VRAM has been quite a contentious issue among PC enthusiasts in recent times. In the early 2010s, the amount of VRAM you’d find on your average consumer-grade graphics card was rapidly increasing with each passing generation. As graphics became more demanding, the need for a bigger VRAM buffer was obvious, so things quickly climbed from a handful of GB to well above 8.
Recently, though, manufacturers have continued to release GPUs sporting 8 GB of VRAM, citing that the market is still strong for such cards, and that most users don’t use more than 8 GB anyway. The truth is, we’re well beyond the need for such cards at price points over a couple of hundred dollars, and gamers are only going to need beefier frame buffers as time goes on. 16 GB is the magic number, but really we should start seeing even higher capacities on the upper mid-range GPUs.
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8 GB is enough*
*For some games
The statement that 8 GB is enough for gaming does hold more than a smidge of truth, but it doesn’t give you the full picture. There are popular games out right now that don’t require massive amounts of VRAM, like Valorant, League of Legends, and other esports titles. Even some newer single-player titles, like DOOM: The Dark Ages are relatively frugal on VRAM. This turns out to be a very clear exception, rather than the rule.
The list of new releases that support 8 GB cards dwindles with each passing quarter, and it’s not a matter of if the game will run at high quality settings—it’s a matter of if it’ll even run at all. Some new titles will refuse to boot on cards with less than 8 GB of VRAM. It’s truly crazy to think that someone can go out and spend $300+ on a shiny new GPU, only for it to not even function in a game.
How much VRAM do games really need then?
It depends, again
While it is true that a lot of current titles can run well while being conservative on VRAM usage, it’s quickly becoming the exception rather than the norm. Modern AAA titles will easily use upwards of 10+ GB, but not all usage is created equal. Many titles will allocate more than they need, ensuring that if they end up needing access, they have it at a moment’s notice to keep gameplay smooth.
This makes measuring VRAM usage a slightly tricky business, but it is easy to tell when you’re at the limit. Either the game won’t start at all, or your experience will be plagued by constant frame drops and very poor 1% lows. We know VRAM to be the limiting factor because some cards, like the RTX 5060 Ti or RX 9060 XT, for example, have multiple variants that have different VRAM capacities.
The aforementioned RTX 5060 Ti 8GB will struggle mightily in Monster Hunter Wilds, for example, while its 16 GB counterpart will provide a much better experience. This same scenario plays out with an increasing number of modern titles, so it’s worth questioning even the 12 GB sported by the RTX 5070, as even that buffer can be easily saturated in new AAA titles. For a card that’s supposed to last you many years into the future, 12 GB just isn’t enough either, especially when the 5060 Ti has an option with much more memory that will keep it relevant further into the future.
16 GB seems to be the best balance between future performance and cost, seeing as GPU manufacturers don’t seem keen on putting any more than that on the upper mid-range cards. 16 GB offers you great performance now, but also more than enough to handle AAA titles for the next few years, judging by how things are trending.
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Anything over 16 GB is a good chunk of VRAM
While cards with 12 GB and even 8 GB can be usable with some of today’s titles, it’s quickly becoming the case that it’s not enough for new releases. If you’re buying a brand-new GPU in 2025, you should strongly consider opting for one that sports at least 16 GB, if not more. This will ensure that your card has a longer usable lifespan than it otherwise would’ve with a smaller VRAM buffer.
#VRAM #games
source: https://www.xda-developers.com/how-much-vram-do-games-really-use-in-2025/
