PC Modern Warfare 2 minimum specs revealed

Infinity Ward announces basic kit required for desktop edition of highly anticipated FPS, Valve's Steamworks bringing auto-updates, achievements.

Infinity Ward sparked a skirmish of sorts with PC gamers last week, when it announced that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 wouldn't support player-run dedicated multiplayer servers. This week, the Activision-owned studio doled out more PC-centric announcements, offering the final word on Modern Warfare 2's minimum system requirements as well as confirming integration with Valve's Steamworks back-end technology.

No one likes going into battle with subpar gear.

To get Modern Warfare 2 airborne on PCs, gamers will need to be running Microsoft's Windows Vista or XP, as well as have 16GB of available hard drive space. The minimum CPU requirement stands at AMD 64 3200+ or Intel Pentium 4 3.0GHz, while GPUs will need to be the shader 3.0-equipped 256MB Nvidia GeForce 6600GT or ATI's Radeon 1600XT. XP users will need at least 512MB of RAM, and Vista owners must have 1GB of memory, at the least.

[UPDATE] Infinity Ward community manager Robert "FourZeroTwo" Bowling has also confirmed that Modern Warfare 2 will support Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 7.

As for Activision's deal with Valve, MW2 on the PC will be supported by Steamworks, which offers a range of publishing and development tools ranging from product key authentication to social-networking functionality. As it pertains to MW2, Activision said that the game will make use of Valve's auto-updating and anti-cheat technology. MW2 will also include 50 Steam achievements.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will mobilize on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on November 10, with separate editions also confirmed for the Wii and DS. For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Modern Warfare 2.

Minimum System Requirements:
Hard Drive Space: 16GB free hard drive space
Operating System: XP / Windows Vista / Windows 7
Processor: AMD 64 3200+ or Intel Pentium 4 3.0GHz or better
RAM: 512MB RAM (XP) / 1GB RAM (Vista)
Video Card: Shader 3.0 or better 256MB Nvidia GeForce 6600GT / ATI Radeon 1600XT or better

467 Comments

  • nen_yim

    Posted Nov 11, 2009 2:22 am PT

    @airshocker
    "APPARENTLY, players had a hard time getting into games on player-run servers, or being able to play in said servers because the community was very hostile. They(Infinity Ward) cited examples where newbies were consistently kicked out of servers, or treated in an unkind manner. It's the internet....everyone gets treated in an unkind manner."

    its true, sorry 2 say but ive come across some ppl who run the player dec servers and i you'd think some of them think them self's as gods, ive used some dodge tactic's (never cheated EG aimbot ect) and got a easy 40 kill's in a single map and then had 2 flam the admin as he couldnt kill me once in the single battle unless he rammed a jet up my A$$, so yes the internet is a harsh world, but its the one we live in, and ill take the good and the bad

    PS. i did get baned from that server as the admin wasnt happy about what i told him 2 do 2 his mum, also sozz 4 any spelling errors

  • rodman1

    Posted Nov 9, 2009 1:19 am PT

    maxwell97 I could not agree more with you on this one. Well said

  • maxwell97

    Posted Nov 4, 2009 11:00 pm PT

    OMG, do people have to whine about dedicated servers and "console-centric" design on EVERY THREAD? The game doesn't have dedicated servers, too bad. It's designed around the consoles that vastly outsell PC, that's life. I love PC gaming, but it's not the driving force behind this series. Deal with it, or don't buy the game (like they'll care), but at any rate stop whining about it.

  • mpeg3s

    Posted Oct 29, 2009 2:57 am PT

    What about Win 7 RAM?

  • airshocker

    Posted Oct 28, 2009 4:44 am PT

    Apparently player-run servers are "detrimental" to the game, so says IW rep Jason West.

    APPARENTLY, players had a hard time getting into games on player-run servers, or being able to play in said servers because the community was very hostile. They(Infinity Ward) cited examples where newbies were consistently kicked out of servers, or treated in an unkind manner. It's the internet....everyone gets treated in an unkind manner.

