Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™

Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™

By Luigi R. Updated: June 2026

To run Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (2017) on PC you need at least a AMD FX-4350, 4.2 GHz / Intel Core i5-2300, 2.80 GHz processor and a AMD HD 7870, 2 GB / NVIDIA GTX 660, 2 GB, with 6GB of RAM and 70GB of free storage. For higher settings and frame rates, the recommended specs are a AMD FX-8350, 4.0 GHz / Intel Core i7-3770, 3.4 GHz and a AMD RX 480, 4 GB or RX580, 4GB / NVIDIA GTX 970, 4GB or GTX1060, 6GB with 12GB of RAM. Check your exact PC against Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ with our free Can I Run It tool, estimate your frame rate with the FPS Estimator, or see the best GPU for Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™.

System Requirements

Minimum
  • CPU: AMD FX-4350, 4.2 GHz / Intel Core i5-2300, 2.80 GHz
  • GPU: AMD HD 7870, 2 GB / NVIDIA GTX 660, 2 GB
  • RAM: 6
  • Storage: 70
Recommended
  • CPU: AMD FX-8350, 4.0 GHz / Intel Core i7-3770, 3.4 GHz
  • GPU: AMD RX 480, 4 GB or RX580, 4GB / NVIDIA GTX 970, 4GB or GTX1060, 6GB
  • RAM: 12
  • Storage: 70

Building a PC to play Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ at its best

Meeting the Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ minimum requirements (a AMD HD 7870, 2 GB / NVIDIA GTX 660, 2 GB) is enough to launch the game, but it won't give you high frame rates at 1440p or 4K. The recommended AMD RX 480, 4 GB or RX580, 4GB / NVIDIA GTX 970, 4GB or GTX1060, 6GB is a solid target, and stepping up to a GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080 or Radeon RX 9070 XT gives you the headroom for ultra settings, ray tracing and high-refresh play. On mid-range cards, DLSS 4 and FSR frame generation can lift Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™'s frame rate substantially, while a flagship RTX 5090 drives 4K at maximum settings.

The processor matters just as much: pairing your graphics card with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D or an Intel Core Ultra, at least 12GB (ideally 32GB) of DDR5 RAM and a fast Gen5 NVMe SSD removes the stutter and long load times that can hold Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ back. For modern textures at 4K, aim for a GPU with 12–16GB of VRAM so you never run short.

The same premium components also decide whether your rig is VR ready: if you game in virtual reality on a Meta Quest 3, Valve Index or PlayStation VR2, a strong GPU and CPU are what hold a steady 90 FPS. Check your exact setup against Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ with the free Can I Run It tool, or see the best GPU for Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™.

Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ — Frequently Asked Questions

What are the minimum requirements for Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™?
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ needs at least a AMD FX-4350, 4.2 GHz / Intel Core i5-2300, 2.80 GHz CPU and a AMD HD 7870, 2 GB / NVIDIA GTX 660, 2 GB graphics card, 6GB of RAM and 70GB of storage.

What are the recommended specs for Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™?
For a smooth experience, Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ recommends a AMD FX-8350, 4.0 GHz / Intel Core i7-3770, 3.4 GHz and a AMD RX 480, 4 GB or RX580, 4GB / NVIDIA GTX 970, 4GB or GTX1060, 6GB with 12GB of RAM.

How much RAM does Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ need?
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ requires 6GB of RAM as a minimum, with 12GB recommended.

What GPU do you need to run Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™?
The minimum graphics card for Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ is a AMD HD 7870, 2 GB / NVIDIA GTX 660, 2 GB, while a AMD RX 480, 4 GB or RX580, 4GB / NVIDIA GTX 970, 4GB or GTX1060, 6GB is recommended for higher settings. Check any GPU against this game with our Can I Run It tool.