DriveClub Recomp Wiki / Requirements
DriveClub PC port system requirements
What DriveClub Recomp needs from your processor, graphics card, memory and disk, how NVIDIA, AMD and Intel cards fare, and what frame rates the project measured.
- Vulkan 1.3
- AVX + BMI1 + LZCNT + MOVBE
- ~40 GB
- Windows 10/11 x64
DriveClub Recomp runs the game’s own code on your processor and translates its graphics to Vulkan, so the requirements are closer to a modern PC game than to an emulator. These numbers come from the project’s README, launcher checks and the benchmarks in its release notes up to v0.4.2.
Minimum system requirements
| Component | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. Linux x86_64 through the AppImage (experimental since 0.4.1). |
| Processor | x86-64 with AVX, BMI1, LZCNT and MOVBE: Intel Haswell (2013) or newer, AMD Excavator or any Ryzen. The launcher checks this and names what is missing. |
| Graphics | Any card with a Vulkan 1.3 driver: NVIDIA, AMD or Intel. There is no DirectX 12 renderer; all GPU work goes through Vulkan. |
| Video memory | No fixed minimum. Since 0.2.5 and 0.3.0, buffers and images move to system memory when a 4–6 GB card is full instead of closing the game; 4K output can still run out on 8 GB cards. |
| Disk space | About 40 GB for your game dumps, plus about 170 MB for the extracted release and a shader cache that grows as you play. |
| Runtime | The new launcher needs the free .NET 8 Desktop Runtime (it offers to install it); the classic launcher needs nothing. |
| Game | Your own DriveClub dump at version 1.28: CUSA00093 (US, the tested one) or CUSA00003 (Europe, accepted, played less). |
The launcher checks the processor and the Vulkan 1.3 driver before starting. If it ever refuses hardware that works, the Skip the hardware check option starts the game anyway.
Recommended PC by target
The project publishes no recommended tiers; this table combines its test PC, the benchmark history and the launcher presets.
| Target | Processor | Graphics | Settings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | Quad-core Haswell-era Intel or Ryzen 3 with AVX | Vulkan 1.3 card with 4–6 GB (or recent integrated graphics) | Handheld or Low preset, 30 or 60 FPS, Static (faster) reflections, FSR Performance |
| Recommended | Modern 6–8 core (Ryzen 5/7, Core i5/i7) | 8 GB GeForce RTX or Radeon RX 6000+ | Medium/High, 1080p–1440p output, DLSS or FSR Quality, 60 FPS or Unlocked (VRR) |
| 4K | Fast 8-core, e.g. Ryzen 7 5800X3D (the test PC) | RTX 5070 Ti class (the test PC) | Ultra, 4K output, DLSS Performance: ~60 FPS in the heaviest scenes, ~100 FPS average in the 0.4.0 benchmark |
Graphics cards: NVIDIA, AMD and Intel
All three vendors run through Vulkan, with Resizable BAR used automatically where the driver allows it. The developers test mostly on NVIDIA. AMD received the most fixes: “device lost” crashes (0.2.4–0.3.1), white grid squares (0.3.0–0.3.1), rain on the windshield (0.3.2, verified on an RX 7900 XTX), and two-thread rendering off by default on AMD and under Wine/Proton since 0.3.1. Intel stopped using dynamic vertex input in 0.2.3 after black silhouettes. Laptops with two graphics chips got a black-screen fix in 0.4.0 (#284).
