Elite Dangerous: PC System Requirements & Best Hardware to Run It (2026)

Thinking about playing Elite Dangerous on PC and wondering what hardware you actually need? Elite Dangerous launched in April 2015 and has grown ever since, letting you take control of your own starship and blaze your trail across a 1:1 scale galaxy. The base game is a well-optimised, older space sim rather than a system-crusher (the newer Odyssey on-foot content is heavier, covered below) — the official base-game minimum spec asks for a quad-core CPU, 6 GB of RAM and a graphics card as old as a GeForce GTX 470 — so most modern PCs can already run it. This guide covers the official PC requirements for Elite Dangerous, the best GPU for each resolution, and complete build recommendations for 1080p, 1440p, 4K and VR.

Updated October 2026 – official base-game and Odyssey specifications rechecked against the Steam listing and store pages.

What Do You Need to Play Elite Dangerous? Quick Answer

What you need to play Elite Dangerous depends on which version you run. The minimum requirement for Elite Dangerous on PC (base game) is a quad-core CPU at about 2 GHz, 6 GB of RAM, a GeForce GTX 470 or Radeon R7 240 class graphics card and 25 GB of storage. The Odyssey expansion is heavier and lists an Intel Core i5-4590 or AMD FX 8350, 8 GB of RAM, a GTX 780 or R9 280X and 75 GB of storage as its minimum. Can my computer run Elite Dangerous? If it is a mid-range gaming PC from the last six or seven years, almost certainly yes.

• Base game minimum: quad-core 2 GHz CPU · 6 GB RAM · GTX 470 / R7 240 · 25 GB.
• Odyssey minimum: Core i5-4590 / FX 8350 · 8 GB RAM · GTX 780 / R9 280X · 75 GB.
• Odyssey recommended: Core i5-8600 / Ryzen 5 2600 · 12 GB RAM · GTX 1060 6 GB / RX 580 8 GB.
• Comfortable 1440p today: a 16 GB RAM system with an RTX 4070 SUPER class or RX 9060 XT class card.

How Demanding Is Elite Dangerous?

Elite Dangerous is light on PC hardware. It arrived in 2015 with modest requirements and its mix of combat, mining, trade and exploration still runs comfortably on budget parts today. The official minimum is a quad-core CPU at around 2 GHz, 6 GB of RAM and a GTX 470-class card; the official recommended spec only raises that to a Core i7-3770K or FX 4350, 8 GB of RAM and a GTX 770 / R9 280X. In practical terms, an entry-level modern card handles 1080p without trouble, and a mid-range GPU is more than enough for 1440p, 4K and VR. Space flight is not CPU-heavy, though Odyssey’s on-foot settlements lean harder on the processor, and because the game needs a broadband connection even in solo play, a stable internet link matters as much as raw processing power. The tables below use the developer’s own published specs, including the separate Odyssey figures.

ASUS PRIME GeForce RTX 5070 12GB GDDR7 OC Edition Gaming Graphics Card | SFF-Ready, PCIe 5.0, HDMI/DP 2.1, 2.5-slot, Axial-tech Fans, Dual BIOS

One of the consumer electronics options compared in this guide.

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ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB GDDR7 OC Edition Gaming Graphics Card | PCIe 5.0, HDMI 2.1b, DisplayPort 2.1b, 2.5-slot, Axial-tech Fans, 0dB Technology, Dual BIOS

One of the consumer electronics options compared in this guide.

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ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4070 OC Edition Gaming Graphics Card (PCIe 4.0, 12GB GDDR6X, DLSS 3, HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a), 3 Year Warranty

One of the consumer electronics options compared in this guide.

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Elite Dangerous Official PC System Requirements

Source: the official Elite Dangerous Steam store listing (app 359320), checked October 2026. Publishers can update these specs after patches.

Elite Dangerous: Odyssey PC Requirements

Elite Dangerous: Odyssey adds on-foot play, planetary settlements and a new graphics engine path, and its published requirements are higher than the base game’s. The figures below come from the Odyssey store listing and PC gaming reference sites.

Notice that the base game’s recommended GPU (GTX 770) sits below Odyssey’s minimum. If you plan to walk around settlements and fight on foot, size your PC to the Odyssey column, not the base game. Keep in mind that publishers can update these numbers.

How Big Is Elite Dangerous? Install Size and Storage Spec

The base game lists 25 GB of free space, while Odyssey lists 75 GB. If you want both on one drive with room for patches and screenshots, plan for at least 100 GB free on an SSD. A 1 TB NVMe drive is a comfortable size for one game plus the rest of your library.

Can I Run Elite Dangerous on an AMD System?

