Sol One System Requirements: Can Your PC Run Mars?
Sol One's official minimum and recommended PC specs, what they mean in practice, and the upgrades that matter most for a procedural Mars survival game.
Sol One's Steam page lists both minimum and recommended specifications, and they are more useful than most: the minimum is a genuine low-end target, and the recommended is a sensible mid-range build rather than a flagship. If you have a gaming PC from the last five years, you are probably fine.
This page reproduces the specs, explains what each row means, and covers the cases the table does not: laptops, Steam Deck and what to upgrade first. If you are still deciding whether to buy, the release date page→ and the price page→ cover the purchase questions.
Official specifications
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 / 11 | Windows 10 / 11 |
| CPU | Ryzen 5 1600 | Ryzen 5 5600 |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| GPU | RX 580 / GTX 1060 | RX 6700 XT / RTX 3070 |
| DirectX | 11 | 12 |
| Storage | 4 GB | 4 GB |
The 4 GB storage figure is the most striking row. For an open-world survival game with procedural terrain, it implies aggressive streaming and a modest asset footprint. It also means the install is not a barrier for anyone.
Early Access games change. Treat these as the version-1 target and expect the recommended spec to creep up over time.
What the minimum actually means
The minimum — Ryzen 5 1600, 8 GB, RX 580 or GTX 1060, DX11 — is an older 1080p-class machine. That hardware can run the game, but be realistic about what "run" means:
- 1080p, low to medium settings is the expected range.
- Frame rate will be variable in dense terrain and during storms.
- 8 GB RAM is the real constraint. A survival game with a large world and a building system can push memory; close background apps.
- DX11 means the minimum path does not use the DX12 renderer, which may cost performance on modern cards.
If you are at the minimum, the game should be playable. It will not be pretty.
What the recommended actually means
The recommended — Ryzen 5 5600, 16 GB, RX 6700 XT or RTX 3070, DX12 — is a comfortable 1440p-class build. That hardware should hold a smooth frame rate at high settings in most terrain, with dips in the heaviest scenes.
The jump from the minimum to the recommended is large: six years of GPU architecture and double the memory. That is a good sign — it suggests the game scales rather than targeting one narrow band.
The parts that matter most
If you are upgrading for Sol One, spend in this order:
- RAM: 16 GB. The single most important upgrade from the minimum. Survival games with building systems and large worlds are memory-hungry, and 8 GB leaves no headroom for the OS and a browser.
- GPU. A modern mid-range card gets you the DX12 path and a stable frame rate. The recommended RX 6700 XT / RTX 3070 class is the target.
- CPU. The Ryzen 5 5600 recommendation suggests the game is not brutally CPU-bound, but a six-core modern CPU helps with simulation and streaming.
- Storage. Only 4 GB is required, so an SSD is a nice-to-have rather than a necessity. Still, an SSD improves load times and terrain streaming.
On an 8 GB machine, background memory is the difference between stutter and smooth. Close the browser before you play.
Laptops
The specs do not distinguish desktop from laptop parts, which matters because a laptop RTX 3060 is not a desktop RTX 3060. Rules of thumb:
- A laptop with a "minimum-class" GPU should run the game at 1080p low, with heat as the limiting factor.
- A thin laptop without a discrete GPU will not run it acceptably, even if the CPU looks sufficient.
- Check the GPU's wattage, not just its name. A low-watt 3070 can underperform a high-watt 3060.
If your laptop has a discrete GPU from the last four years and 16 GB of RAM, you are likely in the recommended range at 1080p.
Steam Deck and handhelds
No Steam Deck verification has been announced. The game is Windows-only on the store page, and a first-person open-world builder with a recently rebuilt terrain system is not a safe bet for Proton at launch.
If you want to try it on Deck:
- Expect to experiment with Proton versions.
- Expect to tune settings aggressively.
- Expect the UI to be the bigger problem than the frame rate.
Treat Deck support as unconfirmed until the community reports on it.
Performance settings to change first
Once you are in, these are the settings that usually matter most in this genre:
- Shadow quality — the biggest GPU cost in outdoor scenes.
- View distance / terrain detail — directly affects the procedural landscape.
- Ambient occlusion — expensive for a small visual gain.
- Anti-aliasing — use the cheaper option at 1080p.
- Resolution scale — the fastest way to recover frame rate on a weaker GPU.
Turn shadows and view distance down first; they are the two settings most likely to turn a stutter into a smooth frame.
Is your PC ready? A quick test
- 8 GB RAM, GTX 1060-class GPU: yes, at 1080p low. Expect dips.
- 16 GB RAM, RTX 3060 / RX 6600-class GPU: yes, comfortably at 1080p high.
- 16 GB RAM, RX 6700 XT / RTX 3070-class GPU: yes, 1440p high.
- Integrated graphics: no.
- Steam Deck: unconfirmed, do not buy for it.
FAQ
Can I run Sol One on 8 GB of RAM? Yes, that is the official minimum. Close background applications and expect lower settings.
Is Sol One coming to Steam Deck? No verification has been announced. It may run through Proton, but that is not confirmed.
Does Sol One support DX12? Yes, DX12 is the recommended path; DX11 is the minimum.
Why is the storage requirement only 4 GB? The game uses procedural terrain and a compact asset set. The figure is from the store page and may grow during Early Access.
Will the specs change? Likely. Early Access games usually grow in requirements as content is added.
Is a 4 GB GPU enough? Yes, 4 GB VRAM is listed for both minimum and recommended. The GPU model matters more than the VRAM figure here.