The storage breakdown separates the small runtime archive from game data and growing caches.
Documented platform requirements
The README names Intel Sandy Bridge (2011) or newer and AMD FX or newer as examples of AVX-capable processors. On older AVX CPUs lacking MOVBE, BMI1 or LZCNT, the loader rewrites relevant instructions to emulated stubs and logs an ISA: line. Performance on those CPUs has not been measured by the project. A STOP: this CPU lacks message is a launch failure, not something a graphics preset fixes.
Requirements stated by the maintainer
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| Component | Windows | Linux / Steam Deck |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 10 1903+ or Windows 11, 64-bit | x86-64 Linux; glibc 2.39+ |
| Processor | 64-bit CPU with AVX | AVX-capable CPU |
| Graphics | Vulkan 1.3 support and a current driver | Vulkan 1.3 driver |
| Game input | Own PS4 Remastered dump: eboot.bin, sce_module, sce_sys | Same game-file requirement |
| Package | gow3-windows.zip | Experimental gow3-x86_64.AppImage |
Sources: Project README · Download and play · Project README · Linux AppImage
Vulkan support is necessary, not a compatibility verdict
The 2.4.0 known-issue list, inherited by 2.4.1, includes Intel HD 630 black/blue rendering, Iris Xe first-level crashes, Intel UHD device-loss reports and an RX 580 Format10_11_11 crash. Historical 2.3.0 notes also name RX 550 and device-memory errors on some other cards. These are scoped reports, not proof that every card in a family fails.
On hybrid AMD-integrated/NVIDIA laptops, 2.3.0 changed the launcher to disable a switchable-graphics Vulkan layer that hid the NVIDIA GPU. Confirm which GPU the launcher and log actually select before judging the discrete card. For a matching symptom, follow the black-screen branches.
Sources: 2.4.0 release · 16 October 2026 UTC · 2.3.0 release · 15 October 2026 UTC · Project README · Settings
Budget for more than the download
Do not add the archive sizes together as a game-install requirement: you normally choose one platform package. Leave room for the extracted program, your actual game data, backups and cache growth. File-copy size and free disk space can be checked locally without inventing a universal download total.
Compressed release assets and other storage consumers
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| Item | What is known |
|---|---|
| 2.4.1 Windows archive | 74,755,098 bytes; approximately 71.29 MiB compressed |
| 2.4.1 Linux AppImage | 134,834,680 bytes; approximately 128.59 MiB |
| Extracted Windows program | Additional space is needed; no extracted-size measurement was made here |
| Your game and optional separate update | Separate from the runtime download; measure your actual dump |
| Saves, backups and screenshots | Keep outside any folder you intend to replace |
| Shader cache | 2.4.0 lists reports exceeding 20 GB; this is a reported size, not a fixed requirement |
Sources: 2.4.1 release · 16 October 2026 UTC · 2.4.0 release · 16 October 2026 UTC · Project README · Download and play · Project README · Linux AppImage
What the performance reference actually establishes
The README reports previous maintainer testing on a Radeon RX 6700 XT, Ryzen 5 5600X and 32 GB RAM: 144 FPS average, with a 55–240 range, at native 1080p and the 240 FPS engine setting. It does not name the exact test release. That configuration is a reference system, not a declared minimum or a prediction for a weaker CPU.
2.4.0 separately records in-game checks on an RX 6700 XT under Windows 11. Linux distribution smoke tests establish package/launcher startup on the named systems; they do not certify a full playthrough on every GPU. Select settings by their actual function, then compare the same scene and cache state when diagnosing performance.
Sources: Project README · Performance and compatibility · 2.4.0 release · 16 October 2026 UTC
Sources and method
Prepared by GOW III · PC Field Guide from the linked maintainer documentation, release records and attributed original reports, with AI assistance in research, writing and implementation. We have not played or independently benchmarked the game. Source checks describe the records read, not our own gameplay results.
- Project README · Download and playMaintainer instructions at the 2.4.1 release commit.
- Project README · Linux AppImageExperimental native Linux route; launcher smoke tests are separate from gameplay.
- 2.4.0 release · 16 October 2026 UTCBuilt-in aspect ratios, fast screen effects, validation hardware and unresolved issues.
- 2.3.0 release · 15 October 2026 UTCHistorical texture/RADV/hybrid-GPU fixes, screenshot and vibration validation, and known issues.
- Project README · SettingsSettings, memory allocation and multisampling behavior.
- 2.4.1 release · 16 October 2026 UTCPublished Windows ZIP and Linux AppImage; inherits 2.4.0 known issues.
- Project README · Performance and compatibilityHistorical maintainer reference system; exact test release is not specified.