Heart of the Machine PC requirements, FPS and best settings

Heart of the Machine on PC: the quick answer

Difficulty profile: how hard is Heart of the Machine to run?

Where this game sits among 937 modelled titles, with a look at what that means for each class of card.

We rate the graphics demand of Heart of the Machine at 5. That puts it above 26% of the 937 modelled games and firmly in the undemanding band.

We take the recommended GPU Steam gives (NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 760 (2 GB) / AMD® Radeon™ R9 380 (2 GB)) and translate it into a 1080p High demand figure. The result ranks games well, but individual frame rates will vary.

What it means by card class

• With an entry card such as the RTX 5060 the game is limited by its engine long before the card, with about 360+ FPS at 1080p and 360+ FPS at 1440p in our modelling.
• On a high-end card, the RTX 5080, expect the frame rate to be capped by the game or CPU: roughly 360+ FPS at 1080p, 360+ FPS at 1440p.
• With an enthusiast card such as the RTX 5090 the game is limited by its engine long before the card, with about 360+ FPS at 1080p and 360+ FPS at 1440p in our modelling.
• On a mid-range card, the RTX 5070, expect the frame rate to be capped by the game or CPU: roughly 360+ FPS at 1080p, 360+ FPS at 1440p.

For the processor we score Heart of the Machine at 18, which is above 0% of our data set.

System requirements for Heart of the Machine

Official minimum and recommended specs for Heart of the Machine, translated into frame rates.

Published by the developer on Steam and subject to change with patches.

What the requirements mean in practice

Steam names NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 550 Ti (1 GB) / AMD® Radeon™ HD 7770 (1 GB) as the minimum GPU. Expect around 118 FPS at 1080p Low, or roughly 65 FPS if you raise the preset to High.

At the recommended level Steam gives NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 760 (2 GB) / AMD® Radeon™ R9 380 (2 GB). We estimate 86 FPS at 1080p and 56 FPS at 1440p on High. That is above 60 FPS at 1080p, so the recommended spec reads as a comfortable 1080p target.

Steam asks for Intel® Core™ i5-4470 (quad-core) / AMD® FX-Series™ FX-4350 (quad-core) at the recommended level. That class of processor tops out near 90 FPS in Heart of the Machine in our modelling.

You will need 6 GB RAM of RAM at minimum or 8 GB RAM to match the recommended spec, plus 5 GB available space on your drive.

What graphics card does Heart of the Machine need?

The lowest GPU we tested that manages each target in Heart of the Machine, plus the first desktop RTX 50 card that does.

Start at the GTX 1060 6GB if you want 60 FPS at 1080p on High. Among current RTX 50 cards, the RTX 5050 is the first to manage it.

Raise the target to 1440p and the bar moves: the GTX 1060 6GB is the lowest card to achieve 60 FPS on High, while the RTX 5050 is the first RTX 50 card to get there.

4K is the hard case. With Quality upscaling enabled, the RTX 5050 is where the RTX 50 range first manages 60 FPS on High.

Cards across NVIDIA, AMD and Intel are included. For a personal answer with your own CPU and RAM, use the can my PC run it checker or look for a CPU bottleneck with the bottleneck checker.

Estimated Heart of the Machine FPS on 28 graphics cards

Modelled FPS for 28 GPUs from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel. Pick a resolution to redraw the bars.

The fastest card here, the RTX 5090, returns around 360+ FPS at 1440p and 360+ FPS at 4K. The RTX 5050 sits at roughly 360+ FPS at 1440p, which shows how wide the range is in Heart of the Machine.

Full results table

These estimates use High settings and a fast processor. The last two columns use Quality upscaling (DLSS, FSR or XeSS, if the game offers it). Figures above 360 FPS are shown as 360+. Compare two cards directly in the GPU comparison tool.

Graphics card verdicts: how each one handles Heart of the Machine

Twelve popular cards, with a plain-English verdict for each.

The table reads the model results as plain advice. Older cards such as the GTX 1060 and RTX 2060 are measured against the same High settings, so a poor result there usually means "drop to Medium", not "cannot run".

Between the RTX 5060 (360+ FPS at 1440p) and the RTX 5070 (360+ FPS) there is roughly a 0% difference in Heart of the Machine.

Best Heart of the Machine settings at 1080p, 1440p and 4K

One plan per resolution, each aimed at a steady 60 FPS in this game.

1080p playbook

Native 1080p works on GTX 1660 Super, RTX 3060 12GB, RTX 4060, all above 60 FPS on High in our modelling. Upscaling then becomes optional rather than required.

Start from the preset that still manages 60 FPS, then raise one setting at a time. The table gives the best preset for each card.

