Brave New Wonders System Requirements

Before you sink hours into Americas logistics, confirm your PC can keep Brave New Wonders smooth. This page lists the official Steam specifications for the Windows 1.0 release (app 2403830), explains what those numbers mean for factory play, and points you toward settings habits that matter once automaton counts climb. For controls after install, see Controls. For first-hour goals, see Getting Started.

Brave New Wonders is a single-player, 3D factory automation game: floating islands, airship Wonder travel, combat with old machines, and dozens of units evaluating behaviours. That mix stresses CPU (many agents and jobs), RAM (world + UI + simulation), GPU (camera, lighting, crowds), and SSD space (install footprint). Meeting “minimum” gets you into the tutorial; meeting “recommended” is the comfort zone for blueprint-heavy midgame.

Minimum requirements (Steam)

Area	Minimum
OS	Windows 10 64-bit
CPU	Intel Core i5-6400 (or equivalent)
Memory	16 GB RAM
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (DirectX 11)
Storage	27 GB available space (SSD strongly preferred)
API	DirectX 11

If you are near these floors, expect to lower shadow quality, cap automaton density in view, and avoid ultra draw distances while learning. A spinning HDD may meet the byte count but will hitch during streaming and save spikes — budget for SSD.

Recommended requirements (Steam)

Area	Recommended
OS	Windows 10 64-bit (or newer Windows 64-bit as supported on the store page)
CPU	Intel Core i7-7700 (or equivalent)
Memory	32 GB RAM
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (DirectX 12)
Storage	30 GB available space on SSD
API	DirectX 12

Recommended specs target the moment your factory stops being a cute ore loop and becomes a multi-cell organism: pasted blueprints, signal networks, turret belts of Movers, and Wonder logistics between islands. Extra RAM helps when you keep map UI, behaviour editors, and large inventories open while the sim runs.

What the numbers mean in this game

CPU and automatons

Every Miner and Mover is a worker with a behaviour graph. Conditions (signals, inventory thresholds, ordered stops) add evaluation cost. Spamming redundant Movers “just in case” is a performance tax and a logistics tax. Prefer clear roles — covered in Automation and ranked on the Tier List Hub — over sheer unit spam.

RAM and multitasking

Sixteen GB is the published minimum; close background Chrome megatabs if you live on that edge. Thirty-two GB recommended gives headroom for recording software, second monitors with guides like Text Commands, and long sessions without memory pressure.

GPU, DX11 vs DX12

Minimum calls for DX11 class hardware (GTX 1650 listed). Recommended moves to a DX12 comfort tier (RTX 2080 listed). If frames dip when you pan across a busy yard, reduce foliage/effects first, then resolution scale, before you gut simulation-facing settings that hide important signal colours.

Storage: 27 GB vs 30 GB

Plan for roughly 27 GB at minimum and about 30 GB recommended free space. Leave extra free room for Windows updates and Steam shader caches. Install on the same fast SSD you use for other simulation games.

Demo saves and launch install notes

The demo’s progress can carry over into the full 1.0 release. That is great for continuity, but it also means your first full-game session may already contain a denser base than a fresh tutorial island. If you imported a busy demo save onto minimum hardware, pause expansion, simplify behaviours, and revisit Updates for launch-change context before you paste three more blueprint cells.

Launch week also featured a 15% discount until 4 October (confirm current price on Steam). There are 25 Steam achievements to chase, which is irrelevant to FPS but relevant if you overlay Steam’s window while benchmarking.

Practical performance checklist

1. Install on SSD; verify you have 30 GB free if you can.
2. Cap framerate to your monitor’s comfort zone to reduce heat and GPU spikes.
3. Keep the camera from extreme zoom-outs over the entire island while editing behaviours.
4. Delete failed prototype automaton jobs instead of leaving broken loops running.
5. Stagger blueprint pastes; let pathing settle before duplicating again.
6. Defend smartly — fewer panics means fewer emergency unit spikes; see Defense.
7. When travelling via the Wonder, expect streaming moments; save before island hops (Wonders, Islands).

Laptop and handheld caveats

Official specs are desktop-oriented NVIDIA references. Laptops with similar CPU/GPU names may be power-limited. Plug in, use a performance power profile, and lower settings one step below what a desktop twin could run. Steam Deck or other handhelds are not covered by the desktop table above — check community reports after you verify Controllers/UI comfort in Controls.

After your PC is ready

Meeting specs is not the same as meeting skill goals. Once the game runs cleanly:

• Learn transfer and editor flow on Controls
• Follow Getting Started
• Steal safe prompts from Tools
• Rank early spends on the Tier List Hub
• Track patches on the Updates Hub

Brave New Wonders rewards long sessions. A stable frame budget lets you watch signal colours, notice idle Movers, and enjoy the post-apocalyptic islands instead of fighting hitching inventories. If you are upgrading hardware specifically for this title, prioritise SSD + 32 GB RAM + a DX12-capable GPU in that order for comfort, then CPU if automaton fleets are your joy.

Return to the Players Hub for the rest of the operator reference, or open the Wiki overview if you still want the big-picture pitch before installing.