1. What is VRAM and what it is responsible for

Video memory (VRAM) is a specialized high-speed memory of a video card that serves as a buffer for storing all the data necessary for rendering an image on the screen. It loads textures, shaders, polygons, ray tracing structures (for example, BVH), and even data for AI algorithms such as NVIDIA DLSS. The more VRAM and the faster it is, the better the video card handles modern games, especially in high resolutions and with ray tracing.

Low performance and "slideshow"

When a video card does not have enough video memory to store all necessary textures and data, it can lead to a sharp drop in performance. The game becomes unplayable, and you see extremely low FPS, making the gameplay nearly impossible. This is the most obvious scenario.

22 seconds left until textures are fully loaded.

Stutters and torn frametime

In cases of video memory shortage, the time it takes to render a single frame (frame time) may increase. As a result, the FPS counter could show a nominal 60 FPS, but due to constant fluctuations in frame time, it feels more like 30 FPS. A recent example can be the Lonetree zone in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.

Reduced texture quality

When there is little video memory, the game might dynamically reduce texture quality for optimization. For example, they might start to load right before your eyes (hello, potato people in Cyberpunk 2077). Either they load in low resolution or start flickering.

The shortage of VRAM has become particularly apparent in the last couple of years as all developers have started universally switching to Unreal Engine 5 with its memory-hungry nanites and global illumination Lumen.

Popular graphics cards with 8 GB memory

2. Why do you need a lot of VRAM?

Unreal Engine 5 realistically renders even stones in the garden.

The increase in VRAM requirements is directly related to several factors. Firstly, more and more users are moving to gaming at 2K and 4K resolutions where the load on VRAM increases proportionally with the number of pixels. Secondly, the industry has generally shifted towards photorealistic visuals, resulting in larger texture sizes and more complex models.

If previously a single texture that repeated multiple times was sufficient to render a stone in a frame, now developers use 4K and even 8K textures with masks, normals, and PBR materials to achieve a unique and realistic look for each object. This approach allows creating picturesque and rich scenes but requires huge amounts of video memory.

Due to overload in the Texture Streaming Pool, the polygons of this wall simply did not load,
resembling Minecraft or old-school graphics from the late 90s.

With the introduction of Unreal Engine 5 and its Nanite system, geometry complexity has increased significantly. Instead of tens of thousands of polygons, the engine easily handles hundreds of thousands or millions — on a single object. Nanite allows you not to worry about optimizing geometry; however, all this data needs to be stored somewhere — and that "somewhere" becomes VRAM. Additional load is created by the Lumen technology — dynamic global illumination that models the behavior of light in a scene in real-time. It significantly stresses the GPU and memory with high quality settings and large game spaces.

The requirements for character creation have also increased. For example, in older games like GTA 3 Vice City, Tony's figure essentially had a single texture for pants, a Hawaiian shirt, and sneakers. Compare this with the recent Dragon Age: The Veilguard, for which Bioware developed a separate hair simulation technology called Strand Hair, where lighting and polygons are calculated in real-time using a narrow cone of light that accurately follows the shape of each hair.

Popular graphics cards with 16 GB memory

3. Game tests: 8 GB vs 16 GB in 1080p and 1440p

In the new Radeon RX 90 series, even the youngest models are equipped with 16 GB VRAM.

Due to delays in the supply of the new GeForce RTX 5060 Ti with 8 GB of memory, all tests were conducted on its predecessor, RTX 4060 Ti. Games were launched at resolutions of 1080p and 1440p with maximum graphic settings, without ray tracing, DLSS, and frame generation. This allowed minimizing the influence of auxiliary technologies on the results and focusing exclusively on the influence of VRAM volume. Average FPS and 1% Low were compared — the latter is especially important for understanding the stability and smoothness of the image in loaded scenes.

Judging by the tests, the impact of video memory volume directly depends on the specific game. In projects like Cyberpunk 2077 and Hellblade 2, the increase from 16 GB is minimal. Even Starfield, despite Bethesda's general preference for resource-intensive locations, shows noticeable differences only in densely populated areas with a large number of NPCs.

RTX 4060 Ti tests: 8 GB vs 16 GB in 1080p.
GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB
Black Myth: Wukong 51 / 40 FPS (AVG / 1% Low) 52 / 42 FPS (AVG / 1% Low)
Cyberpunk 2077 88 / 59 FPS (AVG / 1% Low) 91 / 64 FPS (AVG / 1% Low)
Resident Evil 4 71 / 15 FPS (AVG / 1% Low) 75 / 63 FPS (AVG / 1% Low)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl 58 / 25 FPS (AVG / 1% Low) 65 / 46 FPS (AVG / 1% Low)
Alan Wake 2 57 / 42 FPS (AVG / 1% Low) 61 / 48 FPS (AVG / 1% Low)
Horizon Forbidden West 76 / 47 FPS (AVG / 1% Low) 83 / 69 FPS (AVG / 1% Low)
Ghost of Tsushima 84 / 73 FPS (AVG / 1% Low) 84 / 73 FPS (AVG / 1% Low)
Hellblade 2 55 / 45 FPS (AVG / 1% Low) 55 / 47 FPS (AVG / 1% Low)
Starfield 53 / 34 FPS (AVG / 1% Low) 53 / 35 FPS (AVG / 1% Low)


An interesting picture is observed in PS4 ports. In Horizon Forbidden West, a video card with 16 GB shows an increase of almost 10% in average FPS, and the 1% Low figure grows by about one and a half times — both in 1080p and in 1440p. However, Ghost of Tsushima, on the other hand, does not react to the increase in video memory volume, showing identical results regardless of configuration.

