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

Thinking about playing Humankind on PC and wondering what hardware you actually need? Humankind is a historical 4X strategy game from Amplitude Studios, released in August 2021, and its official requirements are refreshingly modest: the recommended graphics card is a GTX 1060-class part from 2016, and the entire install takes up 25 GB. Where Humankind does ask something of your machine is the processor — as in most 4X games, rival factions resolve their turns on your CPU, so late-game turn times grow on larger maps and higher difficulties. This guide breaks down the official PC requirements for Humankind, the best GPU for each resolution, and complete build recommendations.

How Demanding Is Humankind?

Humankind is not a demanding game. It is a turn-based 4X strategy title that scales all the way down to very old hardware: the official minimum is a GTX 770 or R9 290, and the official recommended card is a GTX 1060 or RX 5500-XT — both several generations old at this point. Any reasonably modern budget GPU clears the recommended bar without much effort, and even a current integrated graphics chip will get you into the game at reduced settings. The one place Humankind leans on your hardware is the CPU: turn processing, AI decision-making and the late-game map simulation all run on the processor, so a stronger chip shortens the wait between turns and keeps things steadier when a lot is happening. Memory and storage are light touches too — 8 GB is the published figure at both tiers, and 25 GB of drive space is all the game needs.

MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X E1 12G OC Graphics Card (Ada Lovelace Architecture, Extreme Clock: 2520 MHz, Memory Speed: 20 Gbps, 12GB GDDR6, 192-bit, DP/HDMI)

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MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 2X 12G OC Graphics Card - 12 GB GDDR6X (21 GB/s, 192-bit), PCIe 4.0-2 x TORX 4.0 Fans - HDMI 2.1a, DisplayPort 1.4a

Chosen because it specifies 12 GB GDDR6X (21 GB/s and 192-bit).

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Humankind Official PC System Requirements

Source: the official HUMANKIND™ Steam store listing (app 1124300), checked October 2026. Publishers can update these specs after patches.

The published specs list Windows 7 64-bit; the game runs without issue on Windows 10 and Windows 11 as well. Both the minimum and recommended tiers ask for DirectX 11 and 8 GB of RAM, and neither tier requires an SSD — 25 GB of free space on any drive is enough, although an SSD will cut loading times noticeably.

Best GPU for Humankind by Resolution

1080p

At 1080p the official recommended card is a GTX 1060 or RX 5500-XT, which leaves you a lot of room to work with. A current budget option such as the RTX 5060, the RX 9060 XT or an Intel Arc B580 is far beyond what Humankind needs at this resolution, and will let you push settings and resolution scaling as high as the game allows. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 sits in that same class and is a comfortable, low-effort 1080p choice.

1440p

1440p raises the pixel count but not the difficulty much — Humankind is rendering a map, its terrain and its units, not a path-traced action scene. A mid-range current card like the RTX 5060 Ti or RX 9060 XT 16 GB handles 1440p with headroom to spare, and older favourites such as the RTX 3060 Ti or RX 6700 XT still do the job well. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is well above the requirement here; it gives you plenty of margin for high settings and a high-refresh monitor.

4K

4K is very achievable in Humankind, which is not something you can say about most modern releases. A current mid-range card such as the RTX 5070 or RX 9070, or an older RTX 3080 / RX 6800 XT, is more than enough for 4K at high settings, and the official recommended tier sits a long way below that. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is well past the entry point for 4K here and leaves headroom for large maps and busy late-game scenes.

CPU, RAM and Storage for Humankind

The official recommended processor is an Intel i5 6th generation or an AMD Ryzen 5 1600, so the bar is low — but because Humankind’s late game is CPU-bound, a faster chip is the upgrade that actually changes how the game feels, with shorter AI turns and fewer sluggish moments when many units move at once. The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is far beyond the official requirement and excellent value, while the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is one of the fastest mainstream gaming CPUs you can pair with a game like this. Intel fans can opt for the Intel Core i5-14600K. For memory, the official figure is 8 GB at both tiers; 16 GB is a sensible modern baseline for a Windows machine that runs other apps alongside your game, and a kit such as the Corsair Vengeance DDR5 32GB is more than Humankind will ever use — choose that much for headroom and multitasking rather than because the game asks for it. Storage is simple: 25 GB of space is required, and a fast NVMe drive like the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD will cut loading times and leave room for a library of other games.

