At 1440p it needs DLSS or lower settings in the newest games, and today's budget cards are clearly faster. If you already have one, keep it unless the games you play are in the "heavy" list below.
| Setting | Average FPS (median) | Games at 60 FPS or more | Games at 30 FPS or more |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p Medium | 87 | 170 of 210 | 209 |
| 1080p High | 79 | 154 of 210 | 208 |
| 1080p Ultra | 63 | 121 of 210 | 195 |
| 1440p Medium | 64 | 121 of 210 | 195 |
| 1440p High | 60 | 110 of 210 | 184 |
Every FPS number here is an estimate from the FPSVibe model, not a measurement: we haven't tested these cards ourselves. Against published benchmark results it was not fitted on, the model's median error is about 10%. The numbers use a Ryzen 5 5600 and 16 GB of RAM, the kind of PC an RTX 3060 usually sits in, native resolution unless a column says otherwise, and prices are US launch prices. Check your own parts in the FPS calculator.
What the RTX 3060 still runs well
At 1080p High it averages about 79 FPS across our 210 games, and only 2 of them stay under 30 FPS. That covers the games most people play: competitive shooters run far above 60 FPS, and most big single-player games of the last few years hold 60 at High or a notch lower.
| Game | 1080p High | 1080p Ultra | 1440p High | 1440p High, DLSS Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 201 | 161 | 145 | – |
| Fortnite | 112 | 89 | 75 | 92 |
| Apex Legends | 153 | 153 | 134 | – |
| Marvel Rivals | 61 | 49 | 42 | 54 |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 | 75 | 60 | 52 | 65 |
| Forza Horizon 5 | 108 | 86 | 75 | 92 |
| Baldur's Gate 3 | 95 | 79 | 64 | 80 |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 76 | 61 | 54 | 68 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 71 | 62 | 50 | 63 |
| Hogwarts Legacy | 68 | 55 | 47 | 59 |
| Arc Raiders | 66 | 52 | 44 | 56 |
| Battlefield 6 | 51 | 41 | 34 | 43 |
| Alan Wake 2 | 54 | 43 | 37 | 47 |
| Monster Hunter Wilds | 45 | 36 | 32 | 40 |
| Black Myth: Wukong | 36 | 29 | 25 | 32 |
⚠ marks a setting where the game asks for more video memory than the card's 12 GB: expect stutter, or lower the texture setting. None of these games does at these settings. – means the game is not on NVIDIA's DLSS list. Some numbers stop at the same value in every column: that's the processor or the game's own frame cap, not the card.
Where it struggles
The heavy games of the last two years are where the RTX 3060 shows its age: Black Myth: Wukong (about 36 FPS at 1080p High), Monster Hunter Wilds (45), Battlefield 6 (51) and Alan Wake 2 (54) all stay under 60 FPS at native 1080p High. In those, drop to Medium or turn on DLSS.
At 1440p High, 110 games reach 60 FPS, about half of our list. That's fine for older and lighter games, but most new releases need DLSS there: in our estimates, Cyberpunk 2077 goes from 50 to 63 FPS at 1440p High with DLSS in Quality mode. If you play mostly new single-player games on a 1440p monitor, the RTX 3060 is the part holding you back.
DLSS: its biggest advantage over older cards
The RTX 3060 supports DLSS, NVIDIA's upscaler, and 109 of our 210 games are on NVIDIA's DLSS list. That's the main reason it ages better than cards of its time without it, such as the GTX 16 series. Frame generation is a different story: DLSS Frame Generation (on 71 of our games) needs an RTX 40 or 50 card, while FSR Frame Generation (27 games) works on it. Frame generation shows more frames but still responds like the frame rate without it. More in DLSS vs FSR vs XeSS.
Video memory: 12 GB is its strong point
Of the 38 games we have video-memory figures for, 8 GB falls short in 9 at 1080p Ultra and 19 at 1440p Ultra; 12 GB falls short in 1 at 1440p Ultra (DOOM: The Dark Ages). That's where the RTX 3060 beats some newer, faster cards: the RTX 4060 and RTX 5060 have 8 GB, so at Ultra textures they can run out of memory before they run out of speed. More in how much VRAM you need.
RTX 3060 vs today's budget cards
A note on close calls: the model's median error is about 10%, so when two cards are less than 10% apart in our estimates, we call it a tie, not a win. Then price, video memory and features decide.
| Card | VRAM | Launch price | 1080p High, median FPS | vs RTX 3060 | Games at 60 FPS, 1440p High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 3060 | 12 GB | $329 | 79 | – | 110 |
| GeForce RTX 4060 | 8 GB | $299 | 88 | +11% | 120 |
| Arc B580 | 12 GB | $249 | 90 | +13% | 128 |
| GeForce RTX 5060 | 8 GB | $299 | 100 | +27% | 153 |
| Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB | 8 GB | $299 | 105 | +32% | 162 |
| Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB | 16 GB | $349 | 106 | +34% | 169 |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB | 16 GB | $429 | 106 | +34% | 171 |
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At 1080p High, the Arc B580 is about 13% faster, the RTX 5060 about 27% and the RX 9060 XT 16GB about 34%. The RTX 4060 is about 11% faster, just past our margin of error, with less memory. Same processor and RAM for every card.
Should you upgrade, or buy one?
If you have one: keep it for 1080p, especially if you play esports games or anything a few years old. Upgrade if your main games are in the heavy list above or you moved to 1440p. The RX 9060 XT 16GB ($349 at launch) is the cheapest current card that is both much faster and has more memory; the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB is the NVIDIA option. Cards with 8 GB are faster but give up memory, a trade we wouldn't make coming from 12 GB.
If you're buying: the Arc B580 has the same 12 GB and is a little faster, with a $249 launch price. A used RTX 3060 is worth it only if it costs clearly less than that. Check what it runs with your processor on the RTX 3060 page, or compare it with a card you're considering in compare graphics cards.
