Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag — a light title that runs on modest PCs: specs & FPS
2013 · Action · Ubisoft · ESRB Mature · Metacritic 85
Official system requirements
Publisher-published Minimum / Recommended values via RAWG, retrieved 2026-08-21. Real-world performance varies with drivers, resolution and your full build.
| Spec | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Minimum: | Recommended: |
| Processor | OS: Windows Vista SP2 or Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8 (both 32/64bit versions) | OS: Windows Vista SP2 or Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8 (both 32/64bit versions) |
| Memory | Processor: Intel Core2Quad Q8400 @ 2.6 GHz or AMD Athlon II X4 620 @ 2.6 GHz | Processor: Intel Core i5 2400S @ 2.5 GHz or better or AMD Phenom II x4 940 @ 3.0 GHz |
| Graphics | Memory: 2 GB RAM | Memory: 4 GB RAM |
| Storage | Graphics: Nvidia Geforce GTX 260 or AMD Radeon HD 4870 (512MB VRAM with shader Model 4.0 or higher) | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 470 or AMD Radeon HD 5850 (1024MB VRAM with Shader Model 5.0) or better |
| DirectX | Storage: 30 GB available space | Storage: 30 GB available space |
| Item 7 | Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Card with latest drivers | Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Card with latest drivers |
| Item 8 | Additional Notes: Windows-Compatible keyboard and mouse required, controller optional. | Additional Notes: Supported video cards at the time of release: Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 or better and GeForce GTX 400, GTX 500, GTX 600 and GTX 700 series. AMD Radeon HD4870 or better and Radeon HD5000, HD6000 and HD7000 series. Note: Latest GeForce drivers tested: 327.23 for all series. Latest Radeon drivers tested: 13.1 for Radeon HD4000, 13.4 for Radeon HD5000, HD6000 and HD7000 series on Vista and 13.9 for Radeon HD5000, HD6000 and HD7000 series on Win7 and Win8. Laptop versions of these cards may work but are NOT officially supported. |
Multi-GPU FPS estimate
Estimated average FPS by GPU at 1080p / 1440p / 4K, derived from Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag's demand tier (tier 3, Light (entry discrete GPU)) and published TechPowerUp-style relative-performance indices (RTX 4090 = 100), retrieved 2026-08-29. Planning estimates, not benchmarks.
| GPU | 1080p | 1440p | 4K |
|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 4090 | 285 | 188 | 108 |
| RTX 4080 Super | 256 | 169 | 97 |
| RTX 4080 | 246 | 162 | 93 |
| RX 7900 XTX | 273 | 180 | 104 |
| RX 7900 XT | 256 | 169 | 97 |
| RTX 4070 Ti Super | 218 | 144 | 83 |
| RX 7800 XT | 218 | 144 | 83 |
| RTX 4070 Super | 205 | 135 | 78 |
| RTX 4070 | 192 | 127 | 73 |
| RX 7700 XT | 198 | 130 | 75 |
| RTX 3070 | 179 | 118 | 68 |
| RX 6800 XT | 215 | 142 | 82 |
| RTX 4060 Ti | 158 | 104 | 60 |
| RX 6700 XT | 192 | 127 | 73 |
| RTX 3060 | 145 | 95 | 55 |
| RX 6600 XT | 163 | 108 | 62 |
| RTX 2060 | 131 | 86 | 50 |
| GTX 1660 Super | 108 | 71 | 41 |
| RX 580 | 125 | 83 | 48 |
| GTX 1060 6GB | 102 | 68 | 39 |
| GTX 1650 | 82 | 54 | 31 |
| Intel Arc A770 | 166 | 110 | 63 |
| UHD 770 (integrated) | 33 | 22 | 13 |
Method: a game's demand tier maps to a “GPU index needed for ~60 FPS at 1080p”; each GPU's relative index produces an estimate via a diminishing-returns curve, then scaled for resolution. Source: TechPowerUp GPU database (relative performance), 2026-08-29.
For the full hardware spec sheet and a deeper performance breakdown, see Full specs & performance data on GameFigs.
