17 January 2023 , 08:00
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Warner Bros. has given details for modes offering smooth frame rates or smaller pixels on consoles and confirming how powerful a PC players will need to get the most magical experience in Hogwarts Legacy.
On PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, players can play Hogwarts Legacy at 60fps in Performance mode or at 30fps in Fidelity Mode. Warner Bros. did not state what resolution either would run in, or what bells and whistles Fidelity Mode would turn on in the blog post announcing these features. However, if it's like other games with similar options, Fidelity Mode will push for a higher resolution and ray tracing (if we’re lucky). While performance mode will make the game look a little better than the previous-gen versions but will run a heck of a lot better.
The other thing to note is that it will also have options for people using a TV that supports Variable Refresh Rate (VRR). This makes me suspect that those 60fps and 30fps modes are more of a target than a minimum level of performance.
Warner Bros. has also confirmed how beefy a rig you need to run this latest foray into the Wizarding World on PC.
A whole rainbow of options is available for those wanting to play Hogwarts Legacy on PC. Although you will want a machine packing the Recommended Specs or better to ensure it doesn’t run like it has had Arresto Momentum cast on it.
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Copperfield's hard drive
Now I’m not some highfalutin PC gamer, but even I can see that Hogwarts Legacy is pushing the bounds of what may be considered a reasonable amount of RAM for its recommended specs. 32GB is notable for two reasons. One, it's more RAM than I have in my ageing gaming laptop, and two, it is the second upcoming major PC release (the first is Returnal) to recommend this bump in memory. This does make me wonder whether the time has come to open up Ol’ Bessie and cram some more RAM in her.
Of course, to push everything to its limit you will want a high-end Nvidia or AMD card and a fast Intel processor. But regardless of spec, you will need 85GB of hard drive space. Something that comes at a premium when your SSD is probably 2TB tops.
This also doesn't bode well for console players since they have even less space to work with, and the 85GB seems about right for an open-world game on current-gen consoles.
At least we know why the Nintendo Switch version has been delayed until the end of June. The developers are probably figuring out how much of the game they can get away with making an additional download, trying to compress the game data so it's small enough to fit on a cartridge, or, like Doom Eternal, making Hogwarts Legacy a digital-only release on the platform.
Regardless of the platform, it seems Hogwarts Legacy’s greatest trick is, just like the famous illusionist David Copperfield, to make things disappear. In this case what little space remains on your hard drive.
The PC requirements for Hogwarts Legacy are detailed below:
Minimum/Low Specs
OS: 64-bit Windows 10
CPU: Intel Core i5 6600 (3.3 GHz) or AMD Ryzen 5 1400
RAM: 16GB
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GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 GB or AMD Radeon RX 470 4GB
DirectX Version: DX 12
Storage 85 GB HDD
Notes: SSD (preferred), HDD (Supported), 720p/30fps, Low-Quality Settings.
Recommended/ High Specs
OS: 64-bit Windows 10
CPU: Intel Core i7 8700 (3.2 GHz) or AMD Ryzen 5 3600
RAM: 16GB
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 5700 4
DirectX Version: DX 12
Storage 85 GB HDD
Notes: SSD, 1080/60FPS, High-Quality Settings.
Ultra Specs
OS: 64-bit Windows 10
CPU: Intel Core i7 10700K (3.80 GHz) or AMD Ryzen 5 5800
RAM: 32GB
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080Ti or AMD Radeon RX 6800
DirectX Version: DX 12
Storage 85 GB HDD
Notes: SSD, 1440/60FPS, Ultra-Quality Settings.
Ultra 4K Specs
OS: 64-bit Windows 10
CPU: Intel Core i7 10700K (3.80 GHz) or AMD Ryzen 5 5800
RAM: 32GB
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090Ti or AMD Radeon RX 7900
DirectX Version: DX 12
Storage 85 GB HDD
Notes: SSD, 2160/60FPS, Ultra-Quality Settings.
The PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC versions of Hogwarts Legacy are out on Friday, February 10. The title then hits PS4 and Xbox One on April 4, and finally the Nintendo Switch on July 25.