Minecraft PC Requirements: RAM, GPU and What to Buy

Per Mojang’s requirements table, Java Edition recommends 16 GB of RAM and a CPU such as a Core i5-12400. The GPU should have 6 GB of VRAM (its own memory), such as a GeForce RTX 2060. The minimum is 8 GB of RAM (12 GB with integrated graphics), 2 GB of VRAM and a CPU with 4 physical cores.

The GPU is the part that draws the picture. The figures come from official sources as of October 2026, and no hardware was tested.

The mod and shader numbers have no primary source, so they are this guide’s assumptions. Shaders are extra lighting and shadow effects.

Minimum and recommended specs for Java and Bedrock

Per Mojang’s requirements table, Bedrock Edition needs 4 GB of RAM at minimum and recommends 8 GB, half of Java’s 8 GB minimum and 16 GB recommendation.

Per the FAQ on Mojang’s store page, the PC edition includes both Java and Bedrock. Bedrock runs on Windows, and Java runs on Windows, Mac and Linux.

Free storage: Java needs 2 GB minimum and 4 GB recommended; Bedrock needs 4 GB minimum and 8 GB recommended. Whether an SSD is required, and how much space modpacks need, couldn’t be confirmed from the sources.

To play with consoles or phones, Bedrock is the edition that crosses over; Java only plays with Windows, Mac and Linux. The mods and shaders in this guide are about Java Edition.

The Java and Bedrock columns use only the RAM and VRAM in Mojang’s requirements table (Bedrock: RAM only), so compare GPU and CPU models yourself. The mod and shader columns have no official numbers, so they compare against this guide’s assumptions (6–12 GB allocated to a heavy modpack, 8–16 GB VRAM for shaders). The 8–16 GB comparison is for discrete GPUs; shared memory on integrated graphics isn’t assessed.

How to check whether your PC meets the specs

Capacity and performance are two separate checks. Compare RAM and VRAM as numbers, and compare CPU and GPU models with Mojang’s examples.

1. Check your installed RAM. In Windows, go to Start > Settings > System > About. Compare it with the numbers at the top and in the table above (the capacity check).
2. Look up your CPU and GPU models. For the GPU, also check the VRAM on the maker’s spec page. Integrated graphics is the GPU built into the CPU, and a discrete GPU is a separate graphics card.
3. Compare the models with the examples above. Where a model is listed with “or newer”, check whether yours falls in that range. Java needs at least 4 physical cores and 2 GB of VRAM at minimum, 6 GB recommended.
4. Per Mojang’s requirements table, this guide doesn’t judge the performance of models not in these examples. Before buying, give the store or maker the CPU and GPU models and your edition, and ask whether it meets Mojang’s recommended specs.
5. The allocation ceiling is half your installed RAM. With 16 GB of RAM installed, you can allocate up to 8 GB.

In this guide’s tool, pick your edition, how you play and your current PC (laptop or desktop, RAM, GPU). It shows whether you meet the minimum and recommended RAM and VRAM, what to add, and how much memory to give the game. It doesn’t check the CPU, so compare CPU models yourself.

How much RAM to have and how to allocate it

Per the Java 26.1 release notes, the default memory allocation, meaning the RAM you let the game use, is 4 GB from 26.1, up from 2 GB before. Per Mojang’s Help Center, the recommended maximum allocation on a 64-bit OS is half your RAM: up to 8 GB with 16 GB installed, or 16 GB with 32 GB.

Whether giving the game more memory makes it faster couldn’t be confirmed from the sources; check a modpack’s download page for its recommended amount.

Under this guide’s assumptions, 24 GB of installed RAM covers the full heavy-mod allocation range, with no headroom. If the pack takes 6–12 GB, the top of that range fits within half your RAM from 24 GB, and exactly 24 GB is borderline. With 16 GB installed you can give it up to 8 GB.

To change the allocation, open the launcher’s Installations tab and pick More options. In the JVM arguments field (the setting passed to the part that runs Java), change the number in “-Xmx4G” to the amount you want. For 8 GB, that is “-Xmx8G”.

How to choose a CPU and GPU

Per the FAQ on Mojang’s store page, Minecraft is more CPU-intensive than GPU-intensive. If you’re unsure, start with a CPU that reaches the recommended models.

Yes. The integrated GPUs in Mojang’s minimum GPU examples are the Intel i5-6400 or newer, Apple M1 or newer and Snapdragon X. That covers the GPU only, so check the CPU separately and compare Bedrock’s GPU by model.

Java’s recommended GPU examples are all discrete cards except the Apple M2 Pro.

Per Mojang’s official pages, Bedrock ray tracing is available on DirectX-capable devices such as GeForce RTX and select AMD GPUs; check Minecraft’s official notes for supported GPUs. Vibrant Visuals on PC needs Minecraft to run on DX12, and it is planned for Java Edition later.

GPU and VRAM for shaders

Under this guide’s assumptions, for shaders, aim for 8 GB of VRAM or more, and 16 GB for headroom. An official figure wasn’t found in the sources checked, so this is an estimate over 8–16 GB, not a measurement.

Per the Iris FAQ, a VRAM figure for shaders wasn’t found in the sources checked (Iris site, Mojang). Mojang’s recommended 6 GB of VRAM is for the Fancy preset without shaders.

Per NVIDIA’s published specs, the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti comes in 8 GB and 16 GB versions, so check for “16G” or “16GB” in the model name when you buy.

Iris is the mod that runs shaders. Iris supports Fabric on 1.16.5 and higher and NeoForge on 1.21.1 and higher, not Forge, and ships with Sodium.

