Darksiders — a light title that runs on modest PCs: specs & FPS
2010 · Action · THQ · ESRB Mature · Metacritic 83
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 XP SP3, Vista SP1, Windows 7, DirectX 9.0c | OS: Windows XP SP3, Vista SP1, Windows 7, DirectX 9.0c |
| Memory | Processor: AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3800+ 2.4Ghz or better, Intel Pentium 4 530 3.0Ghz Processor or better | Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Dual Core 2.60Ghz, Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Dual Core 2.13Ghz |
| Graphics | Memory: 1GB XP, 2GB Vista / Windows 7 | Memory: 2GB XP, 3GB Vista / Windows 7 |
| Storage | Hard Disk Space: 12GB | Hard Disk Space: 12GB |
| DirectX | Video Card: NVIDIA (GeForce 8800/GeForce GT220) 256MB graphics card or better, ATI Radeon X1900 256MB graphics card or better ( must support pixel shader 3 ) | Video Card: NVIDIA (GeForce GTS 240) 256MB graphics card or better, ATI Radeon HD3870 256MB graphics card or better ( must support pixel shader 3 ) |
Multi-GPU FPS estimate
Estimated average FPS by GPU at 1080p / 1440p / 4K, derived from Darksiders'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 Darksiders
Pick your PC and get a starting preset — resolution, upscaler, shadows, ray tracing and an FPS cap — tuned to how demanding Darksiders is on hardware. Print it and tune from there. Everything runs in your browser.
Best graphics settings for Darksiders
Darksiders 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.
Darksiders — Best settings (Mid-range (GTX 1660 – RTX 3060))
Generated at GameRulePro · 2026-09-25
Release, patch & rule-change notes
Official release date: 2010-01-05. 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 Darksiders
In Darksiders, you play as War - one of the Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse. Two kingdoms, Heaven and Hell, could never solve their disagreements and battled each other from the beginning of time. "The Charred Council" arose in between two sides forming the brotherhood of Four Horsemen - War, Death, Strife and Fury. With these for horsemen on the watch and all the conflicts end, humanity has been born - a "Kingdom of Man". Council has created Seven Seals, that must be broken, when "The Kingdom of Man" will be ready for an Endwar. When our protagonist, War arrives on Earth, he sees that the final battle between Good and Evil already emerged without breaking Seven Seals. After fighting a demon called Straga, he is summoned by the council. It accuses him of destroying the balance, and that now the Apocalypse is unstoppable. Convincing the council in his innocence, War now has to stop the Endwar. Darksiders is a typical hack-and-slash game that lets you produce comboes with two primary weapons - Chaoseater and Scythe - and various gadgets. While defeating his enemies, War can execute them with brutality. The gameplay is undertoned with dark mythology bound with the present days.
Performance reality & how to tune Darksiders
GameRulePro editorial — these notes are based on Darksiders's published specifications and genre profile, not a single benchmark run. Use them to set expectations before you open the settings menu.
As a 2010 action title, Darksiders 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 Darksiders
- 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 Darksiders 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 Darksiders
Can I run it? FPS calculator
Estimate frame rates at 1080p, 1440p and 4K for your exact GPU.
Open →Step 2Crash fixes & FPS optimization
Every fix and optimization guide for this and every other title.
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