Can a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 run XCOM® 2?
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 handles XCOM® 2 comfortably — roughly 92 FPS at 1080p and 57 FPS at 1440p on high settings.
High preset, upscaling off, paired with a AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D-class processor.
How the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 measures up
| Requirement | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | Minimum | Recommended | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPU performance score | 15 | 3 | 10 | Recommended |
| Video memory | 4 GB | 1 GB | 2 GB | Recommended |
| Ray tracing | — Not supported | Game has no RT | N/A | |
| Upscaling | FSR | Not supported | N/A | |
Recommended settings
For 60 FPS at 1080p
Use the ultra preset. You already clear 60 FPS on high, so this leaves headroom for dips in busy scenes.
At 1440p
Around 57 FPS on high. Playable, but drop to medium or enable upscaling for a stable 60.
At 4K
Around 33 FPS — not a realistic target for this pairing.
How other cards handle XCOM® 2
| Graphics card | Tier | 1080p FPS | vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMD Radeon RX 480 8GB | D | 98 | ▲ 6 FPS | Compare |
| AMD Radeon R9 390 | D | 98 | ▲ 6 FPS | Compare |
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER | D | 92 | ▼ 0 FPS | Compare |
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB | D | 92 | ▼ 0 FPS | Compare |
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti | D | 92 | ▼ 0 FPS | Compare |
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Laptop | D | 92 | ▼ 0 FPS | Compare |
Frequently asked questions
Can the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 run XCOM® 2?
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 handles XCOM® 2 comfortably — roughly 92 FPS at 1080p and 57 FPS at 1440p on high settings.
What FPS will I get?
On high settings with upscaling off: roughly 92 FPS at 1080p, 57 FPS at 1440p and 33 FPS at 4K. These are modelled estimates — see our methodology.
What settings should I use?
Start at the ultra preset at 1080p.
Will my processor hold this back?
These figures assume a processor fast enough not to limit the card. If yours is older, run the bottleneck calculator — this title leans on the GPU, so a modest CPU deficit costs less.