Per Modrinth’s public data, 26.x support looks like this.

For MODs and shaders on a laptop, this only compares capacity with the assumptions, and performance wasn’t tested. With 16 GB installed the allocation ceiling is 8 GB, so the top of the heavy-mod assumption (6-12 GB) doesn’t fit. Against the shader assumption (8-16 GB), the RTX 4050 Laptop’s 6 GB of VRAM falls short and the RTX 5060 Laptop’s 8 GB covers part of it.

The same FAQ says, Optifine, Canvas and Vulkan mods can’t be used with the Iris shader mod and crash the game.

Streaming

The memory comparisons here are this guide’s assumptions, not measurements.

Per OBS’s official requirements, OBS says CPU needs vary a lot with the encoder, resolution, fps and scene, so there’s no fixed number. RTX 50 cards have a 9th-generation NVENC (the GPU’s video encoder) that can also encode AV1. If you stream, leaving 4–8 GB for Windows, OBS and a browser on top of the game’s 4 GB still fits in the recommended 16 GB.

Budget

Settle on a build that meets the recommended RAM and VRAM first, then raise it for mods and shaders. Check prices on the store page.

Requirement changes and Vulkan

Per Mojang’s announcement, both the minimum and recommended Java Edition requirements went up on July 21, 2026. The minimum targets 1080p at 30 FPS on the Fast preset, and the recommended spec targets 1080p at 60 FPS on Fancy.

The same announcement says, a PC below the minimum should still launch the game. Performance and visual quality are no longer guaranteed, and it may stop launching as the game moves to Vulkan (a newer way for the GPU to draw).

Per Mojang’s requirements table, the requirements table asks for a Vulkan 1.3 capable GPU. The separate in-game Vulkan renderer (added experimentally in 26.2) needs Vulkan 1.2, and that can change. Older GPUs without Vulkan run the game on OpenGL.

Mods that render with OpenGL need extra work to support Vulkan; check each mod’s page for its status.

Per the Java 26.1 release notes, from 26.1 the game requires Java 25.

From 26.1 Java 25 comes bundled with the game, so with the bundled version you don’t need to install Java yourself. With a third-party launcher, check that it uses Java 25. For an older modpack, check the Minecraft and Java versions its page supports.

Picks by need

Where a listing met the bar, one is picked per need. The bar is a new item sold by Amazon or the maker’s own store, with 100 or more ratings and 4 stars or higher. In the US, there is no complete gaming PC pick among the products checked.

Among this guide’s picks, this guide’s RAM and graphics card picks are desktop parts and won’t fit a laptop. Laptop memory uses a different, smaller module type called SO-DIMM. The RAM picks are DDR5, so first check that your motherboard supports DDR5.

DDR5 memory kit

It meets the recommended 16 GB, and the top of the heavy-mod assumption (12 GB) fits within half of it.

Graphics card with 16 GB of VRAM

It covers the upper end of the shader assumption (16 GB). Per ASUS’s published specs, the recommended PSU is 550W, it needs 1 8-pin power connector, and it is 202 mm long. Check your PSU and case first.

The selector also lists an 8GB PRIME model and an RX 7600 model; choose Dual Fans, RX9060XT|16GB|Black.

FAQ

What are the recommended specs for Minecraft Java Edition?

Java Edition recommends 16 GB of RAM and a CPU such as a Core i5-12400. The GPU should have 6 GB of VRAM (its own memory), such as a GeForce RTX 2060.

The minimum is 8 GB of RAM (12 GB with integrated graphics), 2 GB of VRAM and a CPU with 4 physical cores.

Did the Minecraft system requirements change? Can my old PC still run it?

Both the minimum and recommended Java Edition requirements went up on July 21, 2026. The same announcement says, a PC below the minimum should still launch the game.

Performance and visual quality are no longer guaranteed, and it may stop launching as the game moves to Vulkan (a newer way for the GPU to draw).

Is 16 GB of RAM enough for Minecraft?

For Java without mods, yes, because 16 GB is Mojang’s recommended figure. Under this guide’s assumptions, 24 GB of installed RAM covers the full heavy-mod allocation range, with no headroom.

If the pack takes 6–12 GB, the top of that range fits within half your RAM from 24 GB, and exactly 24 GB is borderline. With 16 GB installed you can give it up to 8 GB.

How much RAM should I allocate to Minecraft?

Per the Java 26.1 release notes, the default memory allocation, meaning the RAM you let the game use, is 4 GB from 26.1, up from 2 GB before. The recommended maximum allocation on a 64-bit OS is half your RAM: up to 8 GB with 16 GB installed, or 16 GB with 32 GB.

Per Mojang’s Help Center, whether giving the game more memory makes it faster couldn’t be confirmed from the sources; check a modpack’s download page for its recommended amount.

What GPU and how much VRAM do I need for shaders?

Under this guide’s assumptions, for shaders, aim for 8 GB of VRAM or more, and 16 GB for headroom. An official figure wasn’t found in the sources checked, so this is an estimate over 8–16 GB, not a measurement.

Per the Iris FAQ, a VRAM figure for shaders wasn’t found in the sources checked (Iris site, Mojang). Mojang’s recommended 6 GB of VRAM is for the Fancy preset without shaders.

Can I play Minecraft on integrated graphics?

Yes. The integrated GPUs in Mojang’s minimum GPU examples are the Intel i5-6400 or newer, Apple M1 or newer and Snapdragon X.

That covers the GPU only, so check the CPU separately and compare Bedrock’s GPU by model.