Yes. Elite Dangerous runs on AMD and Nvidia hardware alike, and the official specs name both: an AMD FX 4350 processor and a Radeon R9 280X in the recommended base-game column, and an AMD FX 8350 and Ryzen 5 2600 in the Odyssey columns. For a current AMD build, a Radeon RX 7600 handles 1080p easily, and a Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB gives room for 1440p. Pair either with a Ryzen 5 7600X or Ryzen 7 7800X3D and you are well beyond any listed requirement.

Elite Dangerous on a 32-Inch 1440p 165 Hz Monitor

A 32-inch 1440p monitor with a 165 Hz refresh rate, such as the Samsung Odyssey G5 class, is a good match for Elite Dangerous. At 2560 x 1440 the game is easy for an RTX 4070 SUPER or RX 9060 XT 16GB class card in ship flight, and those cards are what you want if you hope to approach 165 fps in empty space. Stations, planetary surfaces and Odyssey settlements lower frame rates, so expect fewer than 165 fps there. Use a variable refresh rate (G-Sync or FreeSync) and cap the frame rate a little under the monitor limit so frame pacing stays smooth.

Minimum PC Configuration and Frame Drop Optimization

If you are close to the minimum spec and want to reduce frame drops in busy areas, this order of changes helps most.

• Resolution first: dropping from 1440p to 1080p is the biggest single gain.
• Settings that cost the most: shadows, ambient occlusion and supersampling. Lower them before textures.
• Textures: only reduce these if you run short of graphics memory, such as on a 3 GB card.
• Background tasks: close browsers and overlays, and keep the game on an SSD.
• Memory: at the bare 6 or 8 GB minimum, 16 GB makes the biggest difference in stutter in stations and settlements.

A realistic target is steady frame times on settings you can live with, not the highest preset.

Best GPU for Elite Dangerous by Resolution

1080p

The official minimum — an Nvidia GTX 470 or AMD R7 240 — is enough to get into the game at 1080p on lower settings, and the official recommended GTX 770 / R9 280X is a realistic target for higher settings. Any current entry-level card clears both easily: the AMD Radeon RX 7600 sits well above the recommended spec, so it gives you comfortable headroom at 1080p and room to raise settings.

1440p

At 1440p you are pushing more than twice the pixels of 1080p, but Elite Dangerous is still a light game to render. Modern mid-range options such as an RTX 5060 Ti or RX 9060 XT are already far above the official recommendation, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is comfortably above what Elite Dangerous needs at 1440p — a sensible pick if you also want high refresh rates or plan to move into VR.

4K

Even at 4K, Elite Dangerous is far lighter than a modern AAA release; the pixel count is the only real pressure here. A GeForce RTX 5070, Radeon RX 9070 or the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER all have ample power for Elite Dangerous at 4K with settings turned up, and they are the class of card to consider if you want to play in VR or keep the GPU for newer titles.

CPU, RAM and Storage for Elite Dangerous

Elite Dangerous is not a CPU-bound game. The official minimum is any quad-core processor running at roughly 2 GHz, and the recommended Intel Core i7-3770K or AMD FX 4350 are both more than a decade old, so virtually every desktop CPU sold today exceeds the requirement. That said, if you are building a new PC that will also play modern titles, the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X is a strong value pick, the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is one of the fastest gaming CPUs available, and Intel buyers can look at the Intel Core i5-14600K. All three are far beyond what Elite Dangerous alone demands.

For memory, the official figures are 6 GB minimum and 8 GB recommended, so 16 GB is already a comfortable cushion for the game, your operating system and a browser in the background. A Corsair Vengeance DDR5 32GB kit is more than Elite Dangerous needs, but it makes sense if the same machine has to run heavier games.

Storage is simple: the game needs 25 GB of free space, and an SSD is recommended over a mechanical drive to keep loading between systems quick. An Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD is far larger than this one game requires, and a sensible choice if you want your whole library on fast storage.

Recommended PC Builds for Elite Dangerous

1080p budget build: AMD Radeon RX 7600 + AMD Ryzen 5 7600X + 16 GB DDR5 — considerably more than the official recommended spec, and comfortable for high settings at 1080p.

1440p sweet-spot build: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER + AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + 32 GB DDR5 + 2TB NVMe SSD — plenty for 1440p in Elite Dangerous, with headroom left for VR and newer games.

4K high-end build: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER + AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + 32 GB DDR5 + fast NVMe SSD — for 4K and for high-refresh VR, where the extra GPU power genuinely helps.

Is It Worth Upgrading Your PC for Elite Dangerous?

