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Thinking about playing Pacific Drive on PC and wondering what hardware you actually need? Pacific Drive is a driving survival adventure set in the Olympic Exclusion Zone, where your trusty station wagon is your only lifeline — and it’s built in Unreal Engine. Released on February 21, 2024, it blends action, adventure, racing and simulation, and its official requirements are refreshingly modest: an Intel Core i5 8600 and a GeForce GTX 1060 6GB get you in the door. This guide breaks down the official PC system requirements for Pacific Drive, the best GPU for each resolution, and complete build recommendations to hit your target frame rate.
How Demanding Is Pacific Drive?
Pacific Drive is not a particularly demanding game by modern standards. Its official recommended spec — an Intel Core i5-10600K paired with a GeForce RTX 2080 or RTX 3070 — is a mid-range target that today’s mainstream cards clear with room to spare. The game leans on the GPU for its storm effects, fog and dense Zone foliage, but it is not a CPU-heavy simulation, and 16 GB of RAM is all it asks for at either tier. In practical terms, the official minimum (GTX 1060 6GB) still runs the game at 1080p with sensible settings and upscaling enabled, while 1440p and 4K are comfortable for cards that sit above the recommended tier. The install footprint is a modest 18 GB, and the game requires DirectX 12 and a 64-bit version of Windows 10 or newer.
ASUS ROG GM700 (2025) Gaming Desktop PC, AMD Ryzen™ 7 9800X3D Processor, AMD® Radeon™ RX 9070 XT Prime OC, 2TB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 4 SSD, 32GB DDR5 RAM, Windows 11 Home, GM700TZ-MS777
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ASUS ROG G700 (2026) Gaming Desktop PC, Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 265KF Processor, NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5070, 1TB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 4 SSD, 16GB DDR5 RAM, Windows 11 Home, G700TF-DB774
One of the home product options compared in this guide.
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ASUS ROG G700 (2025) Gaming Desktop PC, Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 265F Processor, NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5060Ti, 1TB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 4 SSD, 32GB DDR5 RAM, Windows 11 Home, G700TF-AS776Ti
One of the home product options compared in this guide.
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ASUS ROG G1000 (2026) Gaming Desktop PC, AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Processor, NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5080, 2TB PCIe® 4 SSD, 32GB DDR5 RAM, Windows 11 Home, GM1000TY-DS787
One of the home product options compared in this guide.
View on AmazonPacific Drive Official PC System Requirements
| Component | Minimum (official) | Recommended (official) |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 | Windows 10 |
| Processor | Intel Core i5 8600 | Intel Core i5-10600k |
| Memory | 16 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics | Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB | Nvidia RTX 2080/3070 |
| DirectX | Version 12 | Version 12 |
| Storage | 18 GB available space | 18 GB available space |
Source: the official Pacific Drive Steam store listing (app 1458140), checked October 2026. Publishers can update these specs after patches.
Best GPU for Pacific Drive by Resolution
1080p
The official minimum for Pacific Drive is a GeForce GTX 1060 6GB, so 1080p is within reach of older hardware — a GTX 1660 Super or Radeon RX 6600 already sits above that bar. For a comfortable high-settings 1080p experience with upscaling turned on, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is a safe pick, and current-generation options such as the GeForce RTX 5060 or Radeon RX 9060 XT push well past the official recommended spec at this resolution.
1440p
1440p lines up neatly with the official recommended GPU, a GeForce RTX 2080 or RTX 3070. Step up to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER for plenty of headroom at high settings, or consider a current-generation GeForce RTX 5070 or Radeon RX 9070, both of which comfortably exceed what Pacific Drive asks for. This is the resolution most PC gamers target, and any card in this class leaves the game with a lot of spare performance.
4K
For 4K, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is a realistic entry point, ideally paired with upscaling to keep frame rates high. Cards from the current generation such as the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti or Radeon RX 9070 XT also fit comfortably here. Because Pacific Drive’s recommended spec tops out at RTX 2080/3070-class hardware, 4K is far more achievable than it is in newer, heavier releases — this is not a title that demands a flagship GPU even at the highest resolution.
