Most Windows PCs that meet Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s listed requirements do not need ray-tracing hardware to run the game. Steam’s minimum calls for 8 GB of RAM and an older entry-level graphics card; its recommended tier asks for 16 GB and a GTX 1060 6GB or RX 480 8GB. Ray-traced shadows are an optional graphics feature, not part of Steam’s minimum or recommended specifications.
Windows system requirements
Steam’s current Windows listing separates the minimum configuration from its recommended setup. These are the publisher-storefront specifications, not a promise of a particular frame rate or settings experience.
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| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 7 64-bit | Windows 10 64-bit |
| Processor | Intel Core i3-3220 or AMD equivalent | Intel Core i7-4770K at 3.40 GHz or AMD Ryzen 5 1600 at 3.20 GHz |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GTX 660 / GTX 1050 or AMD Radeon HD 7770 | NVIDIA GTX 1060 6GB or AMD Radeon RX 480 8GB |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Version 12 |
| Available storage | 40 GB | 40 GB |
Steam’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider listing is the source for both tiers. The minimum describes the listed entry point; the recommended row is a stronger target, but neither specifies resolution, graphics preset, or guaranteed performance.
What the requirements mean for your PC
If your hardware meets the minimum
A system at or above the minimum has the components Steam lists for Windows, but the listing does not say what frame rate or visual settings to expect. Check that your graphics card model is at least as capable as the named minimum; matching the RAM and processor alone is not enough.
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If your PC is near the recommended tier
The recommended configuration is the more useful comparison point if you want additional headroom: it doubles the listed memory to 16 GB and names a GTX 1060 6GB or RX 480 8GB. Steam does not attach a specific resolution or preset to “recommended,” so treat it as a hardware target rather than a performance guarantee.
Ray-traced shadows are an optional upgrade
Steam does not list ray tracing among the base Windows requirements. NVIDIA added ray-traced shadows after launch and documents a setting at Video > Graphics > Ray Traced Shadow Quality, with Medium, High, and Ultra levels. NVIDIA says Medium enables point-light shadows, while High adds ray-traced shadows across levels. Its update recommends High as the image-quality/performance balance and describes Ultra as an enthusiast setting. Those are NVIDIA’s recommendations, not independent benchmark results.
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| Ray-traced shadow setting | What NVIDIA says |
|---|---|
| Medium | Enables point-light shadows |
| High | Adds ray-traced shadows across levels; NVIDIA recommends it for the quality/performance balance |
| Ultra | Described by NVIDIA as an enthusiast setting |
NVIDIA presents GeForce RTX as the vendor-promoted route to the game’s real-time ray tracing. That does not make an RTX card necessary for the standard game, and the available information here does not establish which currently sold card will deliver a particular frame rate. NVIDIA’s older note that some GTX 1060 6GB-and-higher cards could try basic DXR through a driver is historical and should not be treated as a current compatibility guarantee.
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For graphics memory and other settings, NVIDIA’s 2018 guide gives additional historical recommendations: 6 GB for Ultra textures and 10 GB or more of VRAM strongly advised for 4K Ultra. These are setting-specific vendor recommendations, not replacements for Steam’s minimum requirements. The guide also reported up to 53% higher frame rates from DirectX 12 in its tested scenario; that result is old, vendor-reported, and not a universal expectation for present-day hardware.
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macOS requirements are different
The Windows table does not apply to Mac systems. Steam separately lists macOS 10.15, a 2 GHz Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, and 40 GB of storage, with graphics of AMD Radeon R9 M290 with 2 GB or better, or Intel Iris 540 with 1.5 GB or better. The listing also includes supported Mac model notes; check those on Steam’s requirements page before relying on the component list alone.
Quick Recap
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