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Thinking about playing Nine Sols on PC and wondering what hardware you actually need? Nine Sols is a hand-drawn 2D action-platformer from Red Candle Games, released on May 28, 2024, and it asks very little of your machine. The official minimum calls for a GeForce GTX 950 or Radeon R7 370 paired with an AMD Athlon X4 or Intel Core i5-4460, and the recommended spec steps up only to a GTX 970 or RX 570 with a Ryzen 3 or Skylake-era Core i5 — both tiers asking for 8 GB of RAM, DirectX 11 and 15 GB of storage. Because the game is a 2D title built on hand-drawn art rather than a 3D engine pushing lighting, geometry and effects, even old or budget hardware can run it well. This guide breaks down the official requirements, the best GPU for each resolution, and complete build recommendations for Nine Sols.
How Demanding Is Nine Sols?
Nine Sols is light on PC hardware, and the official specifications back that up: they describe a system from roughly 2015, built around a GTX 950 / R7 370 and a quad-core Haswell-era CPU. There is no ray tracing, no large open world, no simulation layer and no big multiplayer lobby, so neither the GPU nor the CPU is pushed hard. The recommended GPU, a GTX 970 or RX 570, was a mid-range card a decade ago, and the game asks for the same 8 GB of RAM at both tiers. In practical terms that means a modest desktop or laptop can run Nine Sols at 1080p, and 1440p or 4K are largely a question of output resolution rather than raw GPU muscle — a mid-range card from the last few years has far more headroom than this game can use. The figures below are the official published requirements; if your system meets them, you can play.
ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2025) Gaming Laptop, 16” ROG Nebula 16:10 2.5K 240Hz/3ms, NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5070 Ti, Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 Processor 275HX, 32GB DDR5, 1TB SSD, Wi-Fi 7, Win11 Home, G615LR-AS96
Chosen because it specifies 16” ROG Nebula 16:10 2.5K 240Hz/3ms and NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5070 Ti.
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ASUS ROG Strix G16 Gaming Laptop, 16” 16:10 FHD+ 165Hz/3ms, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i5 Processor 14450HX, 16GB DDR5-5600, 512GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD, Wi-Fi 7, Win11 Home, G615JHR-DS53
Chosen because it specifies 16” 16:10 FHD+ 165Hz/3ms and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Laptop GPU.
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ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2025) Gaming Laptop, 16” 16:10 FHD+ 165Hz/3ms, NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5070, AMD Ryzen™ 9 9955HX Processor, 16GB DDR5-5600, 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD, Wi-Fi 6E, Windows 11 Home, G614FP-OS94
Chosen because it specifies 16” 16:10 FHD+ 165Hz/3ms and NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5070.
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ASUS ROG Strix G18 (2025) Gaming Laptop, 18” FHD+ 16:10 144Hz/3ms Display NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5070, Intel® Core™ i9 Processor 14900HX, 32B DDR5-5600, 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD, Wi-Fi 7
Chosen because it specifies 18” FHD+ 16:10 144Hz/3ms Display NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5070 and Intel® Core™ i9 Processor 14900HX.
View on AmazonNine Sols Official PC System Requirements
| Component | Minimum (official) | Recommended (official) |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 64bit | Windows 10 64bit |
| Processor | AMD Athlon X4 | Intel Core i5 4460 | AMD Ryzen 3 | Intel i5 Skylake |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | 8 GB RAM |
| Graphics | Nvidia GTX 950 | AMD R7 370 | Nvidia GTX 970 | AMD RX 570 |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Version 11 |
| Storage | 15 GB available space | 15 GB available space |
Source: the official Nine Sols Steam store listing (app 1809540), checked October 2026. Publishers can update these specs after patches.
Best GPU for Nine Sols by Resolution
1080p
At 1080p almost anything modern clears the bar. The minimum-spec GTX 950 / R7 370 class card is enough to run Nine Sols, and the recommended GTX 970 / RX 570 class gives comfortable headroom. If you are buying new, you do not need to spend much: the AMD Radeon RX 7600 is already far beyond what a 2D action-platformer needs, and current-generation cards such as the RTX 5060 or RX 9060 XT are overkill for this title — they make more sense if you also play heavier 3D games.
1440p
1440p is a resolution increase rather than a workload increase for a game like this: Nine Sols renders flat hand-drawn art, so pixel count is the main cost. The official recommended GTX 970 / RX 570 tier can drive 1440p here, and a AMD Radeon RX 7600 or any comparable modern card will hold high frame rates without breaking a sweat. An RTX 5060 or RX 9060 XT is more than enough; there is no reason to step up to an RTX 5070 or RX 9070 for this game.
4K
4K sounds intimidating, but for a 2D title it is mostly about display output and a little VRAM rather than rendering power. Nine Sols at 4K is not demanding: a mainstream card such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 already has far more capability than the game can use, and cards around the recommended spec can still drive a 4K display at reduced settings for something this light. If you already own an RTX 5060, an RX 9060 XT or anything above that, 4K is effortless. There is no scenario where Nine Sols needs a flagship GPU.