1440p playbook

For 1440p play, RTX 4060, RTX 5060, RTX 5070 clear 60 FPS on High without any upscaling on our figures, which leaves room to raise individual settings.

Each row below is the best-looking combination that still holds 60 FPS at 1440p in our modelling.

4K playbook

Native 4K works on RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 4080 Super, RTX 5080, all above 60 FPS on High in our modelling. Upscaling then becomes optional rather than required.

Start from the preset that still manages 60 FPS, then raise one setting at a time. The table gives the best preset for each card.

Is a graphics card upgrade worth it for Heart of the Machine?

What each step up the RTX 50 range adds at 1440p using the High preset.

Moving from the RTX 5050 to the RTX 5060 adds roughly 24% at 1440p, the largest jump in the RTX 50 range for Heart of the Machine. The RTX 5060 to RTX 5060 Ti 16GB step adds only about 0%.

Because Heart of the Machine is light on graphics hardware, upgrades beyond the middle of the range mostly raise a number the game or CPU already limits, so a dearer card buys little.

Compare options directly in the upgrade value calculator or the GPU price to performance calculator.

Graphics memory for Heart of the Machine: how much is enough?

Estimated graphics memory use using the High preset. Too little VRAM hurts smoothness whatever the GPU speed.

Estimated graphics memory use is 2 GB at 1080p, 2.6 GB at 1440p and 3.6 GB at 4K using the High preset. The figure is an estimate derived from the recommended GPU.

Dropping texture quality is the quickest way to save memory: stepping from High to Medium trims the estimate to roughly 2.2 GB at 1440p.

VRAM size by size

• On a 6 GB card, 1080p is comfortable, 1440p is comfortable and 4K is comfortable on High. Where it is short, Medium textures and upscaling are the practical fixes.
• An 8 GB card is comfortable at 1080p, comfortable at 1440p and comfortable at 4K on High. Where it is short, Medium textures and upscaling are the practical fixes.
• With 12 GB the verdict is comfortable at 1080p, comfortable at 1440p and comfortable at 4K on High. Memory is rarely a worry at these settings.
• On a 16 GB card, 1080p is comfortable, 1440p is comfortable and 4K is comfortable on High. Memory is rarely a worry at these settings.

Check your own settings in the VRAM calculator and read how much VRAM you need for gaming.

Heart of the Machine processor guide

What a range of popular CPUs can feed a GPU here.

Steam gives Intel® Core™ i5-760 (quad-core) / AMD® Phenom™ II X4 965 (quad-core) as the minimum processor and Intel® Core™ i5-4470 (quad-core) / AMD® FX-Series™ FX-4350 (quad-core) as the recommended one. The table shows the most frames each chip can prepare in our modelling, regardless of graphics settings.

Processor demand is low here, so a modest CPU is unlikely to be the limit in Heart of the Machine.

The Core i5-12400F caps at roughly 248 FPS in Heart of the Machine in our modelling. Beyond that frame rate the CPU, not the card, sets the pace.

See whether your parts match in the bottleneck checker and our system bottlenecks guide.

Which builds are balanced in Heart of the Machine?

Does the CPU or the GPU set the pace? Seven example builds.

In 7 of the seven builds the processor, not the GPU, sets the 1440p frame rate in Heart of the Machine. The first is the RTX 4060 with Core i3-12100F, which the CPU holds near 189 FPS while the card could draw roughly 360+.

For balance, look at RTX 5090 with Ryzen 7 9800X3D. The CPU can prepare around 360+ FPS and the card can draw roughly 360+ FPS at 1440p, which is a close match.

Use the table to see how balance changes, then enter your real parts in the bottleneck checker for a personal answer.

How much RAM and storage does Heart of the Machine need?

The memory and storage Steam asks for, and how to read it.

6 GB RAM is the minimum and 8 GB RAM the recommended memory. Once Windows and your usual apps are counted, 16 GB covers it.

Storage is listed at roughly 5 GB. Expect around 8 min to download on a 100 Mbps line, or roughly 2 min on 500 Mbps.

No SSD requirement is listed, but solid-state storage still helps with load times.

Add up your own needs in the RAM calculator: it adds Windows, a browser and any streaming to the game's own needs. Check how long the install takes with the download time calculator.

Heart of the Machine best graphics settings

Starter settings for six well-known cards. Every cell shows the best preset that still holds 60 FPS.

Read each cell as a recommended starting point for Heart of the Machine: the preset first, then the upscaling mode and the estimated result.

