Nivalis Nights System Requirements
Nivalis Nights System Requirements
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 (64 bit) | Windows 11 (64 bit) |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-11600K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600 | Intel Core i5-13600K / AMD Ryzen 5 7600 |
| Memory | 16 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics | GTX 1660 SUPER / RTX 3050 / RX 6600 / Arc A750 (6 GB VRAM) | RTX 4070 / RX 7800 XT (12 GB VRAM) |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Version 11 |
| Storage | 42 GB SSD | 42 GB SSD |
| Target | 1080p @ 30 FPS ("very low" preset) | 1440p @ 60 FPS ("high" preset) |
Quick check: this is a demanding game for a life sim — 16 GB RAM is mandatory at both tiers, you need a dedicated GPU with at least 6 GB VRAM (12 GB for recommended), and the install is 42 GB on an SSD.
Why such high requirements?
Nivalis Nights renders a dense cyberpunk city "from the ocean to the clouds" in real time — the vertical scale and neon lighting are GPU-heavy. The 16 GB RAM floor is unusually high for the genre, so double-check your machine before buying.
Beware outdated spec lists
Two sets of requirements circulate online. An old 2021 list (Windows 7/10, 8 GB RAM, GTX 760, 10 GB storage) comes from the original 2021 reveal under the "Nivalis" name and is outdated — the table above is the current official one. Always check the Steam store page for the latest figures.
Performance & known issues (OFFICIAL)
The official Known Issues list confirms:
- NPC-dense areas can lower frame rate.
- After a long session, restarting the game may help.
- Setting the PC power mode to "performance" is an official suggestion.
- Steam Deck performance is being actively improved.
These are official troubleshooting notes, not guaranteed fixes, and they're version/date-specific — check the Known Issues thread for the latest. Steam reviews at launch show even high-end hardware hitting low FPS, so treat third-party "best settings" advice with caution unless it's tied to a specific build.
Launch performance reality (COMMUNITY_REPORTED)
Performance is the main launch complaint, even on high-end hardware. Reviewers on an RTX 4090 / i9-12900KS call it "miserable", and frame rate collapses when more than a handful of NPCs are on screen — some players hold under 30 FPS in crowded streets, running worse than Cyberpunk 2077 with path tracing on. The developer has acknowledged that "frame rate can vary in areas with lots of NPCs" and says optimization is a current priority; the publisher's initial advice (restart the game, switch power mode) is widely treated as a stopgap rather than a fix.
Patch 01.10 performance changes (OFFICIAL)
Patch 01.10 (patch notes) made several direct performance changes:
- Character actions, animations and physics performance — IMPROVED.
- Repeated save-load camera performance degradation — FIXED.
- LOD slider reaching 0 visual issue — FIXED.
Next patch (OFFICIAL — work in progress)
Two more optimizations are confirmed as in progress, not yet shipped:
- Light Culling
- Character Simulation optimization
Expect these in a later patch — check the Known Issues thread for status.
How to report your FPS (benchmark fields)
When posting your own numbers, include the version and hardware so results can be compared across patches. A benchmark should record: GameVersion, Date, CPU, GPU, RAM, Resolution, Settings, Area, FPS, LastVerified. FPS from different patches are not comparable — a number from 1.0 doesn't tell you what 01.10 does.
Community fix: Lumen — Crowd Performance Mod
A free, open-source mod, Lumen (requires BepInEx 6 / IL2CPP), targets the NPC-dense slowdown directly:
- Hide hidden shadow meshes (on by default) — every character carries shadow-only meshes that never render; disabling them recovers a few frames with no visible change.
- Hide distant crowds (off by default) — the larger gain, at the cost of people fading in/out as you approach; the distance is configurable.
It opens with F10. It helps most in crowded streets and only if your CPU is the bottleneck — if the GPU is the limit, expect little. It's been tested on one setup, so toggle it off if anything looks wrong.
These are community mitigations, not official fixes — watch for official performance patches.
Sources & verification
- Source: Steam Store page (OFFICIAL)
- Patch 01.10: patch notes (OFFICIAL)
- Known Issues: Steam discussion (OFFICIAL)
- Game version: Patch 01.10
- Last verified: October 2, 2026
- Confidence: the system requirements table and the Patch 01.10 performance changes (character/animations/physics, save-load camera, LOD) are OFFICIAL; the next-patch WIP items (Light Culling, Character Simulation) are OFFICIAL work-in-progress; launch-performance reality is COMMUNITY_REPORTED; the Lumen mod is a COMMUNITY mitigation, not an official fix.