CPU, RAM and Storage for Nine Sols
The official CPU requirements are modest: an AMD Athlon X4 or Intel Core i5-4460 at minimum, and an AMD Ryzen 3 or Intel i5 Skylake at recommended. Nine Sols is not CPU-heavy — there is no simulation, no large-scale AI and no big multiplayer — so almost any quad-core processor from the last decade keeps up, and a modern chip is simply not required. If you are building fresh anyway, the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is an excellent all-round gaming CPU, while the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a top-tier gaming chip for players who also run demanding 3D titles; Intel buyers can look at the Intel Core i5-14600K. None of them will be stressed by this game. For memory, the official requirement is 8 GB at both minimum and recommended, so 16 GB is a comfortable modern baseline and anything beyond that is headroom for other games — a Corsair Vengeance DDR5 32GB kit is well past what this title needs. Storage is just 15 GB of available space, and the official listing does not require an SSD; a hard drive works, though a drive like the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD will cut load times and keep the rest of your system snappy.
Recommended PC Builds for Nine Sols
1080p budget build: AMD Radeon RX 7600 + AMD Ryzen 5 7600 + 16 GB DDR5 — far above the official recommended spec and more than enough for high-settings 1080p in Nine Sols. A much cheaper build around a GTX 970 / RX 570 class card would also satisfy the recommended requirements.
1440p sweet-spot build: AMD Radeon RX 7600 + AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + 32 GB DDR5 + 2TB NVMe SSD — the setup most players should aim for if they want one machine that handles Nine Sols plus newer 3D games. For Nine Sols alone, the GPU here is overkill.
4K high-end build: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 + AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + 32 GB DDR5 + fast NVMe SSD — comfortably beyond what Nine Sols needs at 4K, and a sensible base if you also play demanding titles.
Is It Worth Upgrading Your PC for Nine Sols?
Probably not, and that is the honest answer for a game this light. If your PC already has something in the region of a GTX 950 / R7 370 and a quad-core processor, you meet the official minimum, and a GTX 970 / RX 570 class card puts you at the recommended level — both are old, widely available tiers. Buying a new GPU purely for Nine Sols rarely makes sense; do it because you also want to play heavier 3D games, and in that case the graphics card delivers by far the biggest jump in performance. A modern CPU from the last few years will not hold a new GPU back in this game. A cheap and genuinely worthwhile improvement is moving the game to an SSD: the install is only 15 GB, so it fits easily, and an SSD shortens load times. Beyond that, target the weakest part of your existing build rather than replacing everything at once.
Can You Play Nine Sols on a Laptop or Handheld?
Yes, and this is one of the better games for portable play. Handhelds such as the Steam Deck and the ROG Ally sit comfortably above the official minimum, and their integrated graphics can run a 2D action-platformer like this without much effort, so expect smooth performance at their native resolutions and reasonable battery life. On laptops you do not need a high-end discrete GPU: any recent dedicated GPU, or even a modern integrated graphics chip in a current-generation laptop, should handle Nine Sols at 1080p with sensible settings. Older laptops with weak integrated graphics are the main exception, and even there, lowering the resolution usually gets you a playable result. If portability matters, prioritise a device with a decent screen and fast storage.
How to Boost FPS in Nine Sols
Because Nine Sols is light, low frame rates are usually a sign of a settings or system issue rather than a GPU that is genuinely too slow. Make sure your graphics drivers are up to date, close background applications, and check that a laptop is plugged in and actually using its discrete GPU rather than a power-saving integrated one. Lowering the output resolution is the single biggest lever in a 2D game, since the art scales cleanly and the frame cost drops with pixel count. If the game offers options such as a resolution scale, a frame-rate cap or vertical sync, use them to match your display — a cap at your monitor’s refresh rate keeps frame pacing steady and reduces heat. Driver-level upscaling can help on very weak hardware, but this game rarely needs it. Keep the art quality high, because the hand-drawn visuals are the whole point.
Graphics Settings That Matter Most in Nine Sols
Nine Sols is a hand-drawn 2D action-platformer, so the settings that dominate a modern 3D game — shadow quality, view distance, volumetric lighting, ambient occlusion, screen-space reflections — are either absent here or cost very little. There is no long list of expensive effects to switch off, which is exactly why the game runs well on hardware from 2015.
If you do need more performance, look at output resolution first, then at any resolution-scale or effects-quality options the game provides. Textures and art quality can stay high: they are not the bottleneck in a 2D title and VRAM use is minimal. Keep your GPU driver current, and if the game offers a frame-rate cap or vertical sync, set them to match your display so frame pacing stays smooth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my PC run Nine Sols?
If your PC meets the official minimum — Windows 10 64-bit, an AMD Athlon X4 or Intel Core i5-4460, 8 GB of RAM, a GeForce GTX 950 or Radeon R7 370, DirectX 11 and 15 GB of free space — it can run Nine Sols. For the recommended experience, aim for a Ryzen 3 or Skylake-era Core i5 with a GTX 970 or RX 570, still with 8 GB of RAM.
Is Nine Sols demanding on PC?
No. Nine Sols is a light 2D action-platformer, and its official requirements describe mid-range hardware from around 2015. Almost any gaming PC from the last several years will run it comfortably.
What GPU do I need for Nine Sols at 1440p 60fps?
Anything at or above the recommended GTX 970 / RX 570 tier will handle 1440p at 60fps in Nine Sols, since the game’s workload is light. A AMD Radeon RX 7600 or similar modern card is far beyond what is needed, and leaves plenty of headroom for other games.
How much RAM does Nine Sols need?
The official requirement is 8 GB, and it is the same for both minimum and recommended. 16 GB is a sensible baseline for a modern gaming PC and gives you room for other titles, but Nine Sols itself does not need more than 8 GB.
Do I need an SSD for Nine Sols?
No. The official listing asks for 15 GB of available space and does not require an SSD, so a hard drive will work. An SSD will still reduce load times, and a drive like the Samsung 990 Pro is a good general-purpose choice for a modern build.
