Capcom says Dragon’s Dogma 2 will ‘overwhelm’ your CPU

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is finally here, and it may be a doozy for your PC.

The game is powered by Capcom’s Reach for the Moon (RE) Engine, used in titles like Resident Evil Village and Monster Hunter Rise. Dragon’s Dogma 2 presents a seamless gaming experience without loading screens once you dive into the game. However, this level of immersion comes with demanding hardware requirements, particularly on the CPU front.

The recommended hardware specs from Capcom should be seen as the bare minimum, with a preference for 12th-gen Intel Core or Ryzen 5000-series CPUs. Having at least six cores with multithreading support is recommended.

Minimum PC specs

OS: Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit)
CPU: Intel Core i5-10600 / AMD Ryzen 5 3600
RAM: 16GB
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 / AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (8GB)
DirectX: Version 12
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Additional notes: Estimated performance: 1080p/30 frames per second (fps). Frame rate might drop in graphics-intensive scenes. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 6800 required to support ray tracing.

Recommended PC specs

OS: Windows 10 /11 (64-bit)
CPU: Intel Core i7-10700 / AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
RAM: 16GB
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 / AMD Radeon RX 6700
DirectX: Version 12
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Additional Notes: Estimated performance: 2160p/30 fps. Frame rate might drop in graphics-intensive scenes. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 6800 required to support ray tracing.

Regardless of whether you’re navigating the bustling city or venturing into the expansive open world, the CPU plays a crucial role in determining the game’s performance. As per testing done by PC Gamer, midrange or budget gaming PCs may struggle to maintain frame rates above 60 fps, especially in open-world environments. Even in the city, hitting half that figure can be a challenge, even with reduced quality settings at 1080p.

For a smooth gaming experience, a modern CPU and graphics card are essential. Testing various system configurations, including CPUs like the Ryzen 7 8700G, Ryzen 5 5600X, and Ryzen 9 7900 and the Intel Core i7 9700K, and Core i7 14700KF, alongside a range of graphics cards, provided insights into Dragon’s Dogma 2‘s demanding nature. The game’s performance was evaluated in different scenarios, such as the city of Vernworth and the open world, showcasing varying frame rates and system demands across different setups.

Whether playing at 1080p, 1440p, or 4K resolutions, Dragon’s Dogma 2‘s performance heavily relies on CPU capabilities, with graphics cards also playing a significant role, especially at higher resolutions. The game’s use of upscaling technologies like FSR and DLSS can offer improvements, but they come with trade-offs in image quality.

Wccftech’s reviewer Alessio Palumbo also encountered difficulties despite having an RTX 4090 and a Ryzen 7800X3D. The absence of DLSS 3 at launch further limits options to address these issues.

Capcom has acknowledged the problems and is said to be working on making enhancements. However, addressing these issues might prove challenging. The company suggests that the issues do not stem from demanding graphics burdening the GPU, but rather from the game’s intricate systems and numerous dynamic NPCs overwhelming the CPU. In essence, optimizing or reducing visual settings may not significantly improve the game’s performance.