Middle-earth: Shadow of War — pre-launch: what we know about PC specs & performance
2017 · Action, RPG · Warner Bros. Interactive · ESRB Mature · Metacritic 82
Official system requirements
Official system requirements for Middle-earth: Shadow of War are not yet indexed on GameRulePro. Check the publisher's store page for the authoritative Minimum / Recommended specs. Based on its release era and genre, our demand model places it at tier 4 (Moderate (mainstream GPU)).
Multi-GPU FPS estimate
Estimated average FPS by GPU at 1080p / 1440p / 4K, derived from Middle-earth: Shadow of War's demand tier (tier 4, Moderate (mainstream 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 | 202 | 133 | 77 |
| RTX 4080 Super | 181 | 119 | 69 |
| RTX 4080 | 174 | 115 | 66 |
| RX 7900 XTX | 193 | 128 | 73 |
| RX 7900 XT | 181 | 119 | 69 |
| RTX 4070 Ti Super | 154 | 102 | 59 |
| RX 7800 XT | 154 | 102 | 59 |
| RTX 4070 Super | 145 | 96 | 55 |
| RTX 4070 | 136 | 90 | 52 |
| RX 7700 XT | 140 | 92 | 53 |
| RTX 3070 | 127 | 84 | 48 |
| RX 6800 XT | 153 | 101 | 58 |
| RTX 4060 Ti | 112 | 74 | 43 |
| RX 6700 XT | 136 | 90 | 52 |
| RTX 3060 | 102 | 68 | 39 |
| RX 6600 XT | 116 | 76 | 44 |
| RTX 2060 | 93 | 61 | 35 |
| GTX 1660 Super | 77 | 51 | 29 |
| RX 580 | 89 | 59 | 34 |
| GTX 1060 6GB | 73 | 48 | 28 |
| GTX 1650 | 58 | 38 | 22 |
| Intel Arc A770 | 118 | 78 | 45 |
| UHD 770 (integrated) | 24 | 16 | 9 |
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 Middle-earth: Shadow of War
Pick your PC and get a starting preset — resolution, upscaler, shadows, ray tracing and an FPS cap — tuned to how demanding Middle-earth: Shadow of War is on hardware. Print it and tune from there. Everything runs in your browser.
Best graphics settings for Middle-earth: Shadow of War
Middle-earth: Shadow of War hardware-demand tier: 4/9. 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.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War — Best settings (Mid-range (GTX 1660 – RTX 3060))
Generated at GameRulePro · 2026-09-25
Release, patch & rule-change notes
Official release date: 2017-09-27. 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 Middle-earth: Shadow of War
Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a continuation of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor The game operates on the world and the characters of the books of JRR Tolkien. However, it will be more accurate to say that the game is closer to the cinematic version of this story, created by director Peter Jackson. This is noticeable both in the visual solutions of some locations, and in the events themselves and their location in time relative to each other.
Judging by the events, the game takes place between the events of the books "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings". However, in the game there are also such events as the fall of the city-fortress of Minas Ithil and its transformation into Minas Morgul - in books these events occur several thousand years earlier.
As in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, in the game Middle-earth: Shadow of War, the Nemesis system operates. This system provides a change in the world of the game and its inhabitants from the actions of the player. Therefore, each passage differs from other passages. For the game Middle-earth: Shadow of War, the Nemesis system has been improved.
Performance reality & how to tune Middle-earth: Shadow of War
GameRulePro editorial — these notes are based on Middle-earth: Shadow of War's published specifications and genre profile, not a single benchmark run. Use them to set expectations before you open the settings menu.
As a 2017 action title, Middle-earth: Shadow of War sits at demand tier 4 (Moderate (mainstream GPU)) — moderately demanding on PC. Most discrete GPUs from the last few generations run it fine at 1080p with headroom to spare.
What to tune first on Middle-earth: Shadow of War
- Open-world RPGs lean on CPU and storage in busy towns — SSD + dual-channel RAM first.
- Shadows and lighting scale hardest; keep textures high since they mostly use VRAM.
- An upscaler at 4K recovers the most frames with the smallest visual hit.
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 Middle-earth: Shadow of War 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.
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