As gaming enthusiasts eagerly anticipate the launch of Metal Gear Solid DeltSnake Eater on August 28, 2025, attention has sharply focused on the new game’s system requirements. Konami recently unveiled the specifications on the game’s Steam page, igniting conversations about the necessity of advanced hardware, especially GPUs with ray tracing capabilities. The minimum requirement of an Nvidia RTX 2060 Super with 8GB of VRAM, along with 16GB of system memory and 100GB of storage space, has raised eyebrows. But it’s the recommended GPU, an RTX 3080, which has truly piqued interest, particularly given the absence of high-end GTX 10 series GPUs and all AMD cards from the minimum specifications. This raises pertinent questions about the game’s hardware demands and the role of Unreal Engine 5 in shaping these needs.
The Shift Towards Ray Tracing in Gaming
Recent game releases are setting a new standard by requiring ray tracing across all graphics presets. This is seen in games like Star Wars Outlaws and Assassin’s Creed Shadows, where performance on older GTX 10 series and AMD GPUs noticeably struggles. The RTX 20 series seems to be the starting point for games like Metal Gear Solid Delta, indicating a broader industry trend. It’s highly probable that this game uses Epic’s Lumen technology for Unreal Engine 5 ray tracing. However, it’s still uncertain if it will use the CPU-based or the more demanding GPU-accelerated version.
Looking at Metal Gear Solid Delta alongside other Unreal Engine 5 games provides some insight. For example, Konami’s Silent Hill 2 supports both CPU and GPU-based ray tracing and does not exclude GTX 10 series or AMD GPUs. This difference in system requirements could be due to the development teams behind them; Virtuous is working on Metal Gear Solid Delta, while Bloober Team is on Silent Hill 2. The age of the nearly nine-year-old GTX 10 series is a crucial factor too. As GPU technology progresses, newer models might become too costly, pushing the industry towards using hardware-accelerated ray tracing universally, making older models obsolete for those seeking cutting-edge visuals.
In conclusion, Metal Gear Solid Delta’s high system requirements highlight an industry trend: an increased reliance on ray tracing for high-end gaming. While delivering stunning visuals, this also raises concerns about the future viability of older GPUs. Both gamers and developers need to balance the benefits of advanced graphics with the affordability of necessary hardware. As launch day nears, these discussions will likely intensify, possibly leading manufacturers to rethink the accessibility of advanced gaming technology for a wider audience.