Thinking about playing Timberborn on PC and wondering what hardware you actually need? The short answer is: not much. Timberborn is a sandbox city-builder about lumberpunk beavers surviving droughts and toxic waste, and it is a light game — the official minimum asks for a 4-core 1.7 GHz processor, 8 GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 950 / Radeon R9 380-class graphics card, with just 3 GB of storage. The GPU side stays easy even at high resolutions, while the CPU matters more once your colony grows into a large settlement with terraforming and flowing water to simulate. This guide covers the official PC requirements for Timberborn, the graphics card to aim for at each resolution, and build recommendations that fit this specific game.
- How Demanding Is Timberborn?
- Timberborn Official PC System Requirements
- Best GPU for Timberborn by Resolution
- CPU, RAM and Storage for Timberborn
- Recommended PC Builds for Timberborn
- Is It Worth Upgrading Your PC for Timberborn?
- Can You Play Timberborn on a Laptop or Handheld?
- How to Boost FPS in Timberborn
- Frequently Asked Questions
How Demanding Is Timberborn?
Timberborn is light on PC hardware. Its official minimum is a GeForce GTX 950 or Radeon R9 380 — 2015-era cards — alongside a modest 4-core 1.7 GHz CPU, 8 GB of RAM and a 3 GB install, so a very wide range of desktops and laptops can run it. The official recommended spec steps up to a GeForce RTX 2070 / Radeon RX 5700 and 16 GB of RAM, which is generous headroom for a game of this scale rather than a hard floor. Because Timberborn is a simulation and strategy title, the load shifts as your town grows: drawing a beaver settlement is cheap, but simulating large populations, vertical architecture, water physics and terraforming leans on the processor. The figures below are the developer’s official published requirements.
Timberborn Official PC System Requirements
| Component | Minimum (official) | Recommended (official) |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 or newer | Windows 11 or newer |
| Processor | 4-core 1.7 GHz or better | 4-core 2.9 GHz or better |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics | GeForce GTX 950, Radeon R9 380 or similar | GeForce RTX 2070, Radeon RX 5700 or similar |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Version 11 |
| Storage | 3 GB available space | 5 GB available space |
Source: the official Timberborn Steam store listing (app 1062090), checked October 2026. Publishers can update these specs after patches.
Both sets of requirements are for Windows — 10 or newer at minimum, 11 or newer recommended — use DirectX 11, and the install is small at 3 GB minimum or 5 GB recommended.
Best GPU for Timberborn by Resolution
1080p
The official minimum — a GTX 950 or R9 380 — is genuinely usable at 1080p with reduced settings, so you do not need to spend much here. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is far above that bar and above the RTX 2070 / RX 5700 recommended tier, so it runs 1080p with everything turned up and headroom to spare.
1440p
1440p is still comfortable for this game. A card at or above the official recommended class — an RTX 2070 or RX 5700 and up, or current equivalents such as an RTX 5060 or RX 9060 XT — handles it without trouble, and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 sits in that same bracket. Timberborn is not a game where 1440p forces a premium GPU.
4K
4K is achievable without a flagship card. Anything from the official recommended tier upward — an RTX 2070 / RX 5700, or something newer like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, RTX 5060, RTX 5070, RX 9060 XT or RX 9070 — has ample muscle for Timberborn at 4K, since much of the scene is simple geometry and the water simulation runs on the CPU. Driver-level upscaling is there if you want extra headroom, but you will not need a top-tier GPU.
CPU, RAM and Storage for Timberborn
The official CPU requirement is a 4-core 1.7 GHz chip for minimum and a 4-core 2.9 GHz chip for recommended, so nearly any desktop processor from the last decade clears it. Because this is a simulation and strategy game, though, the CPU can become the limiting factor late on, when a large colony, water flow and terraforming all have to be calculated every tick. A modern chip with strong single-thread performance keeps big settlements responsive, which is why the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is a sensible pick and the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is more CPU than this game will ever use; Intel buyers can look at the Intel Core i5-14600K. All three are far beyond the official requirement, so treat them as future-proofing rather than a necessity.
For memory, 8 GB is the official minimum and 16 GB is the recommended figure — build around 16 GB, which is plenty for Timberborn plus a browser and a few background apps. A kit such as the Corsair Vengeance DDR5 32GB is more than the game itself asks for, but it is a reasonable long-term choice if you also play heavier titles. Storage is the least of your worries: the install is 3 GB minimum and 5 GB recommended, so an SSD like the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD is a quality-of-life upgrade rather than a requirement.
