Games Lowering PC Requirements Amid Rising RAM Costs

PC gamers were left puzzled when *Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight* unveiled its hefty system requirements last month. Initially, players were told they’d need a staggering 32GB of RAM to dive into this open-world action adventure. However, that requirement has now been halved as the ongoing AI-driven RAM shortage of 2026 continues to escalate.

When the *Lego Batman* specs first emerged on January 17, they drew immediate comparisons to the previous Lego title, 2022’s *Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga*, which only required 8GB of RAM. The new game’s recommendation was a shocking fourfold increase, leading to accusations that it was yet another example of PC games launching with inflated and under-optimized specs.

The studio initially explained that *Lego Batman* was still undergoing optimization, but they needed to submit some specs to secure a Steam listing for pre-orders and wishlists. It turns out TT Games was being overly cautious, and significant enhancements have since been made. Gamers won’t need to rush out to buy an extra 16GB stick just to explore Lego Gotham when the game releases on May 29.

“As part of our ongoing testing for *Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight* on PC, we have revised our recommended hardware specifications from 32GB RAM down to 16GB RAM,” a recent update stated on February 13. “Please note, our PC specs at this stage are not final. We will continue to optimize and make improvements as we approach launch.”

*Lego Batman* isn’t the only title to experience this rollercoaster of recommended specs. IO Interactive’s *007: First Light*, set to release just days earlier on May 27, also retracted its initial demanding requirements, dropping from 32GB to 16GB. The studio attributed the confusion to miscommunication.

To put this into perspective, if you were planning to play one or both of these games on PC and only had 16GB of RAM, you would have initially needed an upgrade. If you had purchased the popular Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory last fall, it would have set you back $80. Now, it’s priced at around $160, assuming you can find it in stock.

These AI-driven price hikes don’t seem to be easing up anytime soon. Valve has already pointed to these increases as a reason for the delayed pricing announcement of the Steam Machine, which is now expected to ship later in the first half of 2026 than originally planned. *Lego Batman* isn’t the first to adjust its specs, and it certainly won’t be the last PC game this year to make similar changes.