    This is complete and utter BULL. I never had a problem on a player-run server. In fact, once I actually got decent at the game, it was one of the best online-FPS experiences I've ever had. Considering I'm still PLAYING IT to this DAY.

    The guys are IW are a bunch of morons, especially this Jason West clown. Thank god for EA DICE and Bad Company 2. Maybe I'll be able to find a non-8v8 experience there.

  • mike_baks

    Posted Oct 28, 2009 4:06 am PT

    All I want to know if this incredibly overhyped game will support DirectX 10 or not?!

  • Threesixtyci

    Posted Oct 27, 2009 1:51 pm PT

    16GB? And from Steam?

    Man, would take me days to download that much data with my 768 Kbps, service

  • allan_delacruz

    Posted Oct 27, 2009 1:44 pm PT

    I sure hope this doesn't feel like a crappy console port.

  • plm3d_basic

    Posted Oct 27, 2009 1:18 pm PT

    What, still no dx10/11? Sounds like they're still making games for a 5 year old outdated hardware. How about physics or something to differentiate it from the console version or to take advantage of the stronger hardware on the pc? If you're going to charge $10 more than any other pc title and take away mod support and dedicated servers then you had better add something other than a frakking console POS port!

  • NoHotAshes

    Posted Oct 27, 2009 12:07 pm PT

    i hope it drops off the top 10 and further, having no real multiplayer and costing $60 if it suceeds we will end up with all pc games costing $60 with borked multiplayer. It needs to be proven that this will not cut it.

  • Inconnux

    Posted Oct 27, 2009 8:38 am PT

    This game has dropped to #8 in sales on steam... this game could have been #1 for a long time if they wouldn't have screwed up the multiplayer.

  • beanofengland

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 5:47 pm PT

    In 2001 I got a GCSE grade B in english, and 'incorrectly' clearly has 2 r's...

  • rainierflu

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 5:18 pm PT

    Well, it looks like that the devs have decided to kill the pc...It would be nice to see them come up with a decent FPS for the pc only but it is becoming quite clear that economics and piracy are the primary reason for this shift in thinking...Just by looking at the specs for this game it was clearly created for the consoles (console hardware is wayy outdated) and just another lousy port for the pc.. Loved the single player for the first one, and I'm certain that the sequel will be just as epic...although quite linear..also like the first but thats ok...I could care less about the MP aspect as I didnt think is was all that great but what they have planned is quite a blow to the pc community....

  • will952

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 5:08 pm PT

    The graphics will only see a slight enhancement over CoD4. If you can play that game smoothly, MW2 won't be a problem.

  • unholymight

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 4:37 pm PT

    I, on the other hand, have met the maximum requirements.

  • horgen123

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 4:17 pm PT

    I barely have the minimum requirments..

  • unholymight posted Oct 26, 2009 4:12 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    unholymight

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 4:12 pm PT (hide)

    16 GB is nothing. I can buy over 2000 GB for $55.

  • viewtifuljon111

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 3:54 pm PT

    NO DEDICATED SERVERS??? Sorry for caps, but what in God's name were they thinking. Sorry IW. I loved MW1, so I could tolerate the $60/$70 price tag, even the 16GB of space, even the reused content. But what the hell guys? Game over for me.

  • zeniftan

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 3:13 pm PT

    I've got a Masters in English. You've spelt okay incorectly, four times. otherwise people would say: 'oh-key', as in the word key.

  • rann89

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 3:04 pm PT

    No one is saying 16GB is "too much" space, we don't need the people telling us "you can buy a terabyte for under $100". We (and obviously the people saying that also) just don't understand why it would require 16 gigs. The single player for Modern Warfare was awesome, but it's really not hard to make an awesome campaign when you can come back from work and beat it before you go to sleep (ie, when it's only 5-6 hours long). And while they added some stuff to the multiplayer, there's really nothing game-changing that a modder couldn't have done.

    I'm just wondering if there's just THAT MANY maps (I doubt) and weapons that if requires that, or is it just like everything else with their company and their coding is sloppy and all over the place because they don't care since they're only depending on the name to sell the game and they can fix excess coding later?

