When it was announced at the Game Awards that Returnal was coming to the PC, it probably wasn’t a big surprise to many viewers. Rumors and leaks have long been talking about a PC version of the roguelike shooter, and an early announcement was almost certain.
About a month later we now also know about the release date, PC features and the final system requirements:
We asked Housemarque’s Mikael Haveri about how Returnal came to be, and what role the studio’s story played in it:
more on the subject
Why nobody else could develop Returnal
When is Returnal coming out?
As in an official Playstation-Blogpost announced, Returnal will be released on February 15, 2023 for the PC. The shooter can then be purchased on Steam or the Epic Games Store for 60 dollars.
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Returnal: The Playstation hit is coming to PC
PC Features and System Requirements
Along with the release date, PC features were also presented and the system requirements specified. The following graphics options are supported on the PC:
- Scaling Techniques: If you have a suitable graphics card, you can use Nvidia DLSS or AMD FSR to improve graphics quality or performance. With weaker hardware, you can also use Nvidia NIS.
- The Raytracing Reflection: On the PS 5 there was already raytracing shadows, now the reflections are also chic.
- Wide Resolution Support: You can also play Returnal on PC in 21:9 and 32:9.
The shooter looks even better on PC thanks to new ray tracing features.
In December 2022, after the PC announcement, Returnal surprised with a recommendation of 32 gigabytes of RAM. The system requirements have now been clarified and it is now clear that this recommendation only applies to 4K resolutions:
Low graphics settings, 720p, 60 FPS:
- Graphic card: Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060 / AMD Radeon RX 580
- Processor: Intel Core i5-6400 / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
- Random access memory: 16 GB DDR4
- Operating system: Windows 10, 64 Bit
- Storage space: 60GB HDD (SSD recommended)
Medium graphics settings, 1080p, 60 fps:
- Graphic card: Nvidia Geforce GTX 1070 / AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
- Processor: Intel Core i5-8400 / AMD Ryzen 5 2600
- Random access memory: 16 GB DDR4
- Operating system: Windows 10, 64 Bit
- Storage space: 60 GB SSD
High graphics settings, 1080p, 60 FPS:
- Graphic card: NVIDIA RTX 2070 Super / AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
- Processor: Intel i7-8700 / AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
- Random access memory: 16 GB DDR4
- Operating system: Windows 10, 64 Bit
- Storage space: 60 GB SSD
Epic graphics settings, 4K, 60 FPS:
- Graphic card: NVIDIA RTX 3080 / AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
- Processor: Intel i7-9700K / AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
- Random access memory: 32GB DDR4
- Operating system: Windows 10, 64 Bit
- Storage space: 60 GB SSD
Epic graphics settings, ray tracing, 4K, 60 FPS:
- Graphic card: NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti / AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT
- Processor: Intel i9-11900K / AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
- Random access memory: 32GB DDR4
- Operating system: Windows 10, 64 Bit
- Storage space: 60 GB SSD
How does Returnal work?
Returnal is a 3rd person shooter in which you fight in bullet hell style against hordes of hostile aliens that come at you with waves of projectiles. You must learn the attack patterns of the different creatures in order to effectively dodge and stay alive. Especially in the beginning you will probably die a lot in this attempt.
The merciless roguelike principle provides additional difficulty: if you die, you lose all your progress and have to start the zone from the beginning. Most upgrades and found weapons will also be reset.
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Returnal in the test – tough, but damn good shooter
In the Playstation test, we have a lot of praise for the tough shooter, and the story of the astronaut Selene, who we control through the alien dungeons, is quite exciting. The only downside is that balancing is sometimes a bit too hard, which sometimes gives self-found upgrades and healing items such strong disadvantages that it can get frustrating.
Will you be trying Returnal on PC at launch or later? Or is it too exhausting for you to have to start all over again? Write your opinion in the comments!
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