RTX 4060 Ti tests: 8 GB vs 16 GB in 1440p.
GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB
Black Myth: Wukong 42 / 36 FPS (AVG / 1% Low) 43 / 36 FPS (AVG / 1% Low)
Cyberpunk 2077 52 / 38 FPS (AVG / 1% Low) 55 / 42 FPS (AVG / 1% Low)
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora 39 / 32 FPS (AVG / 1% Low) 40 / 34 FPS (AVG / 1% Low)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl 39 / 19 FPS (AVG / 1% Low) 44 / 35 FPS (AVG / 1% Low)
Alan Wake 2 37 / 28 FPS (AVG / 1% Low) 41 / 31 FPS (AVG / 1% Low)
Horizon Forbidden West 53 / 36 FPS (AVG / 1% Low) 60 / 51 FPS (AVG / 1% Low)
Ghost of Tsushima 59 / 51 FPS (AVG / 1% Low) 59 / 52 FPS (AVG / 1% Low)
Hellblade 2 38 / 30 FPS (AVG / 1% Low) 39 / 33 FPS (AVG / 1% Low)
Starfield 41 / 27 FPS (AVG / 1% Low) 41 / 31 FPS (AVG / 1% Low)


However, there are more and more opposite examples. In S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, with the graphics profile set to "Epic," the 8 GB version noticeably lags — from 58 to 25 FPS. And in 1440p with maximum settings, the gaming process turns into a slide show. Although even with 16 GB, it's far from ideal — optimization still leaves much to desire, but at least it's playable.

Resident Evil 4 stands out significantly — using the "Maximum" preset, 8 GB of video memory fills up almost instantly, and the frame rate starts to bounce between normal 70 and completely unplayable 15 FPS. Upon enabling ray tracing, the game on 8 GB refuses to start altogether.

Hogwarts Legacy shows similar behavior — in 1440p on ultra-settings, 8 GB fills very fast, after which the game starts crashing. On a video card with 16 GB, everything is significantly more stable: the game runs smoothly on "Ultra," with the possibility of activating ray tracing. This behavior is difficult to reflect with numbers in a table, so we put Hogwarts Legacy aside.

Popular graphics cards with more than 16 GB memory

4. So how much VRAM is optimal in 2025?

In current-generation consoles, 12 - 14 GB of unified memory is allocated for games.

On one hand, many modern games are quite comfortable with just 8 GB of VRAM. Especially if you prefer gaming in 1080p and don't mind fiddling with graphics settings. However, the tests clearly show: there are already quite a few games where maximum graphics settings require 10 - 12, sometimes more than 14 GB of video memory. In these cases, an adapter with 8 GB starts to run out of resources — FPS drops, microfreezes, stuttering appear. Sometimes this leads to graphical artifacts, hang-ups, and game crashes.

In summary, by 2025, the following picture emerges:

  • 4 GB — below the minimum threshold. Suitable for network games, hits from past years (The Witcher 3), and with some luck, it will allow playing well-optimized projects of the current generation.
  • 6 GB ― better than 4 GB, but still little by 2025 standards. However, this volume is hardly present in modern graphic cards.
  • 8 GB — the basic minimum for launching modern AAA games in 1080p. Although, in some cases this is already not enough.
  • 10 GB — an intermediate option, still adequate for now, but its future potential is limited.
  • 12 GB — a comfortable amount for 1440p gaming.
  • 16 GB — optimal for 1440p with ray tracing and some future-proofing for 4K.
  • 24 GB — a choice for professional tasks and enthusiasts playing in 4K with ray tracing and maximum settings.
  • 32 GB ― an option in the spirit of "carefree old age" for the wealthiest users. This is a significant VRAM reserve for years to come, although so far (April 2025), only the flagship GeForce RTX 5090 can boast of similar features.

At the same time, it’s important to consider several nuances. First, the model of the graphics card itself usually plays a much more significant role than the volume of VRAM. For example, RTX 4070 with 12 GB will be noticeably more productive than RTX 4060 Ti with 16 GB. Secondly, the provided guidelines are primarily relevant for AAA projects of 2024 – 2025, many of which are developed on Unreal Engine 5 and other modern engines, requiring a much larger volume of resources compared to games from five years ago.