Outlast: PC requirements and the PC you need

About Outlast

Outlast is a first-person horror game from Red Barrels. You play Miles Upshur, a reporter who sneaks into Mount Massive Asylum after a tip-off and finds it overrun by violent inmates. You cannot fight back at all, so you must hide, run and sneak, using a video camera's night vision to see in the dark while its batteries last. It is single player and very frightening, with strong violence and disturbing scenes that are not for younger players. Its needs are very modest, so any of our gaming PCs plays it perfectly.

What Outlast needs

In plain words: to play at all it needs almost any graphics, even the graphics built into the processor, and to play it well the makers suggest almost any graphics, even the graphics built into the processor, with 3GB of memory.

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

This is a light game: almost any of our gaming PCs will run it comfortably at high settings.

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 Outlast 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.