XCOM: Enemy Unknown — Settings, Requirements & Optimization
2012 · Strategy · Feral Interactive · Metacritic 89

Optimize XCOM: Enemy Unknown 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 XCOM: Enemy Unknown for your PC
This is a planning estimate derived from the game's demand tier, not a benchmark.
My XCOM: Enemy Unknown Settings Card
Generated at GameFigs on 2026-08-21. Game demand tier: 2/9.
Official system requirements
Publisher-published Minimum / Recommended values via RAWG. Real-world performance varies with drivers, resolution and your full build.
| Spec | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Minimum: | Recommended: |
| Processor | OS:Windows Vista | OS:Windows 7 |
| Memory | Processor:2 GHz Dual Core | Processor:2 GHz Dual Core (Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or Athlon X2 2.7 GHz) |
| Graphics | Memory:2 GB RAM | Memory:4 GB RAM |
| Storage | Graphics:NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT / ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT or greater | Graphics:NVIDIA GeForce 9000 series / ATI Radeon HD 3000 series or greater |
| DirectX | DirectX®:9.0 | DirectX®:9.0 |
| Item 7 | Hard Drive:20 GB HD space | Hard Drive:20 GB HD space |
| Item 8 | Sound:DirectX Compatible | Sound:DirectX Compatible |
About XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Any alien invasion meets resistance in some form, so in this reboot of the series, players will take the mantle of the XCOM commander, and control the elite scientists and soldiers, in order to stop the threat. After successfully neutralizing scout ships, securing the crash site and retrieving civilians, XCOM personnel, and alien corpses, it’s clear that all of them are genetically and cybernetically altered, which starts the beginning of the arms race with the invaders. During the missions X-COM: Enemy Unknown is a turn-based tactical game, while in the downtime players will direct the organization, form units, oversee the research, expand the base of operations and manage resources. Complex combat consists of units taking turns to perform their actions with a top-down view of the battlefield. XCOM soldiers and aliens can take cover during battles, and miss their shots and attacks if anything affects their accuracy. Over the course of the game, players will be able to gain access to new technology while encountering new varied enemy types.
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Tune settings →Sources & attribution
- Game data (release year, genres, platforms, system requirements, description, cover art) via RAWG.io, retrieved 2026-08-21.
- FPS bands, presets and upscaler advice on this page are GameFigs planning estimates from the game's demand tier — not benchmark results.
How the XCOM: Enemy Unknown optimization card is 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). Your GPU and CPU selections map to comparable-class scores. The generator compares your hardware score against the game's demand to pick a starting preset, estimate an FPS band at 1080p/1440p/4K, and recommend an upscaler (DLSS / FSR 3) and ray-tracing posture. The output is a planning guide — always verify in-game with the built-in benchmark when available.