Age rating & regional compliance
GameRulePro pairs each title with its ESRB age rating and, where documented, real regulatory notes on loot boxes, skin gambling and randomized monetization. Every line is source-linked and labeled with its retrieval date. This is an educational reference, not legal advice — verify the specifics that apply to your jurisdiction.
| Field | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Age rating | ESRB Mature | ESRB rating via RAWG.io, retrieved 2026-08-21. |
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Open profile →Best graphics settings for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
Pick your PC and get a starting preset — resolution, upscaler, shadows, ray tracing and an FPS cap — tuned to how demanding Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is on hardware. Print it and tune from there. Everything runs in your browser.
Best graphics settings for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag hardware-demand tier: 3/9. Pick your PC above to get a starting preset, then tune up if you have FPS headroom or down if you're under your target.
Estimated starting point — real FPS depends on drivers, thermals and background load.
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag — Best settings (Mid-range (GTX 1660 – RTX 3060))
Generated at GameRulePro · 2026-09-25
Release, patch & rule-change notes
Official release date: 2013-10-29. Ongoing patches and version history are published by the developer — for the latest patch notes, see the official store or support page. GameRulePro summarizes the official release only and does not invent patch dates. When a developer ships a rule-affecting update (balance pass, mode change, or ranked-reset), re-run the generator above to keep your house rules in sync.
About Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
Assasin's Creed IV: Black Flag is a pirate game. Being the fourth “numbered” instalment in the series, the story follows a new protagonist, Edward Kenway, who tries to build his Pirate Republic. Help legendary pirates like "Blackbeard", Charles Vane and other well-known pirates establish their empire while fighting the mystery of the Observatory - something very valuable for the Templars. Also, you will have to continue your infiltration in Abstergo and discover some new details about itself.
Although being in the Assasin's Creed series, the game provides you with some new mechanics. Giving the player full control of the ship, you will have to cross the open-world sea and fight for your piracy. Ships will be sinking, destroyed and massacred. If you prefer exploring, a whole new underwater world is ready for you with its beauty and danger lurking in the streams of Carribeans. Experience the pirate life at its best. (?) (needs a better ending)
Performance reality & how to tune Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
GameRulePro editorial — these notes are based on Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag's published specifications and genre profile, not a single benchmark run. Use them to set expectations before you open the settings menu.
As a 2013 action title, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag sits at demand tier 3 (Light (entry discrete GPU)) — light on PC. It is light enough for older hardware and even integrated graphics at lower settings.
What to tune first on Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
- Start from the Best graphics settings generator on this page for a hardware-matched preset.
- Shadows and post-processing effects are usually the cheapest FPS wins.
- If you crash or stutter, jump to the crash-fix and optimization guides linked below.
The FPS table above is a model estimate from the demand-tier + GPU-index method. Real frame rates vary with drivers, background apps, thermals and resolution. Treat it as a buying or upgrade planning aid, then verify in-game. For step-by-step fixes, see the crash-fix and optimization guides linked on this page.
Sources & attribution
- Game data (release year, genres, platforms, system requirements, description, cover art) via RAWG.io, retrieved 2026-08-21.
- GPU relative-performance indices via TechPowerUp GPU database (relative performance), retrieved 2026-08-29.
- FPS estimates on this page are GameRulePro planning estimates from the demand-tier + GPU-index model — not benchmark results.
- House rules and tournament formats are community-style templates for casual play, not official rulebooks.
- Pre-launch intelligence (release windows, settings, editions, pricing, beta dates) is compiled from each title's official publisher / studio announcements and is source-linked per item with its retrieval date (2026-09-09). Where a detail is from reporting rather than a primary source, the item's source line states so. This is preview material, not an official specification.
- Per-game age-rating & regional compliance reference (ESRB rating via RAWG; curated regulatory notes) from the GameRulePro game-rules dataset, retrieved 2026-08-29.
How the Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag FPS estimate and rules generator are computed
Each game is scored on a 0–9 demand tier from its published PC requirements (and a year/genre fallback when requirements are absent). The FPS estimate compares your selected GPU's relative-performance index against the tier's required index using a diminishing-returns curve, then scales for resolution. The rules and tournament builder is a community-style template engine: it formats your group size, match format and tiebreaks into a printable sheet. All outputs are planning guides — verify in-game and agree house rules with your group before play.
Do more with Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
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