How to Get Your PC and Steam Deck Ready for Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is out today on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and Auroch Digital's retro-styled sequel asks a lot more of a gaming PC than its 2023 predecessor did. The Steam listing splits its requirements into two distinct quality presets rather than a simple minimum-and-recommended spread, and the gap between them is wide enough that it is worth checking before you buy in. Here is what the official numbers actually mean, and what to expect if you are hoping to take Malum Caedo or Nyra Veyrath on the road.

What Boltgun 2 Actually Needs

According to the game's own Steam page, the minimum tier calls for an Intel Core i5-8600K or AMD Ryzen 5 2600, 8 GB of RAM, a GeForce GTX 980 or Radeon R9 Fury with 4 GB of VRAM, DirectX 12 and 13 GB of free storage. Valve's listing notes that this tier is built around the game's Low quality setting at 1080p, targeting a steady 60 frames per second. The recommended tier swaps in an Intel Core i7-7700K or AMD Ryzen 5 1500X, pairs it with a GeForce GTX 1650 or Radeon RX 570, and is tuned for the High quality preset at 1080p, also aimed at 60 FPS.

That is a notably steeper floor than the original Boltgun, which ran comfortably on far older hardware. Boltgun 2's retro pixel art hides a more demanding lighting and particle engine underneath, and Auroch Digital's own developer FAQ confirms the sequel adds more enemies, bigger set-pieces and branching routes through each level, all of which push the rendering budget up compared to the first game.

Picking the Right Preset

Because Valve's own spec sheet ties each hardware tier directly to a named quality preset, the practical advice is simple: if your graphics card sits closer to the GTX 980/R9 Fury class, start on Low rather than letting an automatic detection script push you higher, since the 60 FPS target was only validated against that preset at that tier. Owners of a GTX 1650-class card or better can move straight to High and expect the same frame rate with sharper lighting and shadow detail. Anyone sitting between the two tiers should treat Low as the safer starting point and raise individual sliders — shadow quality and particle density are the usual first culprits in boomer-shooter engines like this one — once they have confirmed a stable frame rate in the game's early levels.

Storage is one area where there is no flexibility: both tiers call for the same 13 GB, more than double the first Boltgun's footprint, so make sure that space is free before the day-one patch lands on top of the base install.

Why You Might See Different Numbers Elsewhere

If you go looking for Boltgun 2's specs outside of Steam, you may run into a second, much lower set of figures — an 8-year-old Phenom II X4 965 or Core i3-2120, a GTX 560, and only 5 GB of storage — repeated across several requirement-tracking sites and even listed on Auroch Digital's own FAQ page. Those numbers match the original 2023 Boltgun almost exactly, which strongly suggests a copy-paste error rather than a second valid configuration for the sequel. The live Steam store page is unambiguous about the sequel's real floor, ties it directly to a named quality preset and a 60 FPS target, and is the version that updates automatically if the requirements change again before or after launch, so treat it as the figure to build a purchase decision around rather than the FAQ's older-looking list.

Steam Deck and Handheld Expectations

Boltgun 2's minimum graphics requirement is well above what Valve's handheld can match on raw silicon, which makes this one to watch rather than assume about if you are planning to play away from a desk. The game has reportedly been through Valve's own compatibility testing ahead of launch and come back rated for Steam Deck, running under Proton rather than natively, but a passing rating is not a performance guarantee — it confirms the game starts, reads your controls and displays text correctly, not that it holds a particular frame rate. Given the jump from the GTX 980-class floor, Deck and other Windows handheld owners should go in expecting to lean on the lowest available settings and a capped frame rate rather than chasing 60 FPS out of the box, and to treat the first level as a benchmark before committing to a long session on battery.

Demo, Pre-load and Launch Day Logistics

Auroch Digital put out a free demo back in May, built around two levels on an icy, Chaos-overrun Imperial facility, and it remains on Steam if you want to confirm your settings before buying the full release. The demo uses an earlier build of the engine, so treat its performance as a rough guide rather than a final answer for launch-day numbers. Pre-purchasers should see the full game unlock automatically once the October 14 release window opens in their region; if Steam still shows a countdown rather than a Play button, that is simply a time zone gap rather than a problem with your copy.

A Nintendo Switch 2 version has been confirmed but is launching separately, after the PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S release, so there is no same-day handheld console option outside of Steam Deck and other PC handhelds running Windows or Proton.

Who Made It, and What's in the Box

Boltgun 2 is developed by Bristol-based Auroch Digital and published by Big Fan Games, a Devolver Digital label, continuing directly from the first game's single-player campaign with two playable marines — Malum Caedo, voiced by Rahul Kohli, and Sister of Battle Nyra Veyrath, voiced by Alanah Pearce. Composer Mick Gordon, known for his work on the modern DOOM series, contributed an original track for the game's climactic confrontation with the antagonist Vashtorr the Arkifane, which was first previewed in the game's release-date trailer back in August. There is no multiplayer mode and no physical release planned for any platform, according to the developer's own FAQ, so Boltgun 2 remains a digital-only, single-player affair built for players who already know whether this genre is for them.

For the full background on the series and today's launch, Auroch Digital's official game page and the game's Wikipedia entry both carry the complete platform and release history if you want to check compatibility notes before buying in.

Auroch Digital's gameplay trailer for Boltgun 2's free Steam demo, released several months ahead of today's full launch.