The Children of Clay PC requirements, FPS and best settings

Can your PC run The Children of Clay? The short answer

How demanding is The Children of Clay?

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

With a demand score of 7, The Children of Clay asks more of a graphics card than 28% of the 937 games in our list. We call that undemanding.

The score is derived from the recommended graphics card in the publisher requirements, GeForce GTX 1050 2048 VRAM; Radeon RX 460 4096 VRAM, scaled to a 1080p High equivalent. It is a modelling choice rather than a measurement, so read it as a ranking more than a promise.

What it means by card class

• RTX 5090, our example of an enthusiast card, delivers roughly 360+ FPS at 1080p and 360+ FPS at 1440p, so you will not need to tune much.
• RTX 5080, our example of a high-end card, delivers roughly 360+ FPS at 1080p and 360+ FPS at 1440p, so you will not need to tune much.
• RTX 5060, our example of an entry card, delivers roughly 360+ FPS at 1080p and 348 FPS at 1440p, so you will not need to tune much.
• An RTX 5070 (a mid-range card) has more power than The Children of Clay can use, landing near 360+ FPS at 1080p and 360+ FPS at 1440p.

Its CPU score is 18, so it asks more of a processor than 0% of the games in our list.

System requirements for The Children of Clay

The official specs for The Children of Clay, compared with real graphics cards and processors.

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

Reading the specs against real hardware

Step up to the recommended GeForce GTX 1050 2048 VRAM; Radeon RX 460 4096 VRAM and the model returns roughly 77 FPS at 1080p and 50 FPS at 1440p. That is above 60 FPS at 1080p, so the recommended spec reads as a comfortable 1080p target.

The recommended processor, Intel Core i5-3470 (4 * 3200); AMD FX-4350 (4 * 4200), can feed around 72 FPS here on our figures, a useful ceiling to compare with your graphics card.

RAM starts at 4 GB RAM and goes to 8 GB RAM for the recommended tier, while the install needs 100 MB available space.

Which graphics card do you need for The Children of Clay?

The lowest graphics card we tested that reaches each target in The Children of Clay, plus the first desktop RTX 50 card that does.

For 1080p at 60 FPS on High, GTX 1060 6GB is the entry point in our list, with RTX 5050 the first RTX 50 card that clears it.

At 1440p the entry card for 60 FPS on High is the GTX 1060 6GB, with the RTX 5050 leading the RTX 50 line.

At 4K, expect to lean on upscaling. The RTX 5050 is the first desktop RTX 50 card to reach 60 FPS on High once Quality upscaling is switched on.

The table covers NVIDIA, AMD and Intel cards. To test your own parts, open the can my PC run it checker or look for a CPU bottleneck with the bottleneck checker.

The Children of Clay FPS by graphics card

Modelled FPS for 28 graphics cards from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel. Switch resolution below.

In our model the RTX 5090 delivers roughly 360+ FPS at 1440p and 360+ FPS at 4K, while the RTX 5050 manages 259 FPS at 1440p. The spread tells you how much the card matters for The Children of Clay.

Full results table

These estimates use High settings paired with a quick CPU. Upscaled columns assume the Quality mode of whichever upscaler the game provides. Anything over 360 FPS is capped at 360+ for display. For a head-to-head, open the GPU comparison tool.

Card by card verdicts for The Children of Clay

A verdict in plain English for twelve popular graphics cards.

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 upscaling, which the settings section prices in.

A useful comparison: RTX 5060 at roughly 348 FPS and RTX 5070 at roughly 360+ FPS at 1440p, so the dearer card is roughly 29% faster here.

The Children of Clay settings by resolution

A 60 FPS plan for each resolution, built from the model and tailored to this game.

1080p playbook

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

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

1440p playbook

1440p is straightforward on RTX 4060, RTX 5060, RTX 5070, which hold 60 FPS on High natively here, so you only need upscaling for extra smoothness.

Pick your card in the table for the preset and upscaling mode that keep 1440p above 60 FPS.

4K playbook

4K is straightforward on RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 4080 Super, RTX 5080, which hold 60 FPS on High natively here, so you only need upscaling for extra smoothness.

Pick your card in the table for the preset and upscaling mode that keep 4K above 60 FPS.

Upgrade path: what a faster card gains in The Children of Clay

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 35% at 1440p, the largest jump in the RTX 50 range for The Children of Clay. The RTX 5070 to RTX 5070 Ti step adds only around 0%.

Faster cards help less here than in heavier games. The Children of Clay runs out of graphics work early, so the CPU becomes the limit.

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

The Children of Clay VRAM requirements

Modelled VRAM use at High settings. Falling short of VRAM causes stutter even with a quick GPU.

The model gives 2 GB at 1080p High, rising to 2.6 GB at 1440p and 3.6 GB at 4K. It is an estimate derived from the recommended graphics card, not a measurement.

If memory is tight, lower textures first: Medium brings the 1440p figure down to roughly 2.2 GB.

What each memory size means for The Children of Clay

• A 6 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.
• 8 GB of VRAM reads as comfortable for 1080p, comfortable for 1440p and comfortable for 4K using the High preset here. Where it is short, Medium textures and 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.
• 16 GB of VRAM reads as comfortable for 1080p, comfortable for 1440p and comfortable for 4K using the High preset here. Memory is rarely a worry at these settings.

Test other settings in the VRAM calculator and read how much VRAM you need for gaming.

The Children of Clay CPU requirements

How much frame rate each processor can prepare in this game.

