Crusader Kings II — System Requirements, FPS Estimate & Settings

2012 · Strategy, Simulation · Paradox Development Studio · Metacritic 82

Crusader Kings II cover art

Official system requirements

Publisher-published Minimum / Recommended values via RAWG, retrieved 2026-08-21. Real-world performance varies with drivers, resolution and your full build.

SpecMinimumRecommended
OSOS: Windows 7—
ProcessorProcessor: Intel® Pentium® IV 2.4 GHz or AMD 3500+—
MemoryMemory: 2 GB RAM—
GraphicsHard Disk Space: 2 GB—
StorageVideo Card: NVIDIA® GeForce 8800 or ATI Radeon® X1900, 512mb graphics memory required.—
DirectXDirectX®: 9.0c—
Item 7Sound: Direct X-compatible sound card—
Item 8Additional: 3-button mouse and keyboard—

Multi-GPU FPS estimate

Estimated average FPS by GPU at 1080p / 1440p / 4K, derived from Crusader Kings II's demand tier (tier 3, Light (entry discrete GPU)) and published TechPowerUp-style relative-performance indices (RTX 4090 = 100), retrieved 2026-08-29. Planning estimates, not benchmarks.

GPU1080p1440p4K
RTX 4090285188108
RTX 4080 Super25616997
RTX 408024616293
RX 7900 XTX273180104
RX 7900 XT25616997
RTX 4070 Ti Super21814483
RX 7800 XT21814483
RTX 4070 Super20513578
RTX 407019212773
RX 7700 XT19813075
RTX 307017911868
RX 6800 XT21514282
RTX 4060 Ti15810460
RX 6700 XT19212773
RTX 30601459555
RX 6600 XT16310862
RTX 20601318650
GTX 1660 Super1087141
RX 5801258348
GTX 1060 6GB1026839
GTX 1650825431
Intel Arc A77016611063
UHD 770 (integrated)332213

Method: a game's demand tier maps to a “GPU index needed for ~60 FPS at 1080p”; each GPU's relative index produces an estimate via a diminishing-returns curve, then scaled for resolution. Source: TechPowerUp GPU database (relative performance), 2026-08-29.

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Optimize Crusader Kings II for your hardware

Pick your GPU, CPU, resolution and target refresh rate, then generate a printable settings card with per-preset expectations and upscaler guidance.

Optimize Crusader Kings II for your PC

This is a planning estimate derived from the game's demand tier, not a benchmark.

My Crusader Kings II Settings Card

Preset: High · Est. 56–78 FPS @ 1080p
Preset recommendationHigh
Expected FPS band56–78 FPS
Target refresh60 Hz
UpscalerDLSS/FSR not needed at this resolution
Ray tracingRT optional — raster first
Frame capYour estimated range (56–78 FPS) partially meets 60 Hz — drop one preset step or enable the upscaler to hold it.

Generated at GameFigs on 2026-09-25. Game demand tier: 3/9.

General tuning rules: drop Shadows, Reflection Quality andVolumetric Fog first (biggest GPU savings, low visual cost); use Render Scale / Resolution Scaling before lowering geometry; enable DLSS/FSR 3 on supported titles; cap FPS to your monitor's refresh rate to smooth frame pacing.

Release & version notes

Official release date: 2012-02-13. Ongoing patches and version history are published by the developer — for the latest patch notes, see the official store or support page. GameFigs summarizes the official release only and does not invent patch dates.

SingleplayerMultiplayerGreat SoundtrackRPGCo-op

About Crusader Kings II

Crusader Kings II is a global RTS which takes place in the Middle Ages of Europe. The players will govern a house of nobility of that time, and ensure that its heritage will last for centuries. The second installment of the series fills the gap in the developer’s continuum of global strategies, allowing for lengthy grand campaigns and world conquests. The main points of interest in the game are your noble house, holdings, and vassals. Players can engage in diplomacy between neighboring households, sign treaties and create a bloodline between two families, forge documents and declare wars. However, the primary competitive objective would not be conquering the world, but instead, winning the prestigious ranks and ensuring that your family will prosper. Gameplay-wise, the mechanics revolve around interactions with your neighbors and your court. Buildings built, armies trained, but most importantly, your character should be built, too. Education, marriage, religion - everything will affect your lord-protege, and players often come up with different guides on how to achieve success without regards to the luck and skill of the player.

● Data updated 2026-08-29

Sources & attribution

  • Game data (release year, genres, platforms, system requirements, description, cover art) via RAWG.io, retrieved 2026-08-21.
  • GPU relative-performance indices via TechPowerUp GPU database (relative performance), retrieved 2026-08-29.
  • FPS estimates on this page are GameFigs planning estimates from the demand-tier + GPU-index model — not benchmark results.
How the Crusader Kings II optimization card & FPS estimate are computed

Each game is scored on a 0–9 demand tier from its published PC requirements (and a year/genre fallback when requirements are absent). The FPS estimate compares your selected GPU's relative-performance index against the tier's required index using a diminishing-returns curve, then scales for resolution. The settings card maps the demand tier and your hardware to a starting preset, an FPS band and an upscaler recommendation. All outputs are planning guides — verify in-game with the built-in benchmark when available.

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