Help Me, Laptop: Can I Run PUBG?

Lots of people play games on their laptops, even if their machines aren't designed for it. This week, one user on the Tom's Guide forums wants to know if their laptop will be able to run PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, colloquially known as PUBG.

Forum user (and fan of the letter y) zackyyy.pajarillo has a Dell Inspiron 14 3000 with an Intel Core i5-5200U CPU, 4GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 820M.

The answer is maybe, but probably not, and it wouldn't be an optimal experience. The way to tell if you can play PUBG or any game, is to check the minimum and recommended requirements. In the case of PUBG, only the former is published. They're as follows:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: 64-bit Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel Core i3-4340 / AMD FX-6300
  • Memory: 6GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 2GB / AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Network: Broadband internet connection
  • Storage: 30GB available space

The GTX 660, a desktop chip, is far more powerful than the mobile-focused 820M in our reader's laptop, and they're short on RAM. That doesn't mean it won't work at all, but it's not looking good.

Should zackyyy.pajarillo decide to upgrade to a more recent laptop, it shouldn't be too hard for them to figure out what they can play. Almost all game developers and publishers print the system requirements for their titles.

MORE: Which Laptop CPU is Right for You?

You can usually find those anywhere games are sold, including digitally on Steam, Amazon, GameStop and GOG, as well as on the game's website.

The minimum specs are what the developer considers the oldest possible hardware the game can run on and still be playable. The recommended specs get you a good experience, though you can do even better if you have a better PC.

Credit: PUGB Corp