The published CPU range runs from Intel Core i5-760 (4 * 2800); AMD Athlon II X4 645 AM3 (4 * 3100) to Intel Core i5-3470 (4 * 3200); AMD FX-4350 (4 * 4200). We turn that into a frame-rate ceiling for nine popular processors in the table.

With a low CPU score, The Children of Clay should run well on older or cheaper processors, leaving the graphics card to set the pace.

Use the Core i5-12400F as a yardstick: it feeds roughly 248 FPS here, so any card faster than that will be waiting on the processor.

Test your own pairing in the bottleneck checker and read system bottlenecks guide.

Which builds are balanced in The Children of Clay?

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

Look for the Processor label below: 7 of the seven pairings carry it. With RTX 4060 and Core i3-12100F the chip caps frames near 189 FPS even though the card is good for roughly 299 FPS.

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.

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

The Children of Clay memory and disk space

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

4 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 0 GB. Expect around 0 min to download on a 100 Mbps line, or roughly 0 min on 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 counts Windows, background apps and streaming on top of the game. Check how long the install takes with the download time calculator.

Best settings for The Children of Clay

Where to begin for a handful of common cards. Cells list the highest-quality preset that keeps 60 FPS.

Each cell shows the highest preset that still reaches 60 FPS in The Children of Clay, with the upscaling mode it needs.

• Keep textures high if memory allows. The speed cost is small. The model puts this game at 2.6 GB at 1440p.
• Then trim the costliest options. Shadows, volumetric effects and draw distance usually cost the most, if the game offers them.
• Change one thing at a time and watch the frame rate, so you know which setting did the work.
• Limit the frame rate to match your display and keep the PC cooler, and the VRR and frame cap calculator suggests a sensible number.
• Start with upscaling. You lose little sharpness and gain a lot of speed. Pick the highest quality mode that delivers your target.

These tables assume the game includes an upscaler, so look in its graphics menu. Get a personal recommendation in the best settings generator, or compare modes in the DLSS and frame generation estimator.

The Children of Clay on gaming laptops

What RTX 50 laptop GPUs manage at common wattages.

For a gaming laptop, our estimates show RTX 5050 Laptop, RTX 5060 Laptop, RTX 5070 Laptop, RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, RTX 5080 Laptop, RTX 5090 Laptop hitting 60 FPS at 1080p on High at typical power. At 1440p that group narrows to RTX 5050 Laptop, RTX 5060 Laptop, RTX 5070 Laptop, RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, RTX 5080 Laptop, RTX 5090 Laptop.

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.

Try different wattages in the laptop TGP estimator.

What to watch for in The Children of Clay

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

Treat these as rules of thumb for games of this type. They come from the genres on the Steam page, not from testing The Children of Clay directly.

• Small teams sometimes skip advanced graphics menus, so resolution scaling and a frame cap may be your best tools.
• Large builds, towns or factories can push memory and processor use up over time, so leave some headroom beyond the stated minimum.
• Adventure titles often reward cinematic settings, so lean on higher textures and spend upscaling where it is least visible.
• A free-to-play title is easy to test: try it on your own PC before you decide whether to spend on an upgrade.

Screenshots of The Children of Clay

A look at The Children of Clay from the official Steam gallery. Visual detail is what you trade away when you drop presets, so it helps to see what you are keeping.

Screenshots and artwork are promotional images from the The Children of Clay Steam store page and belong to Balazs Ronyai.

If you like The Children of Clay: similar games to check

Related PC game guides on this site.

Not sure about The Children of Clay? Compare it with these games, picked for similar demand and overlapping genres, each with its own full guide.

• With a demand score of 4, Whisper of the House is about as demanding as The Children of Clay. Shared genres: Adventure, Indie, Simulation.
• Silly Linguine Cat Simulator Deluxe Online: 4 on our demand scale, about as demanding as The Children of Clay. Shared genres: Adventure, Indie, Simulation.
• Keep Driving: 4 on our demand scale, about as demanding as The Children of Clay. Shared genres: Adventure, Indie, Simulation.
• Sledding Game sits at 7 for graphics demand and is about as demanding as The Children of Clay (7). Shared genres: Adventure, Indie, Simulation.
• The Coin Game scores 8 on the same scale (The Children of Clay scores 7), which makes it about as demanding. Shared genres: Adventure, Indie, Simulation.
• Little Witch in the Woods: 4 on our demand scale, about as demanding as The Children of Clay. Shared genres: Adventure, Indie, Simulation.
• With a demand score of 7, Spilled! is about as demanding as The Children of Clay. Shared genres: Adventure, Indie, Simulation.
• With a demand score of 8, Hello Kitty Island Adventure is about as demanding as The Children of Clay. Shared genres: Adventure, Indie, Simulation.

Game facts and Steam reviews for The Children of Clay

Steam players rate The Children of Clay as Overwhelmingly Positive, with 98% of 2,741 reviews positive when we checked on 2026-11-02. Review scores say little about performance, but a large, positive audience means plenty of community advice on settings.

Being out for roughly 20 months, The Children of Clay 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 modelled estimates.

How the The Children of Clay estimates work

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

Here is what feeds the estimates: demand 7 from the recommended card, CPU score 18 (from the listed processor line), and a 1080p High VRAM figure of 2 GB (estimated from the demand score).

Frame rates scale each graphics card 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.

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.

The Children of Clay: your questions answered

The questions players ask most about The Children of Clay on PC.

Test The Children of Clay on your own PC