Step 2 of 5

Step 2 — Working out whether your desktop computer can run one

The whole of this step can be done in about ten minutes, needs no software, costs nothing, and leaves you with five lines written on a piece of paper. Those five lines will answer most of the questions anyone ever asks you about whether a game will run.

The five things worth knowing

A requirements list published by a game vendor almost always talks about the same five things, in the same order. Here is what each one is, in plain terms.

The operating system. This is the software your computer runs everything else on top of: Windows, macOS or one of the Linux distributions. Vendors usually name a minimum version, because software written for a newer system will not start on an older one.

The processor, or CPU. The general-purpose chip that does the arithmetic. It has a maker and a model name — Intel Core i5-8250U, AMD Ryzen 5 3600, Apple M1, and so on. You do not need to understand what the numbers mean. You need to be able to write the whole string down.

The memory, or RAM. Working space, measured in gigabytes. Eight and sixteen gigabytes are both common in machines sold in recent years. This is not the same thing as storage space, and confusing the two is the single most common error beginners make here.

The graphics hardware, or GPU. The part that draws the picture. It is either built into the processor — usually described as "integrated" — or a separate card, which is called "discrete" or "dedicated". Games of the collection RPG kind are generally undemanding visually, but the vendor's list will still name something.

Free space on the system drive. How much room is left on the disk your computer starts from, measured in gigabytes. Installing a game needs the space the game takes plus some headroom for the download itself, which is often extracted after it arrives.

Finding them, on any system

Work through these five in order and write each answer down as you go. Everything here uses a screen that is already part of your operating system. Nothing is downloaded and nothing is changed.

1. Record the operating system and its version. On Windows, open Settings, choose System, then About; the edition and version are listed together. On macOS, open the Apple menu at the top left and choose About This Mac. On most Linux desktops, the Settings application has an About or Details page; if you prefer a terminal, the file /etc/os-release contains the distribution name and version.

2. Record the processor. It is on the same screen in all three cases. Windows calls it "Processor" under Device specifications. macOS lists it as "Chip" on Apple silicon machines or "Processor" on older Intel ones. Linux About pages list it as "Processor"; the terminal equivalent is lscpu. Copy the entire line, including the model number.

3. Record the installed memory. Again, the same screen. Windows shows "Installed RAM". macOS shows "Memory". Linux shows "Memory" on the About page, or free -h in a terminal. Write the figure in gigabytes.

4. Record the graphics hardware. This one is on a different screen. On Windows, press the Windows key, type dxdiag, open the DirectX Diagnostic Tool and look at the Display tab, which names the device. On macOS, About This Mac lists the graphics beside the chip on Apple silicon, or under Graphics on Intel machines. On Linux, the About page often names it; lspci | grep -i vga gives the same answer in a terminal. Note whether the name suggests it is built into the processor or a separate card.

5. Record the free space on the system drive. On Windows, open File Explorer, select This PC, and read the bar under the drive marked with the Windows logo. On macOS, Apple menu, About This Mac, then Storage. On Linux, the Files application shows free space for each mounted drive, or df -h / in a terminal. Write down the free figure, not the total.

Reading a requirements list

Vendors usually publish two columns: minimum and recommended. They are not two opinions about the same thing. Minimum means the game is expected to start and run; it does not promise it will look good or stay smooth. Recommended means the vendor expects a comfortable experience. If your machine sits between the two, the game will usually run and you may need to turn some settings down.

Compare like with like. Memory against memory, free space against required space. For the processor and graphics, you are comparing model names rather than numbers, and the honest answer is that you often cannot tell by looking. Two rules of thumb help: within one maker's range, a higher series number is generally a more capable part than a lower one of the same generation; and a part newer than the one the vendor names is usually at least as capable. Neither rule is a guarantee, and a vendor's own support page is always a better source than a rule of thumb.

When a vendor does not publish a requirements list at all, you are left with the general shape of the category. Collection RPGs are not usually heavy, and a desktop or laptop bought in the last five or six years for ordinary work will commonly run one. "Commonly" is the strongest word that is honest here. The vendor of the product named in this course does not publish system requirements in the material available to us, so we do not state any on its behalf.

Visit the Raid: Shadow Legends website if you want to look for a requirements list on the vendor's own pages.

Paid affiliate link: a commission is paid to this site's publisher if you register, install and start the tutorial through it. The price to you is the same either way.

Your internet connection and the download

Two separate questions hide here, and it is worth splitting them.

The first is the download. A desktop game of this kind is commonly a few gigabytes, and you will download all of it once. On a typical fixed home connection in Australia this is a background task you start and walk away from. On a metered or mobile connection it is a real consumption of data, and it is worth checking your plan's included data before you begin rather than after.

The second is playing. Games of this kind usually need to stay connected while you play, because the account and progress live on the vendor's servers rather than on your computer. The amount of data used while playing is much smaller than the download, but the connection needs to be reasonably steady. If your connection drops out regularly, expect to be interrupted.

If you are not sure what your connection actually provides, the retail service provider you pay each month is the authority on what you are entitled to, and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission publishes general information about broadband performance for consumers.

Why not to install a tool to do this

Searching for the name of your computer and the word "requirements" will quickly produce offers to install a program that checks your system for you. You do not need one, and there is a plain reason to be careful.

Programs in this space are frequently bundled with things you did not ask for, and some of them report alarming-sounding results in order to sell a fix. Everything in the procedure above comes from a screen already on your computer. Using it costs nothing, installs nothing and tells you the same thing.

More generally, the Australian Cyber Security Centre publishes free, plain guidance on downloading software safely and keeping systems updated, and Scamwatch publishes current information about common scams, including those that imitate technical support. Both are worth a bookmark before you start installing anything, which is Step 4.

Nothing here suggests there is anything wrong with your computer. The point is narrower than that: when the information you want is already on the machine, fetching it from the machine is the simplest route.

The household in our example

Before you move on

You should now have five written lines describing your computer, a clear idea of whether a published requirements list is within reach, and a sense of what the download will cost you in data and time. You should also be comfortable saying "I do not know" about the processor comparison, because that is often the correct answer and it does not block you.

Step 3 moves from the machine to the decisions: Australian classification ratings, what randomised in-game rewards are, and how to set a spending position that will survive contact with the game.