Can I run The Ascent?

The Ascent (2021) is an action, adventure and indie game and a demanding game for a PC. For high settings it wants a modern mid-range graphics card (RTX 2060 or RTX 3060 class).

Demanding2021ActionAdventureIndiePC (Windows)

Check your PC

Choose the graphics card, processor and memory closest to yours. Not sure? On Windows press Win + R, type dxdiag and look at "Processor", "Memory" and the Display tab.

Graphics cardProcessorMemory (RAM)

Full check (laptops, consoles, more parts) →See the requirements

The Ascent system requirements

	Minimum	Recommended
OS	Windows 10 x64	Windows 10 x64
Processor	Intel Core Intel Core i5-3470 (4 * 3200) or equivalent / AMD FX-8350 (4 * 4000) or equivalent	Intel Core i7-6700K (4 * 4000) or equivalent / AMD Ryzen 5 2600 (6 * 3400) or equivalent
Memory	8 GB RAM	16 GB RAM
Graphics	GeForce GTX 660 ( 2048 MB) / Radeon R9 390X (8192 MB)	Geforce GTX 1070 (8192 MB) / Radeon RX 5700 (8192 MB)
Storage	35 GB available space	35 GB available space

Source: the official The Ascent Steam page, checked October 2026.

Which PC runs The Ascent?

To play it you need at least a Radeon RX 570 class graphics card, an AMD FX-8350 class processor and 8 GB of RAM. For the recommended (high) settings: a GeForce GTX 1080 or faster, an Intel Core i5-8400 class processor and 16 GB of RAM.

Graphics card: minimum

Radeon RX 570
GeForce GTX 1650
GeForce GTX 1060 6GB

Graphics card: high settings

GeForce GTX 1080
GeForce RTX 2060
Radeon RX 5600 XT

Processor: minimum

AMD FX-8350
Intel Core i5-4460
AMD Ryzen 5 1600

Processor: high settings

Intel Core i5-8400
AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Intel Core i7-8700

How common PCs do: GTX 1650 + Core i5-8400 + 16 GB: 88%, medium to high settings; RTX 3060 + Ryzen 5 5600 + 16 GB: 100%, high settings; Laptop with integrated graphics + 8 GB: 40%, below the minimum, not playable well.

Parts with the same speed (and newer, faster ones) work too. Laptop versions of a graphics card are usually a little slower.

Upgrade picks for The Ascent

Parts from our product guides that reach the recommended specs.

Graphics card for the recommended settingsIntel Arc B580

Budget / 1080p-1440p

Our review Check on Amazon

Graphics card for the recommended settingsAMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB

Mid-range / 1440p

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Graphics card for the recommended settingsAMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB

Mainstream / 1080p

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Processor for the recommended settingsAMD Ryzen 5 5500F

1080p budget gaming rigs

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Processor for the recommended settingsIntel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus

The Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is a desktop processor from Intel. See the full specifications and the current price on

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Memory (16 GB or more)Samsung DDR5-4800 32GB

The Samsung DDR5-4800 32GB is a memory kit from Samsung. Key details: DDR5, 4800 MT/s, 32GB. See the full specifications

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Memory (16 GB or more)Corsair Vengeance DDR5-5200 64GB

High-capacity gaming rigs

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The Ascent: questions

What are the minimum system requirements for The Ascent?

Minimum: OS Windows 10 x64; processor Intel Core Intel Core i5-3470 (4 * 3200) or equivalent / AMD FX-8350 (4 * 4000) or equivalent; 8 GB RAM; graphics GeForce GTX 660 ( 2048 MB) / Radeon R9 390X (8192 MB); 35 GB available space.

What are the recommended requirements for The Ascent?

Recommended: processor Intel Core i7-6700K (4 * 4000) or equivalent / AMD Ryzen 5 2600 (6 * 3400) or equivalent; 16 GB RAM; graphics Geforce GTX 1070 (8192 MB) / Radeon RX 5700 (8192 MB); 35 GB available space.

What graphics card do I need for The Ascent?

At least a Radeon RX 570, GeForce GTX 1650, GeForce GTX 1060 6GB or a card of the same speed for the minimum settings; for the recommended settings a GeForce GTX 1080, GeForce RTX 2060, Radeon RX 5600 XT or faster.

Can a GTX 1650 run The Ascent?

Yes. The GTX 1650 reaches the minimum graphics, not the recommended. A whole PC with a GTX 1650, a Core i5-8400 and 16 GB of RAM gets 88% in our checker (medium to high settings).

Can The Ascent run without a graphics card (integrated graphics)?

Not well. The minimum is a dedicated graphics card (Radeon RX 570 class); with integrated graphics our checker gives 40% (below the minimum, not playable well).

Is 8 GB of RAM enough for The Ascent?

Yes for the minimum settings; 16 GB is recommended for smooth play.

How much storage does The Ascent need?

The Ascent needs 35 GB of free space.

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