Working out whether your computer can run it
Step 2 of 5
This step is the one most readers skip and then regret. Games in this category are desktop software: they are installed on a computer running Windows, macOS or Linux, and they will run well, badly, or not at all depending on parts you may never have looked at. The good news is that finding out takes about ten minutes and costs nothing.
The five things that matter
Every requirements list for a game of this kind is a statement about five components. You do not need to understand how they work, only where to read their names.
| Component | What it does in a game |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows, macOS or Linux, and which version. A game built for one does not run on another unless the publisher says it does. |
| Processor (CPU) | Handles the rules of the game: movement, damage, who can see whom. A weak one shows up as stuttering when a lot is happening at once. |
| Memory (RAM) | Working space. Too little and the computer starts swapping to disk, which feels like everything slowing down together. |
| Graphics (GPU) | Draws the picture. This is usually the part that decides whether the game looks good or merely works. |
| Storage | Space for the installed game and its updates. Large online games grow over time, so leave headroom. |
Finding them on your own machine
Each operating system has a screen that lists all of this. You are not changing anything — you are reading.
On Windows
- Press the Windows key, type System Information, and open the result.
- Read "OS Name" and "OS Version" at the top, then "Processor" and "Installed Physical Memory".
- Expand "Components", then "Display", and read the adapter name and its memory.
- For free space, open File Explorer, select "This PC", and read the bar under your main drive.
On macOS
- Open the Apple menu and choose "About This Mac".
- Read the macOS version, the chip or processor name, and the memory figure.
- Choose "More Info" and then "System Report" for the graphics entry.
- Free space is under the Storage heading in System Settings.
On Linux
- Most desktop environments have an "About" or "Details" panel in Settings showing the distribution, memory and graphics.
- In a terminal, lscpu reports the processor, free -h the memory, and df -h the free space.
- Note which graphics driver you are using, since on Linux this is often the deciding factor.
Write the results on paper. You will compare them against a published list, and nobody remembers a processor model number for longer than a minute.
Reading a requirements list
Published requirements come in two columns, and the difference between them is the single most useful thing in this step.
Minimum means the game will start and be playable. It does not mean it will look good, run smoothly in a busy moment, or keep working comfortably after a year of updates. Treat minimum as a floor, not a target.
Recommended means the publisher expects a reasonable experience at ordinary settings. If your machine meets or beats the recommended column, you can stop worrying about hardware.
Comparing component by component is straightforward for memory and storage, because they are numbers: 8 is more than 4. Processors and graphics cards are harder, because the names encode a generation and a tier that are not obvious. The practical approach is to look up your own part and the listed part on the manufacturer's own product pages — Intel, AMD, Apple and NVIDIA all publish specifications for their parts — and compare the generation and the tier. If your part is newer and in the same or a higher tier, it will generally be at least as capable.
Where the vendor publishes no requirements list, or publishes one you cannot find, that is worth noticing rather than guessing around. For World of Tanks, what the publisher states to us about platforms is that it runs on desktop computers — Windows, macOS and Linux. We do not have a component-level requirements list from the vendor, so this course does not invent one; check the vendor's own site for current figures before you install. If you want to look, you can visit the World of Tanks website.
Paid affiliate link: a commission is paid to this site if you create and activate an account afterwards. Your costs are unaffected, and Step 2 works just as well with any other title.
The connection, which the list rarely mentions
An online game needs a network connection that is steady more than it needs one that is fast. Two different qualities are involved.
Bandwidth is how much data can move per second. It matters most for the first download and for patches, which can be several gigabytes. On a metered or satellite connection, that first download is the expensive part, and it is worth checking your plan's allowance before starting it.
Latency is how long a single message takes to reach the server and come back. It matters during play, and it depends mostly on distance and on how congested the connection is. A household in regional Australia playing in the evening may have ample bandwidth and still find the game feels delayed, because the local network is busy. Playing at a different hour, or moving the computer onto a cable instead of wireless, often changes this more than any setting inside the game.
