Age of Wonders: Planetfall: PC System Requirements & Best Hardware to Run It (2026)

Thinking about playing Age of Wonders: Planetfall on PC and wondering what hardware you actually need? Age of Wonders: Planetfall is the turn-based sci-fi 4X strategy game from Triumph Studios, released in August 2019, and its published requirements are modest by modern standards — this is not a title that punishes older hardware. The graphics load stays light throughout, so a modest GPU is enough at 1080p and well beyond; the component that earns its keep is the processor, because turn processing and AI decisions in the late game on large maps are CPU work. This guide breaks down the official PC system requirements for Age of Wonders: Planetfall, the best GPU for each resolution, and build recommendations that suit a game of this scale rather than a modern blockbuster.

How Demanding Is Age of Wonders: Planetfall?

Age of Wonders: Planetfall is light on PC hardware. It shipped in 2019 on DirectX 11 with a stylised art style, and the official minimum is a GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1 GB or Radeon HD 7770 — cards from around 2012 — alongside a 3rd-generation Intel Core i5 or AMD FX processor and 6 GB of RAM. The recommended tier is a GTX 1060 3 GB or RX 570 4 GB with 8 GB of RAM and a 7th or 8th-generation Core i5 or Ryzen 5, which remains a very approachable target today. In practical terms, budget and older mid-range cards handle 1080p comfortably, and there is plenty of GPU headroom left over for 1440p and even 4K, because the game is not pushing modern rendering effects. Where performance can sag is processor-side: large maps with many AI opponents take longer to process each turn, so a faster CPU mainly shortens turn times rather than lifting frame rates. The official figures below are the ones published on the game’s store page.

msi Gaming RTX 3050 Ventus 2X 6G OC Graphics Card (NVIDIA RTX 3050, 96-Bit, Boost Clock: 1492 MHz, 6GB GDDR6 14 Gbps, HDMI/DP, Ampere Architecture)

Chosen because it specifies 96-Bit and Boost Clock: 1492 MHz.

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ASUS Dual NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 8GB GDDR7 OC Edition (PCIe 5.0, 8GB GDDR7, DLSS 4, HDMI 2.1b, DisplayPort 2.1b, 2.5-Slot Design, Axial-tech Fan Design, 0dB Technology), 3 Year Warranty

Chosen because it specifies 8GB GDDR7 and DLSS 4.

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ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 5060 8GB GDDR7 White OC Edition Gaming Graphics Card | PCIe 5.0, HDMI 2.1b, DisplayPort 2.1b, 2.5-slot design, Axial-tech Fans, 0dB Technology

Picked as a relevant option in this category.

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msi Gaming GeForce RTX 3050, Desktop, 6G Graphics Card (Nvidia, 96-Bit, Boost Clock: 1507 MHz, 6GB GDDR6 14 Gbps, HDMI/DP, Ampere Architecture)

Chosen because it specifies Desktop and 6G Graphics Card (Nvidia.

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Age of Wonders: Planetfall Official PC System Requirements

The minimum and recommended specifications below are the official requirements published on the game’s store page.

Source: the official Age of Wonders: Planetfall Steam store listing (app 718850), checked October 2026. Publishers can update these specs after patches.

Best GPU for Age of Wonders: Planetfall by Resolution

1080p

At 1080p the official recommended card — a GTX 1060 3 GB or RX 570 4 GB — is enough to run the game on its higher settings, and even the minimum GTX 650 Ti 1 GB or HD 7770 will hold up at 1080p with the quality preset lowered. If you are buying new hardware, an entry-level modern card such as the AMD Radeon RX 7600 is far more than Planetfall needs, and current-generation budget options such as the RTX 5060 or RX 9060 XT offer the same kind of headroom, with room to spare for newer games.

1440p

1440p does not change the picture much: this is a light game, and a GTX 1060-class card remains usable, while a mid-range modern GPU gives you a comfortable margin at higher settings. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is well beyond the requirement, and cards such as the RTX 5060, RTX 5070, RX 9060 XT or RX 9070 will also breeze through it. As at 1080p, the processor and turn times matter more than the graphics card in this particular game.

4K

4K is not the wall it is in demanding titles. The rendering load in Planetfall is modest enough that mid-range hardware copes, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER has far more power than the game can use. A current card such as the RTX 5070 or RX 9070 is already generous for 4K here, and there is no need for a flagship. Higher resolutions mainly cost memory bandwidth, and Planetfall’s texture and effect budgets are small, so VRAM is unlikely to be your limit.

CPU, RAM and Storage for Age of Wonders: Planetfall

The official recommended processor is an Intel Core i5 (7th or 8th generation) or an AMD Ryzen 5, with a 3rd-generation Core i5 or AMD FX chip as the minimum — both are old by today’s standards, so almost any modern CPU clears the bar easily. That said, this is a turn-based strategy game, and the workload that grows over a campaign is CPU-side: late-game turn processing on large maps with many factions takes longer on a slower chip, so a stronger processor buys you faster turns more than higher frame rates. A modern mainstream part such as the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is far beyond the requirement and is a sensible value choice, while the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is one of the fastest gaming CPUs you can buy if you want the best turn times and frame rates across strategy games. Intel builders can consider the Intel Core i5-14600K.

