Timberborn PC requirements, FPS and best settings

Timberborn on PC: the quick answer

Difficulty profile: how hard is Timberborn to run?

Where this game sits among 937 modelled titles, and how that plays out for entry, mid-range and high-end cards.

Across the 937 games we have modelled, Timberborn lands on a demand score of 32, ahead of 83% of them. In plain terms it is a demanding game for graphics hardware.

We take the recommended GPU Steam names (GeForce RTX 2070) 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

• As a mid-range card, the RTX 5070 manages 202 FPS at 1080p, 131 FPS at 1440p and 75 FPS at 4K. Native 4K works here at about 75 FPS, with no DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling needed.
• For an enthusiast card we use the RTX 5090. It returns about 360+ / 283 / 162 FPS at 1080p, 1440p and 4K on High. Native 4K works here at roughly 162 FPS, with no upscaling needed.
• For a high-end card we use the RTX 5080. It returns about 277 / 179 / 102 FPS at 1080p, 1440p and 4K on High. Comfortable at 4K on High, around 102 FPS before any DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling.
• Take an entry card, the RTX 5060: about 118 FPS at 1080p, 76 FPS at 1440p and 37 FPS at 4K on High. Handles 1440p at roughly 76 FPS, with 4K out of reach natively (37 FPS).

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

Timberborn PC requirements: minimum and recommended

Official minimum and recommended specs for Timberborn, translated into frame rates.

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

What the requirements mean in practice

At the bottom end, Steam lists GeForce GTX 950. That card manages roughly 31 FPS at 1080p on Low in our estimates, falling to roughly 17 FPS on High.

The recommended card, GeForce RTX 2070, reaches roughly 81 FPS at 1080p and 52 FPS at 1440p on High in our model. That is above 60 FPS at 1080p, so the recommended spec reads as a comfortable 1080p target.

Steam asks for 4-core 2.9 GHz at the recommended level. That class of processor tops out near 54 FPS in Timberborn in our model.

RAM starts at 8 GB RAM and goes to 16 GB RAM for the recommended tier, while the install needs 5 GB available space.

Which graphics card do you need for Timberborn?

Pick a target and see the card it needs in Timberborn.

For 1080p at 60 FPS on High, RTX 2060 is the entry point in our list, with RTX 5050 the first RTX 50 card that clears it.

Moving up to 1440p, the RTX 4060 is the lowest card that holds 60 FPS on High, and the RTX 5060 is the first RTX 50 option.

For 4K, DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling does most of the work: with Quality upscaling the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB is the first RTX 50 card to reach 60 FPS on High.

NVIDIA, AMD and Intel cards all appear in the list. To test your own parts, open the can my PC run it checker or look for a CPU bottleneck with the bottleneck checker.

Timberborn frame rates: 28 cards compared

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

In our model the RTX 5090 hits about 283 FPS at 1440p and 162 FPS at 4K, while the RTX 5050 manages 57 FPS at 1440p. The spread tells you how much the card matters for Timberborn.

Full results table

These estimates use High settings paired with a quick CPU. The two upscaled columns switch on Quality upscaling, which only applies if the game supports 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 Timberborn

A verdict in plain English for twelve popular GPUs.

Think of the verdict column as a starting point. It judges every card with High settings, so a modest result can often be improved by dropping one preset or using DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling.

In this game the RTX 5070 returns about 131 FPS at 1440p while the RTX 5060 returns 76 FPS, a gap of 71% that deserves a look against price.

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

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

1080p playbook

1080p is straightforward on RTX 3060 12GB, RTX 4060, RTX 5060, which hold 60 FPS on High natively here, so you only need upscaling for extra smoothness.

Use the table as a starting point: it shows the highest preset that still hits 60 FPS for each card at 1080p.

1440p playbook

For 1440p play, RTX 4060, RTX 5060, RTX 5070 clear 60 FPS on High without any DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling in our estimates, which leaves room to raise individual settings.

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

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 in our estimates, which leaves room to raise individual settings.

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 Timberborn

What each step up the RTX 50 range adds at 1440p with High settings.

The biggest single step in Timberborn is RTX 5080 to RTX 5090, worth roughly 59% at 1440p in our model. The smallest is RTX 5070 to RTX 5070 Ti at roughly 17%.

Prices usually climb faster than performance across the range. In Timberborn 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.

Graphics memory for Timberborn: how much is enough?

What the game is likely to want from graphics memory on High. Falling short of VRAM causes stutter even with a quick GPU.

The model gives 5 GB at 1080p High, rising to 6.5 GB at 1440p and 9.0 GB at 4K. It is an estimate derived from the recommended GPU, not a measurement.

A single step down in textures, to Medium, reduces the 1440p estimate to about 5.5 GB, which is often enough to avoid stutter.

VRAM size by size

• A 6 GB card is comfortable at 1080p, short of memory at 1440p and short of memory 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 short of memory for 4K with High settings here. Where it is short, Medium textures and DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style 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.

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

Which processor do you need for Timberborn?

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

On the processor side Steam asks for 4-core 1.7 GHz at minimum and 4-core 2.9 GHz recommended. Below, each CPU is scored for the frame rate it can feed in Timberborn.

Do not worry too much about the CPU for Timberborn: it sits towards the light end of our scale.

A Core i5-12400F tops out near 248 FPS in Timberborn in our estimates, a handy line to compare against your card.