CPU, RAM and Storage for Pacific Drive
Pacific Drive is not a CPU-hungry game. The official minimum is an Intel Core i5 8600 and the recommended is an Intel Core i5-10600K — modest six-core parts that most gaming CPUs from the last several years match or beat. The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is far more than this game needs and remains excellent value for gaming in general, while the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is overkill here but the fastest mainstream gaming CPU if you want maximum frame rates across your whole library. Intel fans can opt for the Intel Core i5-14600K, which clears the recommended bar with room to spare. Memory is simple: 16 GB of RAM is the official figure for both the minimum and the recommended spec. The Corsair Vengeance DDR5 32GB is more than Pacific Drive needs, but 32 GB is a sensible long-term choice if you also play heavier titles. Storage is similarly light — the game asks for just 18 GB of available space, so installing it on a fast NVMe SSD like the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD is a nice-to-have that keeps load times and texture streaming snappy rather than a strict requirement.
Recommended PC Builds for Pacific Drive
1080p budget build: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 + AMD Ryzen 5 7600 + 16 GB DDR5 — comfortably above the official minimum and a great high-settings 1080p setup.
1440p sweet-spot build: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER + AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + 32 GB DDR5 + 2TB NVMe SSD — exceeds the official recommended spec by a wide margin and leaves headroom for future titles.
4K high-end build: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER + AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + 32 GB DDR5 + fast NVMe SSD — for 4K with upscaling.
Is It Worth Upgrading Your PC for Pacific Drive?
Because Pacific Drive’s requirements are modest, it’s rarely the reason to rebuild a PC. If you already have something at or above the official minimum — a GTX 1060 6GB-class graphics card, a six-core CPU and 16 GB of RAM — you can play it today. If your hardware falls below that line, an upgrade makes sense, and the graphics card still delivers by far the biggest jump in gaming performance, so start there. A CPU from the last several years won’t bottleneck a modern GPU in this game, since it isn’t CPU-bound. Moving the game to an SSD is a cheap quality-of-life improvement, and while 16 GB is enough for Pacific Drive, 32 GB is a reasonable upgrade if you play heavier games too. Rather than replacing everything at once, target the weakest link in your build for the best value.
Can You Play Pacific Drive on a Laptop or Handheld?
Gaming laptops with a discrete GPU around or above the official recommended tier — an RTX 4060-class mobile chip, for example — run Pacific Drive comfortably at 1080p, though expect shorter battery life and more heat than a desktop. Handhelds such as the Steam Deck and ROG Ally are also a good fit on paper, since the official minimum is an older GTX 1060 6GB-class card, but they share 16 GB of memory between the CPU and GPU and have limited power budgets, so lower settings and upscaling are the sensible approach. If portability matters, prioritise a device with a capable GPU and a fast SSD or microSD for storage.
How to Boost FPS in Pacific Drive
If frame rates are low, enable upscaling where the game offers it (DLSS on NVIDIA, FSR on AMD, XeSS on Intel) — it’s usually the single biggest performance gain, and frame generation is worth switching on if your GPU supports it. Drop the most expensive settings first — shadows, volumetric effects and post-processing — before lowering overall resolution. Keep your GPU drivers up to date, close background apps, and make sure the game is installed on an SSD. 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 Pacific Drive?
Check your hardware against the official specs: an Intel Core i5 8600 (or equivalent), 16 GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 1060 6GB meet the minimum, which is enough for 1080p with adjusted settings. For a smoother high-settings experience at 1080p or 1440p, aim for the recommended tier — an Intel Core i5-10600K and an RTX 2080/3070-class card — or any newer mid-range GPU.
Is Pacific Drive demanding on PC?
No. By current standards Pacific Drive is a modest, mid-range title. Its recommended GPU is an RTX 2080 or RTX 3070, which most modern mid-range cards now beat, and it asks for only 16 GB of RAM and 18 GB of storage. It isn’t CPU-heavy and it doesn’t require a flagship graphics card at any resolution.
What GPU do I need for Pacific Drive at 1440p 60fps?
The official recommended tier — a GeForce RTX 2080 or RTX 3070 — is the right starting point for high-settings 1440p. A NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER-class card gives you comfortable headroom at that resolution, and current-generation options like the RTX 5070 or RX 9070 sit well above it.
How much RAM does Pacific Drive need?
16 GB. That’s the official figure for both the minimum and the recommended spec, so it’s the practical target. 8 GB doesn’t meet the requirement, and while 32 GB is a fine long-term choice for a gaming PC in general, Pacific Drive itself doesn’t need it.
Do I need an SSD for Pacific Drive?
The official requirements list 18 GB of available space but don’t mandate an SSD, so a hard drive will technically work. That said, an SSD is strongly recommended in practice for faster load times, and an NVMe drive like the Samsung 990 Pro is ideal for modern games.
