Horizon Zero Dawn PC Specs: What are the system requirements?

Another day, another PS4-exclusive makes the jump to PC. This time it’s Horizon Zero Dawn, and we’ve put together the minimum specs, recommended specs and Trusted Reviews’ own recommend rig to enjoy the game.

Three years after its release, Horizon Zero Dawn is getting a new lease of life on PC. If you missed the original PS4 port the first time round, this is the perfect opportunity to dive in with improved graphics and performance to see what all the fuss is about.

Plus, with Horizon Forbidden West on its way for the PS5, now’s your chance to dive into the series’ lore before the sequel drops. So without further delay, let’s go over the specs for Horizon Zero Dawn on PC.

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Horizon Zero Dawn PC Specs – Minimum requirements

	Minimum Horizon Zero Dawn specs
CPU	Intel Core i5-2500K or AMD FX 6300
RAM	8GB RAM
Storage	100GB available space
GPU	Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 or AMD Radeon R9 290
DirectX	Version 12
Sound card	DirectX compatible
Operating System	Windows 10

Running Horizon Zero Dawn on your PC is fairly simple, with Guerrilla Games setting low minimum spec requirements. That said, you will need 8GB RAM under the hood, as well as a whopping 100GB of available storage to download the game.

Luckily however, the required CPU and processor options are fairly dated by today’s standards, so they can be picked up on the cheap. We’ve included links where possible so that you can pick up the kit you need quickly and without fuss. Although we would recommend going for better components to allow for better performance and visuals.

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Horizon Zero Dawn PC Specs – Recommended requirements

	Recommended Horizon Zero Dawn specs
CPU	Intel Core i7-4770K or Ryzen 5 1500X
RAM	16GB RAM
Storage	100GB available space
GPU	Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 580
DirectX	Version 12
Sound card	DirectX compatible
Operating System	Windows 10

Taking things up a notch, you’re going to need a sizeable 16GB of RAM if you plan on playing Horizon Zero Dawn the way its PC port is meant to be played.

If you have the cash to splash, then these specs shouldn’t be too scary. After all, the Nvidia GTX 1060 and AMD Radeon RX 580 aren’t exactly brand new components and so they’re no longer as expensive as they once were. Make sure not to forget about the massive 100GB install though.

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Horizon Zero Dawn – Trusted Reviews’ Recommended Rig

It’s always recommended you aim for slightly more powerful components than the official “recommended specs” when building or upgrading your PC to run a new game. This is especially true with the processor and graphics card, as it gives you more headroom to play with the graphics settings and ensure a stable performance.

While Guerrilla Games recommends the Ryzen 5 1500X, we suggest going one step further with the AMD Ryzen 5 2600. With two extra cores and a higher boost clock speed, it’s better suited for modern games and multi-tasking. The Ryzen 5 2600 is also available for a very reasonable price, which makes the upgrade even more of a no-brainer.

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	Recommended Death Stranding rig
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 2600 (£134.97)
Motherboard	Gigabyte B450M (£66.27)
RAM	Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (£62)
SSD	Samsung 860 QVO 1TB (£96.95)
GPU	MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Super (£213.49)
Power Supply	CORSAIR RM650x Modular PSU – 650 W (£96.99)
Case	CIT RGB LED Midi ATX Gaming PC Case (£29.99)
Operating System	Windows 10 Home (£119.99)
Total price	£900.65

We’ve also recommended the GTX 1660 Super over the GTX 1060, as it not only provides more powerful graphics but can also be had at a more affordable price. You could make the leap to an RTX card if you’re willing to spend more, but Horizon Zero Dawn doesn’t make use of the RTX features such as ray tracing and DLSS. With that said, it’s always worth future-proofing your system so you don’t need to upgrade again in a few years.

It’s also worth mentioning that the GTX 1660 Super is only really capable of 1080p resolutions, so if you want to make the jump to Quad HD or 4K you’ll need a more powerful GPU. And take it from us, Horizon looks absolutely gorgeous at the higher resolution settings.

And with Horizon taking up an a massive 100GB on your hard drive, we’re suggesting you go for a 1TB SSD, although you may prefer to go even bigger if you’ve got a large library of PC games.

Check out our Horizon Zero Dawn PC review if you’re still not convinced whether your should buy the post-apocalyptic adventure, and keep Trusted Reviews bookmarked for the latest news and reviews on tech.