• Make one change per test and note the effect on FPS before moving on.
• Start with upscaling. You lose little sharpness and gain a lot of speed. Take the gentlest mode that delivers the frame rate you want.
• Set a frame cap to your monitor to save power and heat, then use the VRR and frame cap calculator to pick the figure.
• After that, cut the most expensive settings. If the menu has shadows, fog or draw distance options, those are the usual culprits.
• Keep textures high when your card has the memory. They barely touch frame rate. The model puts this game at 2.6 GB at that resolution.

An upscaler is assumed throughout; confirm the game has one in its graphics options. Want a tailored answer? Open the best settings generator or compare every mode in the DLSS and frame generation estimator.

Laptop performance in Heart of the Machine

What RTX 50 laptop GPUs manage at common wattages.

At typical power limits, RTX 5050 Laptop, RTX 5060 Laptop, RTX 5070 Laptop, RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, RTX 5080 Laptop, RTX 5090 Laptop reach 60 FPS at 1080p on High in our modelling, and RTX 5050 Laptop, RTX 5060 Laptop, RTX 5070 Laptop, RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, RTX 5080 Laptop, RTX 5090 Laptop also manage 1440p.

Treat laptop numbers cautiously. Wattage, cooling and memory vary between makers, so the same chip can land well below the figures above.

Explore different TGP values in the laptop TGP estimator.

Genre tips: playing Heart of the Machine well on PC

General guidance for this kind of game, chosen from the Steam genres and features.

These are general tips for undemanding games of this type, not claims about how Heart of the Machine itself is built. Use them as a prompt for what to test.

• Long role-playing sessions reward stable settings, so pick a preset you can leave alone rather than tuning mid-game.
• Simulation games usually keep the processor busy, so a strong CPU and plenty of RAM often help more than a bigger GPU.
• Games in this style often lean on the processor and memory as maps, units and simulation grow, so late-game saves can slow down before the GPU is the limit.

Heart of the Machine screenshots

These promotional screenshots from the Steam page give a feel for the look you are paying for in graphics terms. Use them to judge how much detail the game shows before you tune your settings.

Screenshots and artwork are promotional images from the Heart of the Machine Steam store page and belong to Arcen Games and Hooded Horse.

Games similar to Heart of the Machine

Related PC game guides on this site.

These guides sit closest to Heart of the Machine in our data, either because they share genres or because they are about as hard to run. The demand scores use one common scale.

• Little Witch in the Woods: demand score 4 against 5 for Heart of the Machine, so it is about as demanding. Shared genres: RPG, Simulation.
• With a demand score of 4, Door Kickers 2: Task Force North is about as demanding as Heart of the Machine. Shared genres: Simulation, Strategy.
• Bills Must Be Paid: 4 on our demand scale, about as demanding as Heart of the Machine. Shared genres: Simulation, Strategy.
• Going Medieval sits at 23 for graphics demand and is heavier than Heart of the Machine (5). Shared genres: RPG, Simulation, Strategy.
• Kabuto Park: 4 on our demand scale, about as demanding as Heart of the Machine. Shared genres: RPG, Simulation, Strategy.
• Dungeon Clawler sits at 4 for graphics demand and is about as demanding as Heart of the Machine (5). Shared genres: RPG, Simulation, Strategy.
• 9 Kings: 4 on our demand scale, about as demanding as Heart of the Machine. Shared genres: RPG, Strategy.
• MENACE sits at 35 for graphics demand and is heavier than Heart of the Machine (5). Shared genres: RPG, Simulation, Strategy.

Heart of the Machine: facts and Steam features

At the time we checked (2026-11-02) Steam showed 1,885 reviews with a Very Positive rating and 92% positive. That is a useful signal for how widely played Heart of the Machine is.

Heart of the Machine has been out for roughly 8 months, which means drivers and patches are likely still changing its performance. Re-check settings after major updates.

Steam features

Details here come from Steam's public store listing. Frame rates here are modelled, since we have not tested the game on every card.

How we estimated Heart of the Machine performance

A short, honest note on how the numbers are produced.

The inputs for Heart of the Machine are a graphics demand of 5 (taken from the recommended card), a processor score of 18 (from the listed processor line) and 2 GB of VRAM at 1080p High (estimated from the demand score).

Frame rates scale each GPU against that demand, then adjust for resolution, preset, upscaling and a memory penalty when a card runs short of VRAM. CPU limits cap the result using a fast reference processor in the GPU tables.

Nothing on this page is a measured benchmark. Expect real frame rates to differ with drivers, updates and your own system, and treat the tables as a guide.

Heart of the Machine FAQ

Quick answers about Heart of the Machine requirements, GPUs, memory and settings.

Test Heart of the Machine on your own PC