Squadron 42 PC Requirements and Steam Features Explained

Squadron 42’s Steam page now gives PC players a starting point for checking their hardware: Windows 11, 16 GB of RAM, an 8 GB graphics card and 150 GB of available storage appear in the minimum requirements. The recommended section is still largely empty, so there is no published high-settings specification to build towards yet.

Before replacing anything in your PC, it is worth understanding exactly what that list does—and does not—tell you. A minimum specification is not a promise of a particular resolution or frame rate. The current listing gives no such performance target, and some of its hardware wording needs more detail before it can support a confident upgrade recommendation.

The minimum specification currently listed on Steam

The graphics entry specifies DirectX 11.1 compatibility while the separate DirectX field says version 12. Until that wording is clarified, check both entries against your hardware; the listing does not name a particular graphics card.

The processor description is similarly broad. It names families and generations rather than a small set of precisely identified CPUs. It also does not resolve platform compatibility for every older processor named by that wording. A CPU falling within the broad description is not, by itself, proof that the complete machine satisfies all the other requirements.

RAM, graphics memory and storage are separate checks

The 16 GB figure refers to system RAM; the 8 GB figure refers to the graphics card’s VRAM. They are not interchangeable, and adding them together does not produce a meaningful single memory requirement. A PC with enough system RAM can still fall short of the listed graphics-memory requirement.

Equally, VRAM capacity alone does not tell you how quickly a GPU will render the game. Two cards with the same memory capacity can perform very differently. The page does not name a minimum GPU model, publish comparative results or assign a resolution and frame-rate target to that 8 GB entry. It would be premature to turn it into a list of supposedly guaranteed 60 fps cards.

The storage requirement is 150 GB of available space. That is not the same as a confirmed download size, and the entry does not specify the storage technology or explain temporary space needed during installation and updates. The download may be smaller than the installed game, while an update may need additional working space; neither figure has been confirmed.

Recommended settings and performance remain open

The recommended section currently states only that a 64-bit processor and operating system are required. It does not provide a recommended CPU, GPU, RAM capacity or storage figure. If you are planning a new PC around the campaign, you will need to wait for those figures before choosing parts against an official recommended specification.

Nor does the page provide a 1080p, 1440p or 4K performance chart. Footage from a powerful demonstration PC cannot substitute for a benchmark across ordinary hardware, and a polished screenshot reveals nothing about the frame time of the machine that produced it. For anyone considering a major upgrade specifically for Squadron 42, the most useful next information will be precise hardware recommendations and results tied to identifiable settings.

Check your existing PC before planning an upgrade

Start with the machine you already own. Check its operating system, system memory, graphics card and free storage against the table above. RAM and VRAM appear in different places in a PC’s specification, so check both rather than relying on a single memory figure. If the machine clears those basic requirements, the unanswered question is performance at the settings you want—not whether you need to replace it immediately.

Be careful with the VR label on Steam: it appears among user-defined tags, not the developer’s listed feature support. It is not confirmation that Squadron 42 will support a headset at release.

Accounts and the Steam features already named

Squadron 42 is listed as single-player and requires a Roberts Space Industries account, with support for linking that account to Steam. Account linking is confirmed wording; a universal Steam-key entitlement for existing backers is not. The page also does not explain whether existing account ownership can be recognised without a separate key.

• Steam Achievements are listed, but a complete achievement list is not supplied here.
• Steam Cloud is listed. That does not establish cross-progression between every possible distribution version.
• HDR and Family Sharing appear among the supported features.
• Broadband internet appears in the minimum requirements. The exact offline-play conditions are not explained.

English is marked for interface, full audio and subtitles. The other nine languages—French, Italian, German, Spanish (Spain), Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese and Spanish (Latin America)—are marked for interface and subtitles, with no full-audio tick. That distinction matters for a story-led game: translated text does not mean the dialogue is dubbed in every supported language.

There is enough information here to check the obvious constraints of an existing PC and understand the announced Steam integration. There is not yet enough to promise performance from a particular build. As the planned Q2 2027 release approaches, specific recommended hardware and clearer compatibility guidance will be more useful than an early shopping list built around assumptions.

For the campaign itself, our Star Citizen vs Squadron 42 guide explains the differences in gameplay and access. Our Manchester playtest reactions bring together what attendees enjoyed and the problems they encountered, with their individual accounts and videos.