Can I Run Alan Wake?
Released in 2012, Alan Wake is an action adventure game built by Remedy Entertainment. The game supports a single player campaign. At more than a decade old it predates every current graphics architecture, which helps compatibility and limits how well it exploits a modern card. Over 44 thousand players have left a Steam review, so this is a title whose performance is widely reported. Windows is the only supported platform, which is what the figures below describe. 11 languages are covered by the store listing. Critics scored it 83 on Metacritic. It carries 67 achievements. Full controller support is present, so nothing needs configuring before a pad works. Progress follows the account through Steam Cloud rather than sitting on one disk.
Can your PC run it? →System requirements
Minimum requirements
| CPU | Dual Core 2GHz Intel or 2.8GHz AMD |
|---|---|
| GPU | DirectX 10 compatible with 512MB RAM |
| RAM | 2 GB |
| Storage | 8 GB |
| OS | Windows XP SP2 |
| DirectX | 9 |
Recommended requirements
| CPU | Quad Core 2.66GHz Intel or 3.2GHz AMD |
|---|---|
| GPU | DirectX 10 compatible or later with 1GB RAM |
| VRAM | 1 GB |
| RAM | 4 GB |
| Storage | 8 GB |
| OS | Windows 7 |
| DirectX | 10 |
Verified from Steam · 9 Jul 2026 source
Scores are deterministic, computed by fixed rules and benchmark tables, not written by an AI. How we score. Maintained by Farhad Ali. Spotted a wrong specification? Tell us.
Setting and environment
The game is set in a horror setting. Play is structured around combat arenas. It is played from a third person view. 7 storefront images show what the game actually looks like in motion.
Why Alan Wake is demanding
System memory expectations are modest at 4 GB. The install is small at roughly 8 GB. It targets DirectX 10, an older feature level that almost anything still running will satisfy. Alan Wake needs only 1 GB of video memory.
This reading comes from the published requirements and our own benchmark tables, not from the store listing.
Can you run Alan Wake?
Alan Wake targets a mainstream modern PC: DirectX 10 compatible with 512MB RAM and 2 GB of RAM for the minimum, stepping up to DirectX 10 compatible or later with 1GB RAM for the recommended experience. No single part dominates the requirements, so a balanced mid-range build clears it.
Bottleneck: CPU
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Frequently asked questions
Can my PC run Alan Wake?
Upload your DxDiag file to Idxdiag's free checker and get a component by component compatibility verdict for Alan Wake in seconds. No install required.
What are the minimum system requirements for Alan Wake?
The minimum requirements are CPU: Dual Core 2GHz Intel or 2.8GHz AMD; GPU: DirectX 10 compatible with 512MB RAM; 2 GB RAM; OS: Windows XP SP2.
How much storage does Alan Wake need?
Alan Wake needs about 8 GB of available storage.
What is the bottleneck for Alan Wake?
On a typical modern PC (Ryzen 5 5600, RTX 3060, 16 GB RAM), the tightest component for Alan Wake is the CPU.