Praise the Omnissiah, we’ll soon don our armour and rev our chainswords in defence of the Impreium against the Tyranid swarm. However, before we ship out, we’ll need to meet the Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 system requirements. While most PCs will have little trouble running the game, you’ll need a relatively recent rig to enjoy a decent experience (and improve your chances of survival).
Like with most games, Space Marine 2 should benefit most from running on the best graphics card you have to hand. However, suggesting you can skip out on processing power altogether would be nothing short of heresy. Given you’ll be facing down countless Tyranids, each with AI to compute, we advise forking out for the best CPU you can too.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 system requirements
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit Windows 11 | Windows 10 64-bit Windows 11 |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 2600X Intel Core i5-8600K | AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Intel Core i7-12700 |
| GPU | AMD Radeon RX 580 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB | AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 |
| RAM | 8GB | 16GB |
| Storage | 75GB SSD | 75GB SSD |
| Notes | 30fps at 1080p with ‘Low’ preset | 60fps at 1080p with ‘Ultra’ preset |
Analysis
In setting the floor for Space Marine 2, developer Saber Interactive seems to be taking the phrase ‘minimum specs’ very literally. While it’s great to see that the game will run on components going on six/seven years old, it’s with big compromises to fidelity and performance.
At this tier, expect 30fps at 1080p using the game’s ‘Low’ preset. AMD FSR 2 will help boost performance on ageing cards like GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon RX 580, but there’s only so much enhancement features can accomplish. I’d sooner recommend running Space Marine 2 on a GeForce RTX 2060 at least, if only to use Nvidia DLSS. Sadly, there’s no XeSS support to speak of.
Regardless, you will need 75GB free on a solid-state storage device to even set an armoured foot on any Tyranid-infested planet. Check out our best SSD guide for recommendations, big and budget alike.
The difference between minium and recommended specs is brutal, particularly given the latter is more in line with the performance I’d want for Space Marine 2. More specifically, we’re talking a much smoother 60fps at 1080p using the game’s ‘Ultra’ preset. To accomplish this, though, we require GeForce RTX 30 or Radeon RX 6000 series graphics backed by processors from just two generations ago, AMD Ryzen 5000 and 12th Gen Intel Core.
Of course, this is using the game’s highest graphics preset. Dropping to ‘High’ should free up horsepower for frames over fidelity, but we’ll need to wait and see how much of a difference it makes. While we’re confident that the majority of players will have a powerful enough GPU, we sincerely hope Saber Interactive includes some options to alleviate processing demands.
Recommendations
If you’re in need of a graphics card upgrade for Space Marine 2, check out our Radeon RX 7800 XT review. The game doesn’t feature any ray tracing, which should give AMD’s card an edge over GeForce RTX 4070. However, there’s always a chance it could arrive post-launch.
If you already own a Socket AM4 motherboard and aren’t ready to switch to AM5, then Ryzen 7 5800X3D should be your first port of call. Those with more money to spare, though, would do well to grab a Ryzen 7 7800X3D.
Meanwhile, Socket LGA 1700 systems should rock either Core i7-13700K or Core i7-14700K. Just be sure to apply any microcode fixes to avoid instabilities before putting your new processor through the ringer.
