Fallout 3 — System Requirements, FPS Estimate & Settings
2008 · Shooter, RPG · Bethesda Game Studios · ESRB Mature · Metacritic 91
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 | Operating system: Windows XP/Vista | Operating system: Windows XP/Vista |
| Memory | Processor: 2.4 Ghz Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent processor | Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo processor |
| Graphics | Memory: 1 GB (XP)/ 2 GB (Vista) | Memory: 2 GB System RAM |
| Storage | Hard disk space: 7 GB | Hard disk space: 7 GB |
| DirectX | Video: Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 256MB RAM (NVIDIA 6800 or better/ATI X850 or better) | Video: Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 512MB RAM (NVIDIA 8800 series, ATI 3800 series) |
| Item 7 | Sound: DirectX®: 9.0c | Sound: DirectX®: 9.0c |
| Item 8 | Controller support: Xbox 360 controller | Controller support: Xbox 360 controller |
Multi-GPU FPS estimate
Estimated average FPS by GPU at 1080p / 1440p / 4K, derived from Fallout 3's demand tier (tier 8, Very demanding (flagship 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 | 67 | 44 | 25 |
| RTX 4080 Super | 60 | 40 | 23 |
| RTX 4080 | 58 | 38 | 22 |
| RX 7900 XTX | 64 | 42 | 24 |
| RX 7900 XT | 60 | 40 | 23 |
| RTX 4070 Ti Super | 51 | 34 | 19 |
| RX 7800 XT | 51 | 34 | 19 |
| RTX 4070 Super | 48 | 32 | 18 |
| RTX 4070 | 45 | 30 | 17 |
| RX 7700 XT | 46 | 31 | 18 |
| RTX 3070 | 42 | 28 | 16 |
| RX 6800 XT | 51 | 33 | 19 |
| RTX 4060 Ti | 37 | 24 | 14 |
| RX 6700 XT | 45 | 30 | 17 |
| RTX 3060 | 34 | 22 | 13 |
| RX 6600 XT | 38 | 25 | 15 |
| RTX 2060 | 31 | 20 | 12 |
| GTX 1660 Super | 25 | 17 | 10 |
| RX 580 | 29 | 19 | 11 |
| GTX 1060 6GB | 24 | 16 | 9 |
| GTX 1650 | 19 | 13 | 8 |
| Intel Arc A770 | 39 | 26 | 15 |
| UHD 770 (integrated) | 8 | 8 | 8 |
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.
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Open profile →Optimize Fallout 3 for your hardware
Pick your GPU, CPU, resolution and target refresh rate, then generate a printable settings card with per-preset expectations and upscaler guidance.
Optimize Fallout 3 for your PC
This is a planning estimate derived from the game's demand tier, not a benchmark.
My Fallout 3 Settings Card
Generated at GameFigs on 2026-09-25. Game demand tier: 8/9.
Release & version notes
Official release date: 2008-10-28. Ongoing patches and version history are published by the developer — for the latest patch notes, see the official store or support page. GameFigs summarizes the official release only and does not invent patch dates.
About Fallout 3
Fallout 3 is a legendary action RPG, which continues the Fallout franchise. Players dive into the events held 36 years after Fallout 2's ending. The game is set in the post-apocalyptic open world known as the “Capital Wasteland.” According to the storyline, by 2277, the whole familiar world finds itself devastated. The cataclysm is the consequence of the nuclear war of 2077 between USA and China. The only people left on Earth are lucky ones, who managed to stay alive on the surface, and those, who made their way to the warehouses provided by Vaul-Tech (like the main character). In the very beginning, the protagonist wakes up inside the Vault 101. His only aim is to find his father who left the warehouse some time ago. On his way, he will contact other survivors (both gangs and singles) and explore entire restoring areas of Washington D.C., Northern Virginia, and Maryland. The game offers countless progress opportunities, so the gameplay is overloaded with various features including types of customization, numerous conversations with NPC’s, side quests – everything that an average player is going to face.
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 GameFigs planning estimates from the demand-tier + GPU-index model — not benchmark results.
How the Fallout 3 optimization card & FPS estimate 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 settings card maps the demand tier and your hardware to a starting preset, an FPS band and an upscaler recommendation. All outputs are planning guides — verify in-game with the built-in benchmark when available.
Tools for Fallout 3
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