Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2: PC System Requirements & Best Hardware to Run It (2026)

Thinking about playing Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 on PC and wondering what hardware you actually need? The third-person action game launched on September 9, 2024, and it throws large Tyranid swarms and heavy effects at your rig — but its published requirements are more approachable than those of the most punishing ports of recent years. The developers list a 6 GB card such as the GeForce GTX 1060 or Radeon RX 580 for 1080p on the Low preset at 30 FPS, and an 8 GB card such as the GeForce RTX 3070 or Radeon RX 6800 XT for 1080p on the Ultra preset at 60 FPS. Two details matter as much as the GPU: an SSD is required, and the game needs 75 GB of space. This guide breaks down the official PC requirements for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, the best GPU for each resolution, and complete build recommendations to hit your target frame rate.

How Demanding Is Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2?

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a moderately demanding modern action game rather than a system-melting showcase. The official figures make the tiers easy to read: 1080p on Low at 30 FPS with a GTX 1060 or RX 580, and 1080p on Ultra at 60 FPS with an RTX 3070 or RX 6800 XT. Anything at or above those two cards is a known quantity, and anything below them means dropping resolution, preset, or both. Note that the recommended processor is an eight-core Ryzen 7 5800X or a Core i7-12700, while the minimum is a six-core Ryzen 5 2600X or Core i5-8600K — with this many enemies on screen, thread count is not irrelevant, so a modern six- to eight-core CPU is a sensible pairing. The other hard requirement is storage: the game lists an SSD, not merely as advice but as part of the spec, alongside a 75 GB install. The figures below are the developer’s published requirements; always check the game’s official store page for the exact, current wording.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Official PC System Requirements

Source: the official Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Steam store listing (app 2183900), checked October 2026. Publishers can update these specs after patches.

The table above is the developer’s own published specification, split into a minimum and a recommended tier. Both tiers assume DirectX 12, both list an SSD as required, and both ask for 75 GB of free space. The minimum is explicitly a 1080p Low, 30 FPS target, while the recommended is a 1080p Ultra, 60 FPS target — so treat anything beyond 1080p as headroom you are choosing to add rather than a configuration the developers have published numbers for.

Best GPU for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 by Resolution

1080p

The official 1080p targets are 30 FPS on Low with a 6 GB card such as the GTX 1060 or RX 580, and 60 FPS on Ultra with an RTX 3070 or RX 6800 XT. That leaves plenty of room to tune in between. For high settings with upscaling enabled, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 (or a comparable card) is a sensible sweet spot: it sits well above the minimum 6 GB cards and gets close to the recommended experience once upscaling is doing part of the work. Current-generation options such as the GeForce RTX 5060 or Radeon RX 9060 XT land in the same bracket, and older cards like the RTX 2060 or RX 5700 XT still clear the minimum comfortably.

1440p

1440p sits above the resolution the official requirements are written for, so you want more headroom than the RTX 3070-class recommendation. Step up to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER for high-refresh 1440p at high or ultra settings — it comfortably exceeds the published recommended card and leaves room to raise the preset instead of lowering it. Current-generation equivalents such as the GeForce RTX 5070 or Radeon RX 9070 belong in the same conversation, and upscaling helps a great deal if you are chasing high refresh rates.

4K

4K is beyond what the published requirements cover, so budget for a card with real headroom. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is a realistic entry point, ideally paired with upscaling to keep frame rates comfortable. Above that, current-generation cards such as the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti or Radeon RX 9070 XT give you more room to push the preset. Nothing changes on the storage side at 4K: the SSD requirement and 75 GB install stay exactly the same.

CPU, RAM and Storage for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

On the processor side, the official floor is a six-core Ryzen 5 2600X or Core i5-8600K, and the recommendation is an eight-core Ryzen 7 5800X or Core i7-12700 — a hint that the large enemy counts reward thread count rather than raw clock speed alone. The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is excellent value for gaming and clears the recommended bar, while the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the fastest mainstream gaming CPU if you want maximum frame rates. Intel fans can opt for the Intel Core i5-14600K, which also comfortably exceeds the published recommendation. For memory, 8 GB is the official minimum and 16 GB is the recommended figure, so 16 GB of DDR5 is the practical target; a 32 GB kit such as the Corsair Vengeance DDR5 32GB simply gives you headroom for background apps and future titles. Storage is not optional here — the game lists an SSD as a requirement rather than a suggestion, so install it on a fast NVMe drive like the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD and keep 75 GB clear for the install.

Recommended PC Builds for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

1080p build: AMD Radeon RX 7600 + AMD Ryzen 5 7600 + 16 GB DDR5 — comfortably above the official minimum 6 GB cards and aimed at high-settings 1080p with upscaling.