Because Elite Dangerous is light by modern standards, it is rarely a reason to rebuild a whole PC. If you are already above the official minimum, the game will run; the upgrade that changes the experience most is the graphics card, so start there if you have to choose. A CPU from the last several years will not hold back a modern GPU in this game, so you can usually keep your existing processor and motherboard. If you are below the official minimum — an old dual-core, 4 GB of RAM or older integrated graphics — then a modest current entry-level card plus 8 GB or more of memory is enough to get you flying. Moving the game to an SSD and making sure your broadband connection is stable are the cheapest improvements, and they matter here because Elite Dangerous is an online game even in solo mode.

Can You Play Elite Dangerous on a Laptop or Handheld?

Yes — Elite Dangerous is one of the easier games to run on a laptop. A modern gaming laptop with an entry-level discrete GPU, or a recent integrated GPU, can handle 1080p at sensible settings, though expect more heat and fan noise than a desktop. Handhelds such as the Steam Deck can run it at reduced settings, which makes it a good pick for playing on the move as long as you have an internet connection. If portability is the priority, look for a device with a decent GPU and an SSD rather than a mechanical drive, and remember that VR is a desktop-class workload.

How to Boost FPS in Elite Dangerous

If frame rates are lower than you would like, work down this list. First, check your resolution: Elite Dangerous scales well, and dropping from 4K to 1440p, or from 1440p to 1080p, is by far the biggest single gain — especially in VR. If the game’s graphics options offer an upscaling or render-scale setting and your GPU supports it, use it, as it usually costs very little image quality. Then lower the most demanding visual effects, such as shadows and post-processing, before adjusting texture quality, which mostly affects memory use. Keep your GPU drivers current, close background applications, and install the game on an SSD so loading between systems stays quick. A stable, slightly lower setting almost always feels better than a maxed-out one that stutters.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my PC run Elite Dangerous?

If your PC meets the official minimum — a quad-core CPU at around 2 GHz, 6 GB of RAM, a DirectX 11 card such as a GeForce GTX 470 or Radeon R7 240, and 25 GB of free space — it can run Elite Dangerous. For the recommended experience, the developer lists an Intel Core i7-3770K or AMD FX 4350, 8 GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 770 or Radeon R9 280X. Nearly every PC sold in the last several years clears those numbers, so the more useful question is what resolution and settings you want.

Is Elite Dangerous demanding on PC?

No. Elite Dangerous is a 2015 title with modest requirements, and it runs well on entry-level and mid-range hardware at 1080p and beyond. The most demanding way to play it is in VR, where you render the game twice at a high refresh rate.

What GPU do I need for Elite Dangerous at 1440p 60fps?

The official recommended GPU for Elite Dangerous is a GeForce GTX 770 or Radeon R9 280X, a 2013-era class of card. Anything modern at that level or above — an RTX 5060, an RX 9060 XT, or the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER — has far more power than the game needs at 1440p, and gives you room for VR or newer titles.

How much RAM does Elite Dangerous need?

The official minimum is 6 GB and the recommended amount is 8 GB, so 16 GB is already more than the game requires and leaves room for other applications. If you are building a new PC for a wider library of games, 32 GB is a comfortable long-term choice, but Elite Dangerous itself will not use it.

Do I need an SSD for Elite Dangerous?

No — the official requirement is 25 GB of available storage, and a mechanical drive works. That said, an SSD noticeably shortens load times when jumping between systems and is worth having; an NVMe drive like the Samsung 990 Pro is ideal if you want your whole library on fast storage.

What do I need to play Elite Dangerous?

For the base game, a quad-core 2 GHz CPU, 6 GB of RAM, a GTX 470 or R7 240 class GPU and 25 GB of storage. For Odyssey, plan on a Core i5-4590 or FX 8350, 8 GB of RAM, a GTX 780 or R9 280X and 75 GB of storage as the minimum.

Can I run Elite Dangerous on an AMD system?

Yes. The official specs list AMD processors and Radeon graphics cards, and current Radeon RX cards run the game well at 1080p and 1440p.

Does Elite Dangerous Odyssey need a better PC than the base game?

Yes. Odyssey lists a GTX 780 / R9 280X as its minimum GPU, above the base game’s recommended GTX 770, and asks for 8 GB of RAM and 75 GB of storage.

How much space does Elite Dangerous take?

The base game lists 25 GB and Odyssey lists 75 GB. Leave extra free space for updates.

Can a 1440p 165 Hz monitor run Elite Dangerous at full refresh rate?

In ship flight on a strong mid-range GPU, often close to it. In stations and Odyssey settlements, expect lower frame rates and use variable refresh rate to keep gameplay smooth.