The game is not very demanding either on the video card or on the amount of its memory
TechPowerUp has published a large review of the performance of Horizon Forbidden West on PC. We have previously discussed the relatively low requirements of the project, but now we can look at it more comprehensively and accurately.
It’s worth starting not even with the performance of specific video cards, but with video memory consumption. It turned out that even in 4K at maximum settings the game requires less than 9 GB of memory on the video card! For a modern project this is very modest. Considering how modern games treat VRAM, it's safe to say that 8GB of VRAM is sufficient for gaming in any mode, which is confirmed by comparing the RTX 4060 Ti 8GB and 16GB, although there are tests indicating that in this case Frame generation doesn't work very well.
As for performance, in Full HD a basic 30 fps at maximum settings can already be achieved on the GeForce RTX 3050, and even in 2K there will be 29 fps. 60 fps in Full HD is achieved by cards of the Radeon RX 7600 and GeForce RTX 4060 level. In 2K, adapters of the RTX 4060 Ti or RX 6700 XT level can achieve this. And this, let us remind you, is one of the most beautiful games of the PlayStation 5 generation at the time of release, according to a number of thematic resources.
In 4K, as always, the load is significantly higher. For 30 fps, you need something on the level of an RTX 3060 Ti or RX 6700 XT, and 60 fps will only be achieved by expensive cards, starting with the RTX 4070 Ti. As a reminder, there is no ray tracing in the game.
It's worth noting that in Horizon Forbidden West, as in many other open world games, different locations have different performance requirements, and the difference can be quite significant. In addition, the average performance indicators are described above, and ideally take into account the minimum ones.
The reviewers say the game's graphics look great, especially considering the sheer size of the open world.
Most textures are highly detailed, making for a visually rich and immersive gameplay experience, but some NPCs look a bit subpar, both in terms of texturing and geometric complexity. The visual artists made sure that the cutscenes rendered in real time looked MUCH better than the gameplay rendering — The textures and models here are top notch. I also loved the facial expressions in the cutscenes, they are some of the most realistic I've ever seen in a game. Thanks to the excellent depiction of vegetation, the post-apocalyptic Earth comes to life, its dense vegetation adding depth and realism to the landscapes. However, the cities and settlements look a little dated, and there is a noticeable lack of detail in geometry and textures.