Upscalers and GPU features
| Feature | Needs | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FSR 3.1 | Any graphics card | Anti-aliasing and upscaling |
| FSR 4 (INT8) | Radeon RX 6000 or newer, GeForce RTX, Intel Arc | Sharper, costs more per frame |
| FSR 4.1 (Radeon) | Radeon cards | AMD’s newer model; ghosting reported on some cards (#348) |
| DLSS / DLAA | GeForce RTX | Falls back to FSR if unavailable |
| Neural rendering | GeForce RTX + nvngx_dlssnr.dll next to the game | F11 on/off, Shift+F11 next style |
| NVIDIA Reflex | GeForce | Lower input delay |
| AMD Anti-Lag 2 | Radeon | Lower input delay |
Frame rate and benchmarks
The README’s figure: about 60 FPS at 4K in the heaviest scenes on an RTX 5070 Ti with a Ryzen 7 5800X3D, higher in lighter ones. The release notes record matched benchmarks on the same PC:
| Release | Test | Result | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.2.3 | 4K test race | ≈62 → 71 FPS | Command-thread costs cut |
| 0.3.2 | Japan Road Circuit, Ferrari 458, heavy rain, 4K DLAA, 120 s AI | 51.3 → 57.5 FPS avg; 1% low 30.7 → 50.7 | Load time 26.9 → 15.1 s |
| 0.4.0 | Same scene, 1080p render → 4K output, DLSS Performance | 91.4 → 101.2 FPS avg; 1% low 60.4 → 68.1 | LTO + recorded profile, +11% |
| 0.4.2 | 4K, DLSS Performance | about −6% with Reduce texture repetition on | On by default for High and Ultra |
Other testers in 0.3.2: +8.8% where the processor is the limit and +28–36% where the GPU is, on an RTX 3070 laptop; +4.3% with DLAA on an i5-14600K and RTX 5070 Ti. Run your own with the launcher’s Benchmark card: pick track, car, time, weather and length, and the AI drives; you get average FPS with 1% and 0.1% lows, saved to data\user\benchmark\result.txt.
Memory, page file and disk
- The game reserves a large block of memory at start. Since 0.4.2 the log warns when Windows has almost no commit left after that; the driver then fails allocations and the game crashes soon after (#327, #345). Enlarge the Windows page file (or let Windows manage it on a drive with free space).
- Output sizes above 1080p need a memory patch; the launcher adds it for you.
- Keep about 40 GB for the dumps plus room for the release and the shader cache in
data\user\cache.
Handheld PCs and laptops
The Handheld preset uses small render sizes and Static (faster) reflections, which are much faster but stop rain on the glass from updating. The project has not published a Steam Deck test; an ROG Ally (Z1 Extreme) report of a crash right after pressing Play is open (#359). Laptops with two GPUs should use 0.4.0 or later so the right chip is picked.
A controller to play with
Any gamepad works. A DualSense on a USB cable adds adaptive triggers and haptics; an Xbox Wireless Controller gets impulse triggers since v0.4.2; the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 Wireless and GameSir Cyclone 2 work as standard pads. See controller and wheel setup.
As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. Controller links go to Amazon; this site is not connected with the project or the controller makers.
Frequently asked questions
What are the DriveClub PC port system requirements?
Windows 10 or 11 64-bit, a processor with AVX, BMI1, LZCNT and MOVBE (Intel Haswell from 2013 or newer, AMD Excavator or any Ryzen), a graphics card with a Vulkan 1.3 driver from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel, and about 40 GB of free space for your game dumps. The new launcher also uses the free .NET 8 Desktop Runtime.
Does DriveClub Recomp use DirectX 12?
No. All of the game’s GPU work is translated to Vulkan, so the requirement is a Vulkan 1.3 driver. That is also why it runs on Linux. Overlays and tools that hook DirectX are not involved; the launcher even keeps overlay programs out of the game unless you allow them.
Why does the game close right after starting with exception 0xc000001d?
Your processor lacks an instruction the game’s code uses (AVX, BMI1, LZCNT or MOVBE). Since 0.2.2 the launcher checks this and says what is missing. Pre-Haswell Intel CPUs and AMD CPUs older than Excavator cannot run it.
How much VRAM do I need?
There is no published minimum. Cards with 4 GB and 6 GB stopped closing when full in 0.2.5 and 0.3.0: data now moves to system memory and the game runs slower instead. At 4K output an 8 GB card can still run out of the game’s memory and crash when an event starts, so use a lower output or upscaling there.
Is DriveClub Recomp limited by the CPU or the GPU?
Usually the processor. The README says heavy scenes with many cars, trees and rain drop frames first on slower CPUs, and the 0.4.0 profile-guided build helped most where the processor is the limit. Upscaling (DLSS or FSR Performance) lowers the GPU load if your graphics card is the bottleneck.
Can I play above 120 FPS?
Not reliably. Above about 120 FPS the game’s movement timing breaks (the car can run slower or behave wrongly). Use Unlocked (VRR) with a frame cap, or cap the frame rate in your graphics driver if you choose Unlimited.