Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 PC system requirements leave one big question unanswered

With Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 set to arrive very soon, developer Ninja Theory has now revealed the PC system requirements. The minimum spec is fairly undemanding, so any mid-range gaming PC should be able to handle it, but it doesn't sound like the studio thinks you should play it that way.

First things first, the numbers:

Minimum: (Low graphics preset, 1080p)

• CPU – Intel i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600
• GPU – Nvidia GTX 1070, AMD RX 5700, or Intel Arc A580
• VRAM – 6GB
• System RAM – 16GB
• Storage – 70GB SSD

Medium: (Medium graphics preset, 1080p)

• CPU – Intel i5-9600 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
• GPU – Nvidia GTX 2070, AMD RX 5700 XT, or Intel Arc A580
• VRAM – 8GB
• System RAM – 16GB
• Storage – 70GB SSD

Recommended: (High graphics preset, 1440p)

• CPU – Intel i7-10700K or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
• GPU – Nvidia RTX 3080, AMD RX 6800 XT, or Intel Arc A770
• VRAM – 8GB
• System RAM – 16GB
• Storage – 70GB SSD

Very High: (High graphics preseent, 4k)

• CPU – Intel i5-12600K or AMD Ryzen 5 5700X
• GPU – Nvidia RTX 4080 or AMD RX 7000 XTX
• VRAM – 12GB
• System RAM – 16GB
• Storage – 70GB SSD

My own PC is firmly in the middle ground here, which I find mildly troubling (it feels like just last week my rig was the new hotness) but overall there's a good bit of room to move here. Ninja Theory, however, is kind of gently suggesting to gamers on the creaky side of the spec that perhaps it's time to invest in an upgrade.

"We have crafted a high fidelity experience of cinematic immersion, and therefore recommend the ‘High’ graphics preset," Ninja Theory said on Steam. "From recreating real locations in Iceland, to digitizing our actors and their costumes, we've brought Senua’s world to life in incredible detail."

The studio also recommended players use a headset "to help fully immerse you in this new journey."

A number of people replying to the announcement took note of the fact that the different specs do not list a framerate target: The requirements image says "higher framerates or resolutions can be achieved with the use of DLSS 3, FSR3, or XESS 1.3," but it's otherwise left open. 

Ninja Theory has previously confirmed that Hellblade 2 on Xbox Series X/S will be locked to 30 fps, and while the PC version will be capable of running at higher framerates, the system requirements may be targeting 30: In an interview with German site GamePro (Google translated), the studio said locking the game at 30 fps was "a conscious decision" to give the game a more film-like aesthetic.

"That's our goal [with Hellblade 2]: to make it feel cinematic," VFX Director Mark Slater-Tunstill told the site. "We knew we never wanted to be 60 [fps]. You can set it up on the PC if you really want, but that's your decision."

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is set to launch on May 21 and is available for pre-purchase now on Steam.