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

CPU and GPU pairings for Timberborn

Seven real CPU and GPU combinations, and which part limits each one.

All seven pairings below are limited by the GPU rather than the processor at 1440p, so the CPU is unlikely to be the problem in Timberborn for these builds.

The best-balanced pairing is the RTX 5090 with Ryzen 7 9800X3D: its processor ceiling (about 360+ FPS) sits close to what the card can draw (roughly 283 FPS) at 1440p, so neither part is wasted.

Treat the builds as worked examples. Your own CPU and GPU can be tested together in the bottleneck checker.

How much RAM and storage does Timberborn need?

What Steam lists for memory and disk space, and what it means in practice.

The publisher lists 8 GB RAM of memory as the minimum and 16 GB RAM as recommended. In real use, with everything else running, 16 GB is enough for most people.

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

There is no SSD requirement on the page, but faster storage never hurts.

Work out your total in the RAM calculator: it adds Windows, a browser and any streaming to the game's own needs. Time the download with the download time calculator.

Timberborn best graphics settings

A starting point for several popular cards. Each cell is the highest preset that still hits 60 FPS.

The table gives the best-looking setup that still holds 60 FPS in Timberborn for each card and resolution.

• Use upscaling first. It gives up little detail for a large frame-rate gain. Take the gentlest mode that hits the frame rate you want.
• Make one change per test and watch the frame rate, so you know which setting did the work.
• Then trim the costliest options. Shadows, volumetric effects and draw distance usually cost the most, if the game offers them.
• Cap your frame rate to match your display and keep the PC cooler, and check the VRR and frame cap calculator for a sensible figure.
• Leave textures on High when your card has the memory. They barely touch frame rate. This game is estimated at 6.5 GB for 1440p.

Settings assume the game offers an upscaler; check the graphics menu. For advice matched to your own PC, use the best settings generator or compare every mode in the DLSS and frame generation estimator.

Timberborn on gaming laptops

What RTX 50 laptop GPUs manage at common wattages.

Among RTX 50 laptop GPUs, RTX 5050 Laptop, RTX 5060 Laptop, RTX 5070 Laptop, RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, RTX 5080 Laptop, RTX 5090 Laptop clear 60 FPS at 1080p on High at typical wattage, with RTX 5070 Laptop, RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, RTX 5080 Laptop, RTX 5090 Laptop also holding 60 FPS at 1440p.

A laptop GPU is only as fast as the power and cooling its maker allows. Look for the TGP in the spec sheet before relying on any estimate.

Test other power limits in the laptop TGP estimator.

Genre tips: playing Timberborn well on PC

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 lists for Timberborn. It is a prompt for testing, not a technical statement about the game.

• Large unit counts and busy maps can push processor use up late in a session, so a quick CPU helps more than a faster GPU in many strategy games.
• Small teams sometimes skip advanced graphics menus, so resolution scaling and a frame cap may be your best tools.
• Simulation titles often build up complexity over hours of play, so test with a mature save rather than a fresh start.

Timberborn 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 upscaling mode gives up.

Screenshots and artwork are promotional images from the Timberborn Steam store page and belong to Mechanistry.

If you like Timberborn: similar games to check

Related PC game guides on this site.

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

• Going Medieval sits at 23 for graphics demand and is lighter than Timberborn (32). Shared genres: Indie, Simulation, Strategy.
• shapez 2 - Factory: 27 on our demand scale, lighter than Timberborn. Shared genres: Indie, Simulation, Strategy.
• MineMogul: 15 on our demand scale, lighter than Timberborn. Shared genres: Indie, Simulation, Strategy.
• Town to City: demand score 27 against 32 for Timberborn, so it is lighter on graphics. Shared genres: Indie, Simulation, Strategy.
• With a demand score of 23, Two Point Museum is lighter than Timberborn. Shared genres: Indie, Simulation, Strategy.
• Schedule I sits at 32 for graphics demand and is about as demanding as Timberborn (32). Shared genres: Indie, Simulation, Strategy.
• Door Kickers 2: Task Force North: demand score 4 against 32 for Timberborn, so it is lighter on graphics. Shared genres: Indie, Simulation, Strategy.
• With a demand score of 7, Star Birds is lighter than Timberborn. Shared genres: Indie, Simulation, Strategy.

Game facts and Steam reviews for Timberborn

At the time we checked (2026-11-02) Steam showed 24,525 reviews with a Overwhelmingly Positive rating and 96% positive. That is a useful signal for how widely played Timberborn is.

Timberborn has been out for about 8 months, which means drivers and patches are likely still changing its performance. Re-check settings after major updates.

Steam features

Facts come from the public Steam store page. We have not tested the game on every card, so frame rates on this page are modelled estimates.

How the Timberborn estimates work

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

The inputs for Timberborn are a graphics demand of 32 (taken from the recommended card), a processor score of 18 (from the listed processor line) and 5 GB of VRAM at 1080p High (estimated from the demand score).

In short: card performance divided by game demand, adjusted for resolution, preset and upscaling, reduced when VRAM is short and capped by processor speed.

These are modelled estimates, not benchmarks. Real results change with drivers, patches, cooling, the scene you play and your processor. Use the numbers to compare cards and settings, then check them in the game.

Timberborn: your questions answered

Short answers to the most common questions about running Timberborn on PC.

Try Timberborn in our tools