How much RAM do you really need for gaming in 2026

How many gigabytes of RAM are enough to comfortably play modern games? Testing Games has broken down the results of tests on a high-end system to find where the line lies between "the game launches" and "the game runs properly."

How the testing was conducted

The tests were run on a configuration with an Intel Core i9-14900K processor, an ASUS TUF Gaming Z790-Plus D4 motherboard, DDR4-2666 memory, and an RTX 5090 graphics card. Games were run at 4K resolution.

Results across games

In most titles, the picture was fairly consistent:

• 4 GB — critically insufficient in many cases. Some games don't launch at all; in others, performance drops by half or more.
• 8 GB — playable, but with noticeable limitations. Frame rates are often lower than on 16 GB, especially in heavy scenes.
• 16 GB — the sweet spot. This is where most games hit comfortable performance levels.
• 32 GB — offers almost no improvement over 16 GB. The difference is either negligible or within the margin of error.

What specific titles showed

In Forza Horizon 6 and Crimson Desert, the jump from 8 to 16 GB delivered a noticeable boost. In Cyberpunk 2077, the difference between 8 and 16 GB was also clear. Meanwhile, Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced barely responded to increased memory. The Last of Us Part II wouldn't launch at all on 4 GB, but ran acceptably on 8 GB.

In less demanding games like CS2, the gain from extra gigabytes was modest but still present.

Conclusions

4 GB of RAM is no longer enough for modern games in 2026. 8 GB allows most titles to run, but often with performance trade-offs. The real "sweet spot" remains 16 GB. Moving to 32 GB offers virtually no gaming benefit and makes more sense for heavy applications, video editing, or multitasking.

In brief

Tests have shown that for comfortable gaming in 2026, 16 GB of RAM is the optimal amount. 4 GB is no longer sufficient, 8 GB works with limitations, and 32 GB offers almost no improvement over 16 GB. Sixteen gigabytes is currently the sensible minimum for modern gaming at high resolutions.