Into the Fire PC Spec Checklist

Use this card once per machine, then again if you change GPU or storage. Full context sits on system requirements. The Steam store block is still TBA; the numbers below are playtest-reported from Starward’s technical-test FAQ. They can move before Early Access in 2026.

Pass / fail

OS. Windows 10 64-bit or newer? If no, stop. The FAQ does not list Windows 7 cosplay.

RAM. 16 GB or more? If you have 8 GB, you are below the posted minimum. Close the tab and upgrade before you write a “unplayable” Steam post.

Storage. Installed on an SSD, 30 GB free? HDD is a fail even if the folder fits. NVMe is the recommended line, not a flex.

CPU versus minimum. Ryzen 5 3600 / i5-10400F class or better? If you are on a dual-core laptop from a previous decade, you will hitch when fire and debris spike. That hitch is a rescue death.

GPU versus minimum. GTX 1660 6 GB / GTX 1060 6 GB / RX 5600 XT 6 GB class? Below that, cap at 1080p Low 30 and do not expect pretty lava. Above that, see recommended: 3060 12 GB / 2070 Super / 6700 XT for 1080p High 60.

DirectX 12. If your machine does not do DX12, this is not your game yet.

Settings hygiene if you barely pass

• 1080p, not 4K pride.
• Cap FPS if the GPU is screaming.
• Keep hazard warning visibility high. Saving frames by hiding tells is how hazards farm you.
• Update drivers before a technical test week.
• Turn off exotic overlays if you are crash-hunting for the playtest team.

Handheld and “it works on my Deck”

Steam Deck compatibility is unknown. 16 GB RAM plus DX12 sims is not a promise. If you try anyway, treat it as an experiment and file results upstream. Do not demand the wiki list a Deck preset that Starward has not published.

Consoles

There is no checklist. Interviews only commit to PC Early Access first. PS5, Xbox Series, and Switch 2 are goals, not SKUs. Buying a console for this title in 2026 is a hope purchase.

After you pass

Install, rebind with controls, and run the Getting Started hour. Hardware that passes this card can still fail the island. That is a skill problem, which is cheaper than a GPU.

Laptop caveats: a “3060 laptop” is not a desktop 3060. If the SKU is 6 GB or a 35 W part, treat yourself as minimum even if the sticker says 3060. Cap 1080p, close Chrome, and do not run the playtest from a spinning-disk external enclosure. Thermal throttling during a carry looks like a controls bug and is not.

VRAM 6 GB is the posted floor. Fire fill and collapse debris are the tax. If you are on 4 GB, you will lose the tell overlay before you lose the pretty lava, which is the worst possible trade. Upgrade or wait.

CPU older than the 3600 / 10400F class can still “boot.” Booting is not extracting. When the quake hits and the district rewrites itself, simulation cost spikes. That spike is when testers crash. File the crash if you are in the wave; do not file it as “game is unplayable forever” if you failed this card.

After you pass, keep the card. Driver updates before a technical-test week matter more than a new RGB strip. Starward said they were watching hardware compatibility on purpose. Help them with a clean stack.

If you fail two or more lines, skip the current wave. Watch trailers, read release date, and wait for the store block to replace TBA. A crashy first impression helps nobody, including the credits list Starward has offered testers.