Paralives PC requirements, FPS and best settings

Can your PC run Paralives? The short answer

Difficulty profile: how hard is Paralives to run?

Where it lands among 937 modelled titles, and what that means for different classes of graphics card.

With a demand score of 27, Paralives asks more of a graphics card than 73% of the 937 games in our list. We call that demanding.

It comes from the recommended card on the Steam page (RTX 2060 or RX 7600 XT), which we map onto a common performance scale and convert to 1080p High. Treat it as a relative guide.

What it means by card class

• As an enthusiast card, the RTX 5090 manages 253 FPS at 1080p, 253 FPS at 1440p and 193 FPS at 4K. Native 4K works here at roughly 193 FPS, with no DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling needed.
• As a mid-range card, the RTX 5070 manages 240 FPS at 1080p, 155 FPS at 1440p and 89 FPS at 4K. Comfortable at 4K on High, around 89 FPS before any DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling.
• The RTX 5080, standing in for a high-end card, gives roughly 253 FPS at 1080p and 212 FPS at 1440p, with 121 FPS at 4K. Native 4K works here at roughly 121 FPS, with no DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling needed.
• As an entry card, the RTX 5060 manages 140 FPS at 1080p, 90 FPS at 1440p and 52 FPS at 4K. Native 4K sits at 52 FPS, and Quality DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling lifts it to roughly 78 FPS.

For the processor we score Paralives at 32, which is above 47% of our data set.

Paralives PC requirements: minimum and recommended

The official specs for Paralives, compared with real graphics cards and processors.

Taken from the Steam store page; developers can revise these with updates.

Reading the specs against real hardware

Steam names GTX 1060 or RX 6600 XT as the minimum graphics card. Expect around 160 FPS at 1080p Low, or roughly 88 FPS if you raise the preset to High.

The recommended card, RTX 2060 or RX 7600 XT, hits around 80 FPS at 1080p and 52 FPS at 1440p on High in our modelling. That is above 60 FPS at 1080p, so the recommended spec reads as a comfortable 1080p target.

RAM starts at 12 GB RAM and goes to 16 GB RAM for the recommended tier, while the install needs 8 GB available space.

What graphics card does Paralives need?

From a 30 FPS floor to 4K, here is the card each target asks for in Paralives.

Our estimates put 1080p 60 FPS on High within reach of the GTX 1660 Super and above, with the RTX 5050 as the cheapest RTX 50 route there.

For a smooth 1440p on High you want at least the RTX 3060 12GB. Within the RTX 50 range that means the RTX 5050 or above.

Native 4K is a tall order, so assume DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling. The RTX 5060 is the first RTX 50 card to hit 60 FPS on High that way.

NVIDIA, AMD and Intel cards all appear in the list. Add your own processor, memory and settings in the can my PC run it checker, or see whether your processor limits you in the bottleneck checker.

Paralives FPS by graphics card

Estimated frame rates for 28 graphics cards from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel. Switch resolution below.

The fastest card here, the RTX 5090, returns around 253 FPS at 1440p and 193 FPS at 4K. The RTX 5050 sits at roughly 67 FPS at 1440p, which shows how wide the range is in Paralives.

Full results table

Every figure assumes the High preset with a fast processor. Upscaled columns assume the Quality mode of whichever upscaler the game provides. Results over 360 FPS appear as 360+. Compare two cards directly in the GPU comparison tool.

Graphics card verdicts: how each one handles Paralives

How twelve well-known cards fare, explained simply.

Each verdict compares the card with a 60 FPS target using the High preset. Where a card falls short, the usual fix is a lower preset or DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling, which the settings section prices in.

In this game the RTX 5070 returns roughly 155 FPS at 1440p while the RTX 5060 returns 90 FPS, a gap of 71% that deserves a look against price.

Best Paralives settings at 1080p, 1440p and 4K

Settings that hold 60 FPS at 1080p, 1440p and 4K, worked out for this game.

1080p playbook

For 1080p play, GTX 1660 Super, RTX 3060 12GB, RTX 4060 clear 60 FPS on High without any DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling on our figures, which leaves room to raise individual settings.

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 DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style 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

For 4K play, RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 4080 Super, RTX 5080 clear 60 FPS on High without any DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling on our figures, which leaves room to raise individual settings.

Pick your card in the table for the preset and DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling mode that keep 4K above 60 FPS.

Upgrade path: what a faster card gains in Paralives

The gain from each rung of the RTX 50 ladder at 1440p using the High preset.

Of the six steps up the RTX 50 range, RTX 5060 Ti 16GB to RTX 5070 gives the most in Paralives (roughly 43% at 1440p), while RTX 5070 to RTX 5070 Ti gives the least (around 17%).

Prices usually climb faster than performance across the range. In Paralives that means the best value often sits in the middle rather than at the top.

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

Paralives VRAM requirements

What the game is likely to want from graphics memory on High. Too little VRAM hurts smoothness whatever the GPU speed.

Estimated graphics memory use is 4 GB at 1080p, 5.2 GB at 1440p and 7.2 GB at 4K using the High preset. The figure is an estimate derived from the recommended graphics card.

Dropping texture quality is the quickest way to save memory: stepping from High to Medium trims the estimate to roughly 4.4 GB at 1440p.

VRAM size by size

• On a 6 GB card, 1080p is comfortable, 1440p is tight and 4K is short of memory on High. Where it is short, Medium textures and DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling are the practical fixes.
• On an 8 GB card, 1080p is comfortable, 1440p is comfortable and 4K is tight on High. Where it is short, Medium textures and DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling are the practical fixes.
• A 12 GB card is comfortable at 1080p, comfortable at 1440p and comfortable at 4K on High. Memory is rarely a worry at these settings.
• A 16 GB card is comfortable at 1080p, comfortable at 1440p and comfortable at 4K on High. Memory is rarely a worry at these settings.