Whether a game offers a server in or near Australia is a question for its publisher. Where the vendor does not state this, assume nothing: try it and judge how it feels rather than relying on a number.
Laptops, integrated graphics and heat
Two things about laptops are worth saying plainly. First, many laptops use integrated graphics — a graphics capability built into the processor rather than a separate card. Integrated graphics have improved a great deal and will run many online games at modest settings, but they are usually the weakest of the five components, so if one thing falls short it is likely to be this.
Second, a laptop in a warm Australian room will slow itself down deliberately to avoid overheating. If a game runs well for ten minutes and then becomes sluggish, heat is the first suspect, not the game. Raising the machine off the desk so air can reach its underside, and clearing dust from the vents, are the cheap remedies.
Drivers and updates
A driver is the small piece of software that lets the operating system talk to a component, most importantly the graphics card. Out-of-date graphics drivers are a common cause of a game that crashes on launch for no visible reason.
Keep drivers and the operating system current, and get them from the manufacturer's own site or the operating system's own update mechanism — never from a general "driver updater" offered by a search result. The Australian Signals Directorate's Australian Cyber Security Centre publishes general guidance on keeping software and operating systems updated, and it is a sensible place to read about updates in general rather than taking advice from a download page.
What this course will not do
It will not run a check on your computer. Nothing on this site examines your device, and any page that claims to have detected a problem with your machine is doing something else. There is no scan here, no diagnostic, and no suggestion that your computer is at risk.
The household, at Step 2
The hypothetical household has a five-year-old Windows desktop. Reading the System Information screen takes them four minutes and produces: Windows 11, a mid-range processor from that era, 8 GB of memory, a separate graphics card with 4 GB, and 60 GB free on the main drive.
Their conclusions are ordinary ones. Memory is the component most likely to be tight, since 8 GB is now a common minimum rather than a comfortable figure. Storage is adequate but not generous, so they decide to clear some space before installing rather than during the first patch. The evening slow-down on their connection is the thing they expect to notice most, and they agree to try a weekend morning first so they are judging the game and not the network.
Again, this household is an illustration written for the course. Where your own figures differ, the method is the same: read the screen, write it down, compare it with the published list.
If the answer is "only just"
Meeting the minimum but not the recommended column is a common position, and it is not a dead end. The trade-offs are worth knowing before you spend anything.
| In favour of trying anyway | Against |
|---|---|
| Costs nothing but the download, so the only loss is time. | A poor first impression may be the machine's fault rather than the game's, which is a confusing way to form an opinion. |
| Lowering the graphics settings often recovers a great deal. | Settings cannot fix too little memory or a full drive. |
| You learn what your computer can and cannot do, which is useful well beyond games. | Updates tend to raise requirements over time, so "only just" today may be "not quite" next year. |
Upgrading is a separate decision and this course does not advise on it. If you are considering buying parts or a new machine, remember that a retailer's claims about performance are subject to the Australian Consumer Law, and the ACCC explains what a consumer guarantee covers if the product does not do what was promised.
Before you move on
You should now have your operating system, processor, memory, graphics and free storage written down; you should know the difference between the minimum and recommended columns; and you should have thought about the connection as well as the computer. If the vendor does not publish a figure you need, the right response is to check their own site rather than to accept a number from anywhere else.
Step 3 leaves the hardware behind and spends five minutes each on three documents: the account terms, the privacy settings and the classification.
Checklist 2 — the machine
- Open the system information screen for your operating system and write down the OS and version.
- Write down the processor name and model number exactly as shown.
- Write down the installed memory in gigabytes.
- Write down the graphics adapter name and, if shown, its memory.
- Write down the free space on the drive where the game would be installed, and leave headroom for patches.
- Find the vendor's published requirements and compare each line against your notes.
- Check your internet plan's data allowance against the size of the first download.
- Update the graphics driver and the operating system from their official sources only.
- If you are using a laptop, make sure air can reach its underside before a long session.