Valheim is currently a top seller on Steam. The hardware requirements for the game are so low that it should even run on an old PC. MeinMMO presents the system requirements for Valheim.
What is Valheim? Valheim is a cooperative survival game for 1 to 10 players. You find yourself as a Viking in a vast, procedurally generated world where you must survive and overcome various adversities. The entire game world is based on Norse mythology.
On Steam, Valheim has so far received predominantly positive reviews, and the developers have also explained what the future holds for their game.
However, Valheim is exciting for another reason: the game runs smoothly even on old computers. So if you have an old PC sitting in your closet, it’s quite possible that the new survival hit on Steam will run on that old machine as well.
In the following section, we want to present the hardware requirements for Valheim.
Valheim runs on weak computers as well
Valheim requires very few resources and therefore runs on less powerful devices.
Storage and RAM: With about 1 GB, the game is not very large, and it also requires a minimum of 4 GB of RAM. Since Windows 10 already demands a minimum of 4 GB of RAM, this should not be a significant issue.
Operating System: Officially, the game still supports Windows 7 and Windows 8. However, for security reasons, we would recommend that you no longer use the older versions of Windows and upgrade to Windows 10.
Alternatively, the game can also be played smoothly on Linux. The requirements here are no different from those of the Windows version.
Current Valheim system requirements:
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | 2.6 GHz Dual Core | I5 4 GHz or better |
| RAM | 4 GB | 8 GB |
| Graphics | GeForce GTX 500 | GeForce GTX 970 or similar |
Processor requirements for Valheim in detail
Is a laptop or entry-level processor sufficient? As a minimum, you need a dual-core processor with at least 2.6 GHz. Today, almost every laptop and desktop PC should be able to meet this requirement. Intel’s Celeron and Pentium series, as well as AMD’s Athlon and A series, offer more performance today.
Modern processors like the Intel i3, which is available with both 2 and 4 cores, as well as the Ryzen 3 3200 G, the weakest current AMD processor, can easily handle the game.
Graphics requirements of Valheim in detail
What is the minimum requirement? Valheim recommends a GeForce GTX 500 or similar performance as the minimum. This would be comparable to the Radeon HD 6870. Both graphics cards are now about 10 years old.
Intel’s HD Graphics or AMD’s Radeon RX Vega 7 can run the survival game Valheim without any problems and offer more performance than the minimum recommendations.
If your PC already has low-end graphics cards like a GeForce GT 1030 or a Radeon RX 550 installed, the processing power of those graphics cards should be completely sufficient, and you should be able to play without issues.
What do I need for high settings: The developers of Valheim recommend a GeForce GTX 970. This is an old high-end model from 2014, comparable to the Radeon R9 290, also from 2014.
If you want to play Valheim at high settings in 2021, you don’t need a high-end graphics card. A GTX 1060 or an RX 570, both of which offer comparable performance, will suffice. These are also entry-level graphics cards. You do not need an RTX 3090 like this YouTuber for Minecraft.
Valheim with low vs high settings – Here’s what it looks like
A YouTuber showcased how the game runs with a GeForce GTX 750 in his video. The card is now 5 years old. In the video, he presents both low and high settings.
Where are the differences? The biggest differences between the graphics settings lie primarily in the lighting and texture details. While the game looks blurry and muddy on the lowest settings, you get nicer textures and a significantly more realistic lighting at higher settings.
If the game doesn’t start: If for whatever reason the game still doesn’t start on your PC, Steam offers you a refund policy: If you play for less than 2 hours within 14 days, you can return the game without giving any reasons.
Have you already given Valheim a chance and are playing it, or are you still unsure about what to think of the new top title on Steam? If you want to know what it plays like: On MeinMMO, you can find a preview report on Valheim that explains what is so good about the title.