Run your own numbers in the VRAM calculator and see how much VRAM you need for gaming.

Which processor do you need for Paralives?

Which processors keep a fast graphics card busy in this game.

The published CPU range runs from Intel Core i5 to Intel Core i5. We turn that into a frame-rate ceiling for nine popular processors in the table.

Paralives is a mid-weight game for processors, ahead of 47% of those we model, so a recent mid-range chip is a sound match.

As a reference, a Core i5-12400F can prepare around 139 FPS here in our modelling. If your GPU can draw more than that, you will be CPU-limited.

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

Matching a processor to a graphics card for Paralives

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

In 1 of the seven builds the processor, not the graphics card, sets the 1440p frame rate in Paralives. The first is the RTX 5090 with Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which the CPU holds near 291 FPS while the card could draw roughly 335.

For balance, look at RTX 5070 Ti with Core i5-14600K. The CPU can prepare around 197 FPS and the card can draw roughly 181 FPS at 1440p, which is a close match.

These pairings are examples, not recommendations to buy. Swap in your own parts with the bottleneck checker to see which side limits you.

Paralives memory and disk space

RAM and disk space from the Steam page, with a practical view.

Memory first. Steam sets 12 GB RAM as the minimum and 16 GB RAM as the recommended amount. With Windows, a browser and a chat app open, 16 GB leaves comfortable headroom.

On disk, plan for roughly 8 GB free. At 100 Mbps with typical overhead that is roughly 13 min to download, or around 3 min at 500 Mbps.

On drives: Steam does not insist on an SSD, though one will shorten loads.

Work out your total in the RAM calculator, which adds your usual background apps to what the game asks for. Check how long the install takes with the download time calculator.

Best settings for Paralives

Where to begin for a handful of common cards. Each cell is the highest preset that still manages 60 FPS.

Each cell shows the highest preset that still manages 60 FPS in Paralives, with the DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling mode it needs.

• Do not cut textures first if you have the VRAM. They cost little speed. Our estimate for this game is 5.2 GB at that resolution.
• Set a frame cap at your monitor refresh rate to save power and noise, then use the VRR and frame cap calculator to pick the figure.
• Reach for DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling first. You lose little sharpness and gain a lot of speed. Choose the best-looking mode that still hits your target.
• Lower the heaviest settings next. If the menu has shadows, fog or draw distance options, those are the usual culprits.
• Make one change per test and note the effect on FPS before moving on.

Settings assume the game offers an upscaler; check the graphics menu. Get a personal recommendation in the best settings generator, or compare modes in the DLSS and frame generation estimator.

Can a gaming laptop run Paralives?

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 5060 Laptop, RTX 5070 Laptop, RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, RTX 5080 Laptop, RTX 5090 Laptop also manage 1440p.

Laptop GPUs lose performance at lower power limits (TGP), and thin designs often cannot sustain them. Check the exact wattage of the model you are buying.

Explore different TGP values in the laptop TGP estimator.

Tips for a Simulation games like Paralives

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

The advice below is general guidance for this kind of game, written from the genres Steam names for Paralives. It is a prompt for testing, not a technical statement about the game.

• Large builds, towns or factories can push memory and processor use up over time, so leave some headroom beyond the stated minimum.
• Because early access games are still being developed, treat today's performance as a snapshot rather than a guarantee.

Paralives gallery from Steam

Below are screenshots supplied for the Steam store page. Compare them with your own game to see how much quality a preset or DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling mode gives up.

Screenshots and artwork are promotional images from the Paralives Steam store page and belong to Alex Massé and team and Paralives Studio.

Paralives compared with similar games

Other guides from this collection.

Games with a similar profile to Paralives are listed below, chosen by shared genre and closeness of graphics demand. Open one to see how its requirements and FPS compare.

• The Precinct sits at 27 for graphics demand and is about as demanding as Paralives (27). Shared genres: Simulation.
• With a demand score of 28, Librarian: Tidy Up the Arcane Library! is about as demanding as Paralives. Shared genres: Simulation.
• SULFUR sits at 28 for graphics demand and is about as demanding as Paralives (27). Shared genres: Simulation.
• My Summer Car sits at 23 for graphics demand and is lighter than Paralives (27). Shared genres: Simulation.
• Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades: demand score 28 against 27 for Paralives, so it is about as demanding. Shared genres: Simulation.
• With a demand score of 27, shapez 2 - Factory is about as demanding as Paralives. Shared genres: Simulation.
• Big Ambitions sits at 27 for graphics demand and is about as demanding as Paralives (27). Shared genres: Simulation.
• Town to City sits at 27 for graphics demand and is about as demanding as Paralives (27). Shared genres: Simulation.

About Paralives on PC

At the time we checked (2026-11-02) Steam showed 14,810 reviews with a Very Positive rating and 90% positive. That is a useful signal for how widely played Paralives is.

Being out for roughly 6 months, Paralives may still receive performance patches, so keep it updated and keep your graphics drivers current.

Steam features

Details here come from Steam's public store listing. We have not tested the game on every card, so frame rates on this page are estimates from our model.

Method: where the Paralives numbers come from

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

For Paralives the demand score of 27 comes from the recommended graphics card, the CPU score of 32 from an assumed processor line, and the VRAM figure of 4 GB at 1080p High is estimated from the demand score.

The model divides a card's performance score by the game demand, scaled for resolution, preset and DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling, with a penalty when memory runs short and a ceiling set by a fast reference processor.

Please read the figures as estimates rather than measurements. Drivers, game updates, temperatures and the part of the game you are playing can all move them.

Frequently asked questions about Paralives

The questions players ask most about Paralives on PC.

Free tools to check Paralives on your hardware