  • QuatrixJ

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 2:27 pm PT

    jedediahpelland and CharlieFubar, my little toe obviously knows more about PCs than you do. I've swapped out motherboards to completely different models without reinstalling Windows. XP detects the new hardware and installs drivers like a charm. Ever heard of Plug-and-Play? You're both completely clueless.

  • Caer_Death

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 12:51 pm PT

    Yeah, yeah, I'll be getting this for the PS3, thank you very much.

  • First_Person

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 12:45 pm PT

    This will be the one COD I will not buy. No dedicated servers = no fun. Is IW trying to kill the PC platform?

  • Wings_008

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 12:42 pm PT

    i doubt that my 8600gt will run it, that's why am buying the 360 version

  • Dante2710

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 12:02 pm PT

    cant say that ill be buying, i dont feel like feeding activision/IW`s greed, ill save my money for BC2

  • livevil01

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 11:22 am PT

    thanks infinity for this kind of game u rock baby!!! more COD to come more power infinity

  • BlisteringDDj

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 11:18 am PT

    No dedicated servers ruined it for me. I'll stick with my clan.

  • Trogeton

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 11:12 am PT

    great game

  • Laiska_pummi

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 11:05 am PT

    Wait. If it requires 16 gigs, what would it look on xbox. Probably not bad, that's the platform I eill be getting it for anyways. i don't need to worry about specs or anything.

  • Laiska_pummi

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 11:04 am PT

    16 gig space? Omg. Everything else looks good. Don't know about the GFX card.

  • zgreenwell

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 10:02 am PT

    Sounds like it also requires Steam and a working internet connection for activation. Also, if it works on Vista it works on 7.

  • cyberdreamer

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 9:52 am PT

    Dragon Age needs 20gb and this one 16gb. Thats the only spec difference between the two.

  • UbberHappyGamer

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 9:43 am PT

    *run

  • UbberHappyGamer

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 9:43 am PT

    Oh yeah! I can runt this!

  • KelsieKatt

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 9:33 am PT

    Not sure why people are so surprised by the requirements. It's about the same as Call of Duty 4, not like they drastically modified the engine. This one only requires slightly more performance.

    Although, that harddrive requirement is double what it was last time. That's a bit surprising...

  • Gadeos

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 9:30 am PT

    Whatever, it's just gonna look awesome and gameplay will be better than first MW... and that's a lot to say

  • hotbodyboy_2006

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 9:15 am PT

    This hopefully should be Better than MW1. MW1 was an awesomely thrilling game.

  • hotbodyboy_2006

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 9:14 am PT

    16GB? Wow that has beat GTA IV 14GB.........

  • aura_enchanted

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 8:23 am PT

    shattered horizon eats this game for breakfast.. no dx9 hd 4870/gtx 260 to max it out no quad core requirement (as of yet)

  • detww85

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 8:15 am PT

    OK i think i'm just echo'in the comments from other people but wow those spec's are LOW my computer maybe even able to run it on high ( i hope) however why does it need 16gb of hard drive space honestly.

  • ShroudedEagle

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 7:54 am PT

    16GB. That's a lot. The other requirements are surprisingly low, though.

  • dl5852930

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 7:30 am PT

    16GB!!!! Really ?!?!?! Crysis is like 12.5 GB an COD4 was like 6 GB. I hope that more space required will make the game longer.

  • GunnyHath

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 7:26 am PT

    16 GB is nothing these days, 1000 GB hard drives cost under $100 now.

  • BDK-Soft

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 7:22 am PT

    60 euros for this game .. hahahaha pass! It's a GFWL title, another reason to skip this one.

  • SicklySunStorm

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 7:17 am PT

    Low requirements really, with the exception of that 16-gig black hole it'll leave in your hard drive....

  • reddrader

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 7:01 am PT

    Mac's users will suck it up. hahaahhahahaha.

  • lucfonzy

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 6:21 am PT

    16gigs? are you serious? WoW takes up less space than that! haha

  • jshaas

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 5:59 am PT

    What about Mac support?

  • XenoLair

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 5:40 am PT

    Quite low requirements i must say 3 - 4 year old pc's should run it good. 16 gigs of space required is a bit much though :/

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