Arma 3: PC requirements and the PC you need

About Arma 3

Arma 3 is a realistic military simulator from Bohemia Interactive, set across huge open terrains such as the Mediterranean-style island of Altis. Rather than fast arcade action, it focuses on careful tactics, teamwork and authentic weapons and vehicles, from rifles to tanks, helicopters and jets. There is a single-player campaign, co-op missions and large online battles, plus a vast library of community-made missions and mods through the Steam Workshop. It is rated PEGI 16. The makers recommend a GTX 1060 or RX 580 and 16 GB of memory, so a mid-range gaming PC runs it well.

What Arma 3 needs

In plain words: to play at all it needs basic graphics: built-in graphics on a modern processor, or an old entry-level card, and to play it well the makers suggest a mid-range graphics card from a few years ago, with 16GB of memory.

A low-spec PC or a high-spec PC?

The gap between the minimum and recommended spec is modest, so a mid-range gaming PC gives a good experience.

On a PC that only just meets the minimum, the game will start and play, but on low settings: simpler shadows and textures, shorter view distances and fewer frames each second, so fast moments can feel less smooth. A 1080p screen is the sensible match.

On a PC that meets or beats the recommended spec, you can turn the settings up: sharper textures, proper shadows and lighting, more detail in the distance, and a smoother picture. A stronger PC also lets you use a sharper 1440p or high-refresh screen.

Questions about Arma 3 on PC

How we match: we compare the graphics card and the memory in each PC with the makers' spec, because those decide most of how a game runs. For very new or demanding games, ask us and we will check the processor too. More help: graphics cards explained, how much RAM, which screen.