The numbers below come from the games where we have a real basis: video memory measured in published tests, or an amount the game's official requirements state.
Check your own card in a game: pick it in the FPS calculator and it warns you when the setting may need more video memory than your card has.
Where these numbers come from
Video memory is not something most games list. Of the 210 games on FPSVibe, 38 give us a basis:
- 7 games measured in published tests (for example The Last of Us Part I and Forza Horizon 5): cards with less memory fell behind cards with enough in the same test. We count what they need at Ultra, and 2 GB less at High.
- 31 games whose official requirements state a video-memory amount ("8 GB VRAM"). We count the minimum at Low, the recommended amount at High, Medium halfway between, and Ultra 2 GB above the recommended amount.
Higher resolutions need more: the median of published per-game measurements is about 0.5 GB more at 1440p and 1.8 GB more at 4K than at 1080p on the same preset. A card's size in a requirement ("GTX 1060 6GB") is not counted: it names a speed level, not a memory need. The full method is on the methodology page.
How much VRAM you need, by resolution and preset
The typical game (median) and the heaviest game in our data, in GB:
| Preset | 1080p | 1440p | 4K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 3 (up to 8) | 3.5 (up to 8.5) | 4.8 (up to 9.8) |
| Medium | 4 (up to 9) | 4.5 (up to 9.5) | 5.8 (up to 10.8) |
| High | 5 (up to 10) | 5.5 (up to 10.5) | 6.8 (up to 11.8) |
| Ultra | 7 (up to 12) | 7.5 (up to 12.5) | 8.8 (up to 13.8) |
Low and Medium cover the 25 games whose basis goes below High; High and Ultra cover all 38.
When 8 GB, 10 GB or 12 GB runs short
How many of the 38 games may need more than a card's memory at each setting (Low and Medium: of 25):
| Setting | 6 GB short | 8 GB short | 10 GB short | 12 GB short |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p High | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1080p Ultra | 19 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 1440p High | 19 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 1440p Ultra | 25 | 19 | 9 | 1 |
| 4K High | 19 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 4K Ultra | 29 | 19 | 9 | 1 |
What this means:
- 6 GB is now tight even at 1080p High. Plan on Medium textures in newer games.
- 8 GB handles 1080p at High in all but one of these games (Doom: The Dark Ages, whose recommended tier asks for 10 GB). At 1080p Ultra and at 1440p, about a quarter to half of them want more.
- 12 GB is short in only one of these games, and only at Ultra at 1440p or 4K.
- 16 GB covers every game here at every setting, 4K Ultra included.
The heaviest games in our data
Estimated video memory needed, in GB:
| Game | Basis | High 1080p | High 1440p | Ultra 1440p | Ultra 4K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doom: The Dark Ages | official (min 8, rec 10) | 10 | 10.5 | 12.5 | 13.8 |
| Baldur's Gate 3 | official (min 4, rec 8) | 8 | 8.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 |
| Monster Hunter Wilds | official (min 6, rec 8) | 8 | 8.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 |
| Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 | official (min 6, rec 8) | 8 | 8.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 |
| Dragon's Dogma 2 | official (min 8) | 8 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 9.8 |
| The Last of Us Part I | measured (8 at Ultra) | 6 | 6.5 | 8.5 | 9.8 |
| Forza Horizon 5 | measured (8 at Ultra) | 6 | 6.5 | 8.5 | 9.8 |
These are estimates for planning, not exact readings: the same game can use more memory in a busy scene, with ray tracing or with texture mods.
What happens when you run out
A card that runs short of video memory doesn't usually crash. It moves textures to slower system memory, and you get stutter and textures that load late, even when the average FPS looks fine. In the games where published tests show it, cards up to 2 GB short ran about 10% slower than cards with enough memory in the same test, and more when further short (fewer tests).
The fix is usually one setting: lower the Textures option one step. It saves the most video memory and costs little image quality at 1080p. Lowering resolution or turning off ray tracing helps too.
How to check how much VRAM you have
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Open Performance and click GPU.
- Read Dedicated GPU memory: that is your card's video memory.
Integrated graphics (Intel UHD and Iris Xe, AMD Radeon 780M and similar) have no memory of their own: they share your system RAM, so the warnings here don't apply. More RAM in dual channel helps them instead; see how much RAM you need for gaming. Not sure which card you have? See how to check your graphics card.
Which cards to choose by video memory
- 1080p, Medium to High: 8 GB works (RTX 5060, RX 9060 XT 8GB), but 12–16 GB lasts longer: Arc B580 (12 GB), RX 9060 XT 16GB.
- 1440p: 12 GB or more (RTX 5070, 12 GB) and 16 GB to be safe at Ultra (RX 9070, RTX 5060 Ti 16GB).
- 4K: 16 GB (RX 9070 XT, RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080).
Video memory is only half of it: the card must also be fast enough. See our picks for 1080p and 1440p.