Recommended PC Builds for Humankind

1080p budget build: AMD Radeon RX 7600 + AMD Ryzen 5 7600 + 16 GB DDR5 — far above the official recommended spec, and enough for high settings at 1080p with room to spare.

1440p sweet-spot build: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER + AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + 32 GB DDR5 + 2TB NVMe SSD — more GPU than Humankind strictly needs, which makes it a good all-round machine for heavier games too.

4K high-end build: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER + AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + 32 GB DDR5 + fast NVMe SSD — comfortable 4K at high settings, with plenty of CPU for late-game turn processing.

Is It Worth Upgrading Your PC for Humankind?

If your current machine is already above the official minimum — anything newer than a GTX 770 or R9 290 and an i5 4th-generation-class processor — then Humankind is not really an excuse to rebuild, because you can already play it. If you are below that line, or if you play heavier games as well and want one upgrade to serve both, then be strategic: the graphics card delivers the biggest jump in general gaming performance and helps most at 1440p and 4K, while a CPU upgrade is what actually shortens Humankind’s late-game turn times and keeps frame rates steady on large maps. Moving the game to an SSD and running 16 GB of memory are inexpensive quality-of-life improvements that smooth out loading and background multitasking. Rather than replacing everything at once, target the weakest link in your build for the best value.

Can You Play Humankind on a Laptop or Handheld?

Gaming laptops with a GTX 1060-class mobile GPU or better — which is a low bar these days — can run Humankind comfortably at 1080p, and the game’s modest requirements mean many thin-and-light machines with modern integrated graphics can manage it at lower settings too. Expect shorter battery life and more heat than a desktop if you push settings up. On handhelds like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally, the light hardware footprint and turn-based pace make Humankind a natural fit: you can play a few turns, suspend, and pick it up later. If portability matters, prioritise a device with a decent GPU and pair it with a fast microSD or SSD, since the game only needs 25 GB.

How to Boost FPS in Humankind

If frame rates are low, start with the graphics options: shadows, effects and particle density are usually the most expensive settings in a strategy game, followed by overall resolution, while the map and unit models themselves are comparatively cheap. If your graphics options offer an upscaling mode on your GPU, enabling it is typically the single biggest performance gain available — check what the game actually exposes in its settings menu before assuming. Keep your GPU drivers up to date, close background apps, and make sure the game is installed on an SSD. One thing worth remembering: if what bothers you is the wait between turns rather than the frame rate, that is a CPU-bound problem, and no graphics setting will fix it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my PC run Humankind?

If your PC has at least a GTX 770 or R9 290-class GPU, an Intel i5 4th-generation or AMD FX-8300-class CPU, 8 GB of RAM and 25 GB of free storage, it meets the official minimum and can run Humankind. For the official recommended experience, aim for a GTX 1060 or RX 5500-XT-class card and an i5 6th-generation or Ryzen 5 1600 processor.

Is Humankind demanding on PC?

No. Humankind is a modest, turn-based strategy game whose official recommended hardware dates back several GPU generations, and even budget cards and modern integrated graphics can handle it at sensible settings.

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

A current mid-range card such as the RTX 5060 Ti or RX 9060 XT, or an older RTX 3060 Ti / RX 6700 XT, is more than enough for high-settings 1440p at 60fps in Humankind. A NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER-class graphics card is comfortably above what the game requires and leaves headroom for heavier titles too.

How much RAM does Humankind need?

The official requirement is 8 GB at both minimum and recommended. In practice 16 GB is a sensible baseline for a modern Windows PC that runs other apps alongside the game, but Humankind itself will not use more than 8 GB as a rule.

Do I need an SSD for Humankind?

No — the official requirement is simply 25 GB of available space. That said, an SSD is worth having for faster loading times, and a drive like the Samsung 990 Pro is a good general-purpose choice.