Pax Autocratica System Requirements
Official minimum and recommended PC specs for Pax Autocratica, what each tier gets you at 1080p and 1440p, and what to turn down first if it stutters.
Updated Aug 13 · Last verified: 2026-08-13
Pax Autocratica asks for more than its art style suggests. The minimum spec is a six-core CPU, 16 GB of RAM, and a 6 GB graphics card — this is not a game that runs on an old office laptop.
Everything below is taken from the official Steam store listing, checked on 2026-08-13. Where we add anything beyond the official numbers, we say so.
Official Pax Autocratica specs
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 (64-bit) | Windows 10 (64-bit) |
| Processor | Intel i5-8600 / AMD Ryzen 5 1600x | Intel i7-8700K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or equivalent |
| Memory | 16 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics (1080p) | GTX 1060 6 GB / RX 480 (6 GB+ VRAM) | RTX 2060 Super / RX 5700 XT (8 GB+ VRAM) |
| Graphics (1440p) | GTX 1070 8 GB / RX Vega 56 (8 GB+ VRAM) | — |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Version 11 |
| Storage | 40 GB | 40 GB |
Three things worth pulling out of that table:
- RAM does not scale. Minimum and recommended are both 16 GB. Below 16 GB you are outside the supported configuration entirely, not merely "on low settings"
- The minimum spec is resolution-specific. The developer lists separate GPU floors for 1080p and 1440p, which is unusually honest. If you play at 1440p, the 1060 6 GB is not your minimum — the 1070 8 GB is
- Windows only. No macOS or Linux build. See Platforms and Steam Deck
What each tier actually gets you
The store lists hardware, not frame rates — no developer publishes those. We have not benchmarked the game ourselves, so rather than invent numbers, here is what the spec sheet implies:
- At minimum spec, you are targeting 1080p at reduced settings. The heaviest moments are decisive battles, where unit counts and effects spike — that is where a 1060 will feel it, not in base management
- At recommended spec, 1080p at high settings should be comfortable, with 1440p reachable if you accept some setting cuts
- The colony half is cheap, the combat half is expensive. A game that alternates between managing a base and a first-person battle has two very different loads. Judging performance from the opening colony sequence will mislead you
If you find real benchmark numbers for your card, they belong in the community threads linked from Official Links.
Steam Deck
The game is Valve-rated Playable, not Deck Verified. It runs — Valve's own test notes say the default configuration is performant on Deck hardware — but three issues were flagged, including interface text that is hard to read at Deck resolution.
That legibility flag matters more here than it would in a shooter, because half of this game is menus and resource tables. Full breakdown on Platforms and Steam Deck.
Storage and saves
- 40 GB of free space, same for minimum and recommended
- Steam Cloud is supported, so saves follow you between machines
- Save Anytime is supported — you are not locked to checkpoints
Save manually before a decisive battle. Those are the heaviest scenes in the game and the point where players have reported hard crashes; see Crashes and Fixes.
If Pax Autocratica stutters, turn these down first
In rough order of frames-recovered per unit of visual loss:
- Frame generation and ray tracing — off. These cost the most and, on a marginal power supply, have been linked to full system shutdowns
- Cap the frame rate. 60 fps is plenty for this game and stops your GPU generating heat for frames you never see
- Shadows and effects quality — the biggest spenders during battles
- Resolution scaling before native resolution. Dropping from 1440p to 1080p makes the interface text worse, which hurts a colony sim badly
- Close background apps. With 16 GB as both floor and ceiling of the official spec, memory pressure is real
If your machine powers off entirely rather than stuttering, that is a different problem — go to Crashes and Fixes.
FAQ
Can I run Pax Autocratica on a laptop?
If it has a GTX 1060 6 GB-class GPU or better and 16 GB of RAM, yes. Thin-and-light laptops with integrated graphics will not run it.
Is 8 GB of RAM enough?
No. Both the minimum and the recommended spec call for 16 GB.
Does it run on Mac or Linux?
Not natively. Windows 10 64-bit or newer only. It does run on Steam Deck via Proton at the Playable tier.
How much space does it need?
40 GB free.
Do I need DirectX 12?
No — DirectX 11 is what is listed.
Will the requirements change during Early Access?
Possibly. The game is being patched frequently, and requirements published at launch reflect the launch build. This page records the date it was checked.