Grounded: PC System Requirements & Best Hardware to Run It (2026)

Thinking about playing Grounded on PC and wondering what hardware you actually need? Grounded is a 2022 action-adventure survival game in which you are shrunk to the size of an ant and must survive a vast, dangerous backyard full of giant insects. It is also a light game by modern standards, so the hardware bar is low: the official minimum specification is built around a graphics card from 2013, and the official recommended spec is only a modest step above it. This guide breaks down the official Grounded PC requirements, the best GPU for each resolution, CPU and memory guidance, complete build suggestions, and the settings worth adjusting if you want more performance.

How Demanding Is Grounded?

Grounded is not a demanding game. Its official minimum specification — an Intel Core i3-3225, 4 GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 650 Ti — describes mainstream hardware from around 2012–2013, and the whole install is only 8 GB. In practical terms, that means almost any gaming PC built in the last decade can run it, and the official recommended spec (Core i7-7700K or Ryzen 5 1600, 8 GB RAM, GTX 1060 6GB or RX 470) is comfortably met by entry-level and mid-range cards from several generations back. 1080p at high settings is easy, and 1440p is well within reach of a modern mid-range GPU; 4K is mainly a question of pixel count rather than heavy demands from the game itself. Grounded is also not a CPU-heavy title — it is a survival sandbox with optional small-scale co-op, not a large-scale simulation, strategy or big-multiplayer game — so a modest quad-core processor is genuinely sufficient. The figures below are the official published requirements; always check the store page for the current version.

ASUS Dual GeForce RTX™ 4060 V2 OC Edition (PCIe 4.0, 8GB GDDR6, DLSS 3, HDMI 2.1a, DisplayPort 1.4a, 2-Slot Design, Axial-tech Fan Design, 0dB Technology, and More) (Renewed)

Chosen because it specifies 8GB GDDR6 and DLSS 3.

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ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4060 Ti EVO OC Edition 8GB GDDR6 (PCIe 4.0, 8GB GDDR6, DLSS 3, HDMI 2.1a, DisplayPort 1.4a, Axial-tech Fan Design, Auto-Extreme Technology), 3 Year Warranty

Chosen because it specifies 8GB GDDR6 and DLSS 3.

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ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 3050 6GB GDDR6 OC Edition Gaming Graphics Card

Picked as a relevant option in this category.

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ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4060 EVO White OC Edition 8GB GDDR6 (PCIe 4.0, 8GB GDDR6, DLSS 3, HDMI 2.1a, DisplayPort 1.4a, Axial-tech Fan Design, Dual BIOS, Auto-Extreme Tech), 3 Year Warranty

Chosen because it specifies 8GB GDDR6 and DLSS 3.

View on Amazon →

Grounded Official PC System Requirements

Source: the official Grounded Steam store listing (app 962130), checked October 2026. Publishers can update these specs after patches.

Best GPU for Grounded by Resolution

1080p

At 1080p you have a lot of freedom. The official minimum, a GTX 650 Ti-class card, will get you running at reduced settings, and the official recommended tier — a GeForce GTX 1060 6GB or Radeon RX 470 — is already enough for high settings. Modern cards sit far above that bar: an RTX 5060 or RX 9060 XT will run Grounded at 1080p with headroom to spare, and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 (or a comparable card) is more than this game asks for. If you are buying new, anything in this range also leaves room for heavier titles later.

1440p

1440p is a comfortable target for Grounded rather than a stretch. A mid-range current-generation card such as an RTX 5060 Ti or RX 9060 XT has more power than the game needs at this resolution, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is well above the level required — it makes sense mainly if Grounded is one of several games you play. Older cards that comfortably beat the official recommended spec, such as a GTX 1660 Super or RX 580, can also handle 1440p at sensible settings.

4K

4K is the one resolution where you want a stronger GPU, simply because of the number of pixels involved, not because Grounded itself is heavy. The game is light enough that a current upper mid-range card such as an RTX 5070 or RX 9070 is more than sufficient, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER sits comfortably above what the game requires. Enabling an upscaler where the game and your driver support it is a straightforward way to keep things smooth at 4K, and you certainly do not need a flagship card to play Grounded on a 4K display.

CPU, RAM and Storage for Grounded

Grounded’s processor requirements are low: the official recommended CPU is an Intel Core i7-7700K or AMD Ryzen 5 1600, both of which date back to 2017, and the minimum is a dual-core Core i3-3225. Any modern desktop processor clears that bar without effort, so this is not a part you need to spend heavily on. The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is far more processor than Grounded needs and remains a strong value gaming chip, while the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and the Intel Core i5-14600K are enthusiast choices for players who also run much more CPU-intensive games. On memory, the official recommended figure is 8 GB with 4 GB as the minimum; 16 GB is a sensible modern baseline for Windows and background apps, and a 32 GB kit such as the Corsair Vengeance DDR5 32GB is more than this game will ever use. Storage is the least of your concerns — Grounded needs just 8 GB of space. A fast drive like the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD will speed up loading and reduce texture streaming hitches, but it does not need to be large or fast for this game alone.

