Can your PC stream it, not just run it
A game's listed requirements tell you if it runs. Streaming it on the same PC needs more. Here's how to check before you build a stream around a game.
Every PC game on Steam lists minimum and recommended specs. Those numbers are written for playing: can this computer run the game? A streamer also needs to know if the PC can play the game, run OBS, encode the video and keep the stream smooth, all at once.
Why streaming needs more than the listed specs
When you stream from the same PC you play on, the game shares the machine with everything else. OBS draws its own scenes and overlays. The encoder compresses your video in real time. A browser source for alerts and chat adds a little more. On a PC that only just meets the recommended specs, that extra load is often the difference between smooth and choppy, and viewers notice choppy video before you do.
Most graphics cards today have a built-in video encoder (NVIDIA calls it NVENC, AMD and Intel have their own), which takes most of the encoding work off the game. It helps a lot, but OBS and the game still share the same card, so some headroom is still needed.
What the games ask for
We look up the listed Steam requirements for PC games that show up in our weekly lists. As of November 8, 2026, we've checked 64 games, and 55 of them list a recommended amount of memory.
| Recommended RAM | Games | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 8 GB or less | 20 | 36.4% |
| 12 GB | 3 | 5.5% |
| 16 GB | 26 | 47.3% |
| 32 GB or more | 6 | 10.9% |
So 32 of 55 games, 58.2%, recommend 16 GB of RAM or more before you add OBS and a browser to the mix. If your PC has 8 GB, most of the games we've checked will be a stretch to stream well.
A simple way to check a game
- Find the recommended specs, not the minimum. On Steam they're near the bottom of the store page.
- Compare your graphics card to the recommended one. If yours is clearly stronger, you likely have room for OBS. If it's the same card or close to it, plan on lower settings once you're live.
- Check your RAM against the recommended amount. Streaming tools use memory too, so meeting the number exactly leaves little to spare.
- Do a short private test. Record locally or stream unlisted for ten minutes in the busiest part of the game, then watch it back.
How we use this
When you tell us your graphics card and RAM, games in your weekly list get a short PC note whenever we have their specs: whether it should run well while streaming, whether to plan on lower settings, or whether it's below the minimum. To leave room for OBS, we want your card to score about 20% above the recommended one before we say a game should run well. That 20% is our own estimate of the room OBS needs, so treat the note as a starting point and run the short test above before a big stream.
Sources
Listed PC requirements from each game's Steam store page, for the 64 games UPDAiTE has looked up as of November 8, 2026. Requirements are what each publisher lists, not tested performance.