Anniversary Edition?

Here is how your system grades against the game’s requirements:

Game	Rec. GPU score	Rec. RAM	Min. RAM	Your PC
Wing Commander™: 35th Anniversary Edition	2,500	2 GB	2 GB	?

The full game page shows the grade for your detected GPU and RAM.

Sources: Wing Commander: 35th Anniversary Edition on Steam, EA: Add 25 restored and classic games to your library, Steam: launch announcement, Steam: FAQ and known issues