Recommended PC Builds for Timberborn
1080p budget build: AMD Radeon RX 7600 + AMD Ryzen 5 7600 + 16 GB DDR5 — comfortably above the official recommended spec and more than enough to run Timberborn at 1080p with settings maxed.
1440p sweet-spot build: AMD Radeon RX 7600 + AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + 32 GB DDR5 + 2TB NVMe SSD — overkill for Timberborn alone, but a strong all-round gaming PC that keeps huge late-game colonies ticking along.
4K high-end build: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 + AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + 32 GB DDR5 + fast NVMe SSD — a 4K-capable setup for this game and plenty for the rest of your library.
None of these are required to play Timberborn. The official minimum is a GTX 950-class card with 8 GB of RAM, and a machine like that still runs the game at 1080p with reduced settings; the builds above are for players who want high settings, higher resolutions, or one PC that handles everything.
Is It Worth Upgrading Your PC for Timberborn?
Probably not on Timberborn’s account alone. The official minimum is a 2015-era GTX 950 / R9 380-class card with 8 GB of RAM, so if your PC handles modern titles at all, it handles this one. If you are upgrading anyway, keep the balance in mind: Timberborn is light on the GPU, but its late-game simulation grows with your colony, so a processor upgrade can matter more here than it would in a shooter. Moving the game to an SSD and having 16 GB of RAM are small, sensible improvements — but do not rebuild a PC for a 3 GB city-builder. Upgrade for the games you play most.
Can You Play Timberborn on a Laptop or Handheld?
Yes — this is one of the better games for portable hardware. A mainstream gaming laptop with a modern mid-range GPU runs Timberborn at 1080p easily, and the official recommended spec is well within reach of most gaming laptops sold today; laptops with only integrated graphics sit below the official minimum, so stick to a machine with a discrete GPU. Expect the usual trade-offs of shorter battery life and more fan noise than a desktop. On handhelds such as the Steam Deck and ROG Ally, the game’s modest requirements make it a comfortable portable pick, though very large late-game colonies can tax these lower-power chips. If portability matters, prioritise a device with a decent processor and fast storage.
How to Boost FPS in Timberborn
Because Timberborn is not a demanding game, most systems will not need much tuning, but there are two different bottlenecks to think about. If your frame rate is limited by the graphics card, lowering the resolution and reducing the heaviest visual options in the graphics menu — shadows and water effects tend to be the costliest in city-builders — will help, and driver-level upscaling can add headroom on modern cards. If instead your frame rate falls as your colony grows, which is the classic late-game slowdown in a simulation game, that is a processor limit and graphics settings will not fix it; smaller maps and fewer active beavers are the practical answers. In both cases, keep your GPU drivers current, close background apps, and install the game on an SSD if you have one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my PC run Timberborn?
Compare it with the official minimum: a 4-core 1.7 GHz processor, 8 GB of RAM, DirectX 11, 3 GB of storage and a GeForce GTX 950 / Radeon R9 380-class graphics card. If you meet that, you can play at 1080p with adjusted settings. The official recommended spec — a 4-core 2.9 GHz CPU, 16 GB of RAM and an RTX 2070 / RX 5700-class GPU — is what to aim for if you want high settings, higher resolutions and large colonies.
Is Timberborn demanding on PC?
No. Timberborn is a light game: its minimum GPU is a 2015-era GTX 950 / R9 380, it needs 8 GB of RAM and 3 GB of disk space, and it runs on DirectX 11. Most gaming PCs built in recent years will run it comfortably.
What GPU do I need for Timberborn at 1440p 60fps?
Anything at or above the official recommended tier will do it — an RTX 2070 or RX 5700 and up. A AMD Radeon RX 7600-class card is well beyond that requirement and gives you plenty of headroom at 1440p, which also makes it a sensible pick for other games.
How much RAM does Timberborn need?
8 GB is the official minimum and 16 GB is the recommended amount. 16 GB is the comfortable target for a modern gaming PC and leaves room for background apps while your colony grows; Timberborn’s requirement is modest, so memory speed is not a major factor.
Do I need an SSD for Timberborn?
No — the game needs 3 GB at minimum and 5 GB at recommended, and it runs fine from a hard drive. That said, an SSD such as the Samsung 990 Pro cuts load times and makes the rest of your system feel quicker, so it is a worthwhile upgrade if you are buying storage anyway.