Recommended PC Builds for Grounded

Budget 1080p build: AMD Radeon RX 7600 + AMD Ryzen 5 7600 + 16 GB DDR5 — far above the official recommended spec and plenty for 1080p and 1440p. An older system with a GTX 1060 6GB or RX 470 and a quad-core CPU would also meet the official recommendation.

1440p sweet-spot build: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER + AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + 32 GB DDR5 + 2TB NVMe SSD — overkill for Grounded by itself, but a good foundation if the game is one of several you play.

4K build: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER + AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + 32 GB DDR5 + fast NVMe SSD — comfortable for Grounded at 4K and a sensible base for heavier titles.

Is It Worth Upgrading Your PC for Grounded?

For Grounded specifically, an upgrade is rarely necessary. If your PC already meets the official minimum, the game will run; if it meets the official recommended spec, you are in good shape at 1080p with high settings, and that spec is not hard to reach with hardware from several generations ago. That said, if you are upgrading anyway, the graphics card still delivers by far the biggest jump in gaming performance, so that is the component to prioritise — just bear in mind that for this particular game even a modest card clears the bar. A CPU from the last several years will not hold back a modern GPU in Grounded, so you can usually keep it. Going from 8 GB to 16 GB of RAM is a cheap, sensible general upgrade, and moving the game to an SSD noticeably smooths out loading, though with only an 8 GB install the storage requirement itself is trivial. Rather than replacing everything at once, target the weakest link in your build, and only treat Grounded as the reason if you also want to play more demanding games on the same machine.

Can You Play Grounded on a Laptop or Handheld?

Absolutely. Because the official recommended spec is only a GTX 1060 6GB or RX 470, a gaming laptop with a modest dedicated GPU from the last few generations can run Grounded well at 1080p, and even older gaming laptops that meet the recommended spec are fine. Expect shorter battery life and more heat than a desktop when you push settings, as always. On handhelds like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally, a game this light runs comfortably at reasonable settings, making it a great portable pick. If portability matters, prioritise a device with a capable GPU and pair it with a reasonably fast microSD or SSD for storage, since the game itself only needs 8 GB.

How to Boost FPS in Grounded

Because Grounded is a light game, low frame rates usually point to hardware below the official minimum or to a background issue rather than to the game being unusually heavy. If you do want more performance, enable an upscaler where the game and your driver support it — DLSS on NVIDIA, FSR on AMD, XeSS on Intel — which is generally the single biggest gain available. If your GPU supports frame generation, it can help further once your base frame rate is already reasonable. Beyond that, lower the most expensive settings first, such as shadows, effects quality and view distance, before dropping overall resolution. Keep your GPU drivers up to date, close background apps, and make sure the game is installed on an SSD. On a game this light, you should not need aggressive settings cuts unless your system is genuinely below the minimum specification.

Graphics Settings That Matter Most in Grounded

If Grounded is not hitting the frame rate you want, a few settings give back more performance than others. Shadow quality and shadow resolution tend to be among the heaviest options, so lowering them a step is the first change to try. View or draw distance is the next big lever, since distant geometry and foliage are expensive to render, especially across a large outdoor map. Effects quality, ambient occlusion and screen-space reflections also cost a fair amount while adding relatively little at a glance, so trimming those is an easy win.

Leave textures as high as your VRAM allows, since texture quality improves image clarity with almost no performance cost until you run out of video memory. Where Grounded supports it, enabling an upscaler such as DLSS, FSR or XeSS on its Quality preset is the most effective way to raise frame rates while keeping the image sharp, and frame generation can help further on supported GPUs once your base frame rate is already reasonable. Given how light the game is, most players will find they can run Grounded close to maximum settings on hardware that is only moderately above the official recommended spec.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my PC run Grounded?

If your PC meets the official minimum — an Intel Core i3-3225, 4 GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 650 Ti — it can run Grounded at reduced settings. For high settings at 1080p, aim for the official recommended spec: an Intel Core i7-7700K or Ryzen 5 1600, 8 GB of RAM, and a GeForce GTX 1060 6GB or Radeon RX 470. That is a low bar by modern standards, so most gaming PCs built in the last several years will handle the game without trouble.

Is Grounded demanding on PC?

No. Grounded is a light game: the official minimum calls for a 2013-era GPU and just 4 GB of RAM, the recommended spec asks for a GTX 1060 6GB or RX 470 and 8 GB of RAM, and the install is only 8 GB. It is not a CPU-heavy game either, so modest mid-range hardware handles it well at 1080p and 1440p.

What GPU do I need for Grounded at 1440p 60fps?

Grounded’s requirements are low enough that 1440p is not difficult to reach. A modern mid-range card has plenty of headroom, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is far more than this game needs — it is a reasonable choice mainly if you also play much heavier titles. Older cards that beat the official recommended spec can also manage 1440p at sensible settings.

How much RAM does Grounded need?

The official minimum is 4 GB and the official recommended figure is 8 GB. In practice, 16 GB is a comfortable baseline for a modern gaming PC running Windows and other applications alongside the game, but the game itself does not require more than 8 GB.

Do I need an SSD for Grounded?

Not strictly — the official requirements list only 8 GB of available storage space. An SSD will still reduce load times and help with texture streaming, so a fast NVMe drive like the Samsung 990 Pro is a good general choice for a modern gaming PC, even though Grounded takes up very little of it.