The current documented requirements

Operating system
64-bit Windows 10 / 11, or x86-64 Linux with glibc 2.35+
Processor
AVX2-capable CPU
Graphics
Vulkan 1.3 + mesh shaders; current driver. 8 GB VRAM recommended.
Memory
16 GB+ recommended; about 10 GB used while running
Free build space
About 60 GB during a build
Build tools
Included with the official Builder / AppImage

GPU capability and testing are different

The README lists GeForce RTX 20 series or newer, Radeon RX 6000 series or newer, and Intel Arc as examples of the required feature level. The actual card and installed driver must expose Vulkan 1.3 and mesh shaders. This is a requirements list, not a compatibility certification.

NVIDIA is the most tested. AMD reports now include RX 6600, RX 7800 XT and RX 7900 XTX, with known device-loss problems on some setups. Intel reports are limited and include black screens or crashes. Cards without mesh shaders, including RX 5000 and older, are not supported.

8 GB VRAM or more is recommended. Lower Quality presets exist for cards with less VRAM; they do not remove the mesh-shader requirement or guarantee stable play.

Platform-specific notes

  • Windows: the current graphical Builder bundles its own compiler and tools. Manual source builds have separate dependencies; do not confuse the two workflows.
  • Linux: the AppImage bundles build dependencies, but the host still needs glibc 2.35+, AVX2 and a suitable Mesa or NVIDIA Vulkan driver.
  • The game uses approximately 10 GB system RAM while running. Build-time storage is about 60 GB; these are different resources.

What the requirements do not promise

Performance depends on the machine and scene. The project reports varying frame rates and open bugs beyond the starting area. First visits can stutter during shader work. Ultrawide can stretch the HUD and soften the image.

If you meet the baseline but see a black screen, missing geometry or crashes, check the current release notes and collect hookshot_log.txt. We have not performed independent hardware benchmarks.