Memory is where the official spec is unusually modest: 6 GB is the minimum and 8 GB is recommended. Those figures are low enough that 8 GB is genuinely enough to play as intended, though 16 GB is a comfortable modern baseline if you keep other applications open, and a 32 GB DDR5 kit such as the Corsair Vengeance DDR5 32GB is more than this game will ever use — it only makes sense as headroom for other titles. Note that Planetfall is a 2019 DirectX 11 game, so DDR4 systems with 8–16 GB remain perfectly suitable; DDR5 applies only if you are building on a newer platform. Storage is similarly undemanding at 20 GB of available space, and an SSD such as the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD shortens load times rather than improving frame rates.

Recommended PC Builds for Age of Wonders: Planetfall

Because the official requirements are so low, the builds below are really about headroom for other games. Even the cheapest of them overshoots what Age of Wonders: Planetfall needs.

1080p budget build: AMD Radeon RX 7600 + AMD Ryzen 5 7600 + 16 GB DDR5 — comfortably above the official recommended spec and more than this game needs at 1080p, with room left over for heavier titles.

1440p sweet-spot build: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER + AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + 32 GB DDR5 + 2TB NVMe SSD — a strong all-round setup that runs Planetfall at 1440p without effort and handles demanding games as well.

4K high-end build: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER + AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + 32 GB DDR5 + fast NVMe SSD — far more than Planetfall requires at 4K, and a sensible choice if 4K gaming across many titles is the goal.

Is It Worth Upgrading Your PC for Age of Wonders: Planetfall?

Probably not on its own. The published minimum describes a PC from around 2012–2013 — a 3rd-generation Core i5 or AMD FX chip, 6 GB of RAM and a GTX 650 Ti 1 GB or HD 7770 — and the recommended tier is a GTX 1060 3 GB or RX 570 4 GB with 8 GB of RAM. If your machine is anywhere near that, you can already play. Upgrading makes sense if you fall below the minimum, if you also play newer and heavier games, or if slow late-game turns on huge maps bother you — in which case a processor upgrade will help more than a graphics card, because the extra cost of a faster GPU does very little for this particular game. Moving the install to an SSD trims load times but will not change frame rates. Treat Planetfall as a reason to modernise only if you were already planning to.

Can You Play Age of Wonders: Planetfall on a Laptop or Handheld?

Yes, and comfortably. The requirements are low enough that most laptops with a discrete GPU from the past several years exceed the recommended spec, and recent integrated graphics can manage the game at 1080p with settings reduced. A gaming laptop with a modern entry-level or mid-range mobile GPU will run it without strain; the usual laptop caveats about fan noise and battery life apply, but raw performance is not the issue. On handhelds such as the Steam Deck or ROG Ally, the turn-based structure and light hardware demands make Planetfall a good portable pick, and the 20 GB install fits easily on internal storage or a fast microSD card. Remember that multiplayer and cloud saves require a broadband connection, so away from Wi-Fi you are limited to single-player.

How to Boost FPS in Age of Wonders: Planetfall

Frame rates are rarely a problem in this game, but on older or integrated hardware the first step is simply to drop the graphics quality preset a level, then lower the display resolution if you need more. Effects such as shadows, ambient occlusion and anti-aliasing are the usual candidates for trimming, and reducing resolution is the single biggest lever when the GPU is the limit. Keep your graphics drivers up to date and close background applications. Bear in mind that the slow part of a late-game turn is processing, not rendering: fewer AI opponents or a smaller map will shorten turn times, and those are CPU-bound, so no graphics setting will change them. An SSD reduces loading times rather than raising frame rates. Finally, because multiplayer and cloud saves run over the internet, a stable broadband connection matters more than a fast one for online sessions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my PC run Age of Wonders: Planetfall?

Very likely. The official minimum is a 3rd-generation Intel Core i5 or AMD FX processor, 6 GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1 GB or Radeon HD 7770, running on 64-bit Windows 10 with DirectX 11 and 20 GB of free space. The recommended spec is a 7th or 8th-generation Core i5 or Ryzen 5, 8 GB of RAM and a GTX 1060 3 GB or RX 570 4 GB. If your PC meets either set of figures, you are good to go.

Is Age of Wonders: Planetfall demanding on PC?

No. It is a 2019 turn-based strategy game with low requirements by modern standards — even the recommended graphics card, a GTX 1060 3 GB or RX 570 4 GB, is modest. The only place it asks much of your hardware is processor time during late-game turn processing on large maps.

What GPU do I need for Age of Wonders: Planetfall at 1440p 60fps?

Less than you might expect. A card at the official recommended level — the GTX 1060 3 GB or RX 570 4 GB — is enough for 1440p in this game. If you want a large margin, higher settings and headroom for other titles, a mid-range modern card such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is far more than Planetfall needs.

How much RAM does Age of Wonders: Planetfall need?

The official requirement is 6 GB minimum and 8 GB recommended, so 8 GB is enough to play as intended. 16 GB gives a comfortable margin if you keep a browser or other applications open while playing and is a sensible baseline for a new build; beyond that, extra memory makes no difference to this game.

Do I need an SSD for Age of Wonders: Planetfall?

No — the official spec lists only 20 GB of available space and does not call for an SSD. It is still a worthwhile upgrade because it cuts loading times between missions and when loading saves, and a drive like the Samsung 990 Pro is a good choice if you are buying storage anyway, but it will not raise frame rates.