1440p sweet-spot build: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER + AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + 32 GB DDR5 + 2TB NVMe SSD — a step above the published recommended spec, aimed at 1440p. The setup most players should aim for.

4K build: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER + AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + 32 GB DDR5 + fast NVMe SSD — for 4K with upscaling, which is well beyond the 1080p targets the official requirements describe.

Is It Worth Upgrading Your PC for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2?

The clearest upgrade triggers come straight from the official spec sheet. If your graphics card has less than 6 GB of VRAM or is older than a GTX 1060 or RX 580, you are below the minimum, and a GPU upgrade is the first thing to consider — it delivers by far the biggest jump in gaming performance. If you are sitting on a card in that minimum tier, you can play at 1080p on Low, but moving up to the recommended RTX 3070 or RX 6800 XT class is what unlocks 1080p on Ultra. On the CPU side, a modern six- to eight-core chip from the last few years will not hold back a modern GPU here, so you can usually keep it; the recommended eight-core parts suggest extra threads do help with the biggest enemy crowds, but they are not a prerequisite. The one upgrade that is effectively mandatory is storage: if the game is on a hard drive, move it to an SSD, because the requirements list one outright. Rather than replacing everything at once, target the weakest link in your build for the best value.

Can You Play Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 on a Laptop or Handheld?

Gaming laptops with an RTX 4060-class mobile GPU or better can handle Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 at 1080p with sensible settings and upscaling enabled, though expect shorter battery life and more heat than a desktop. Because the official minimum calls for a 6 GB card such as a GTX 1060 and the recommendation is an 8 GB RTX 3070-class card, check the VRAM figure on any laptop you consider rather than just the model name. On handhelds like the Steam Deck or ROG Ally, you are at or below that minimum specification, so expect to run at low settings with upscaling and treat a steady 30 FPS as the realistic ceiling. If portability matters, prioritise a device with a capable GPU, enough VRAM, and fast internal storage — the 75 GB install and the SSD requirement apply just as much on a handheld as on a desktop.

How to Boost FPS in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

If frame rates are low, enable upscaling (DLSS on NVIDIA, FSR on AMD, or XeSS on Intel where supported) — it offers the single biggest performance gain, and frame generation is worth enabling if your GPU supports it. Drop the most expensive settings first — shadows, volumetric effects, and post-processing — before lowering overall resolution. Stepping down a preset level, from Ultra toward High or Medium, is the other reliable lever, and it is exactly the kind of adjustment the official 30 FPS and 60 FPS targets imply you may need. Keep your GPU drivers up to date, close background apps, and make sure the game is installed on an SSD, since the requirements demand one. Lowering settings to hit a stable frame rate almost always feels better than chasing maxed-out visuals with stutter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my PC run Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2?

If your PC has at least a GTX 1060 or RX 580 with 6 GB of VRAM, a six-core CPU such as a Ryzen 5 2600X or Core i5-8600K, 8 GB of RAM, and an SSD with 75 GB free, it meets the official minimum and can run Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 at 1080p on the Low preset at 30 FPS. For 1080p on Ultra at 60 FPS, the published recommendation is an RTX 3070 or RX 6800 XT-class card with 8 GB of VRAM, a Ryzen 7 5800X or Core i7-12700, and 16 GB of RAM.

Is Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 demanding on PC?

It is moderately demanding. The official minimum is a 6 GB GTX 1060 or RX 580 for 1080p on Low at 30 FPS, and the recommendation is an 8 GB RTX 3070 or RX 6800 XT for 1080p on Ultra at 60 FPS. That is a normal modern action-game profile — not a light title, and not one that demands a flagship GPU at 1080p — but it does require an SSD and 75 GB of space.

What GPU do I need for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 at 1440p 60fps?

The official requirements only cover 1080p, so for 1440p you want headroom above the recommended RTX 3070 or RX 6800 XT. A NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER-class graphics card comfortably exceeds that published bar and gives you the room to run 1440p at high settings with upscaling enabled. Cards in this tier also give you comfortable headroom for future titles.

How much RAM does Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 need?

The official minimum is 8 GB of RAM and the recommendation is 16 GB. In practice 16 GB is the sensible target for a modern gaming PC, since it leaves room for the operating system and background apps alongside the game; 8 GB will get you running at the minimum tier, but it leaves little margin. Faster DDR5 memory also helps in CPU-limited scenes.

Do I need an SSD for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2?

Yes — the official requirements list an SSD outright rather than merely recommending one, along with 75 GB of available space. An NVMe drive like the Samsung 990 Pro is ideal for modern games and helps keep loading and texture streaming smooth.