Can I Run Call of Duty: Black Ops III on My PC / Laptop?

A Core i3-530 or Phenom II X4 810 CPU, a GTX 470 1GB or HD 6970 1GB GPU, 6 GB of RAM, DirectX 11, and 100 GB of storage. Steam doesn't publish a separate official recommended spec for this game; the table above includes a practical recommended tier based on what actually delivers a smooth 60 fps.

About 100 GB. That covers campaign, multiplayer, and Zombies in one download, which is why it's large for a 2015 game.

No, an HDD will run it. An SSD is recommended because it cuts load times noticeably between matches and Zombies rounds, but it has no effect on the stutter issue the game is known for.

6 GB is the stated minimum, but the game will use close to all of an 8 GB system on its own. 16 GB is the practical recommendation so Discord, your browser, and driver overlays have room alongside it.

Not much. The textures are a decade old, so even 2 to 3 GB cards handle most of the game. The exception is custom Zombies maps with heavy user-made content, where extra VRAM helps avoid load stutter.

Yes. The official minimum CPU is a Core i3-530, so any modern i3 or Ryzen 3 comfortably exceeds it. Expect low settings and around 30 to 45 fps rather than anything higher on genuinely low-end parts.

Yes, on a mid-range modern GPU like an RTX 3070 or RX 6700 XT at ultra settings. The game's age means it's far less demanding at 4K than anything released in the last few years.

Easily, on almost any dedicated GPU from the last several generations. A GTX 1060 6GB or better handles 1440p at high settings without much trouble.

Yes, and most modern hardware goes well past it. Multiplayer uncaps to around 240 fps with Vsync off; campaign and Zombies also run past 60 fps on anything at or above the practical recommended spec.

Yes, on a GTX 1060 6GB / RX 580 or better. Ultra doesn't demand much by modern standards; the limiting factor is usually the stutter issue rather than raw graphics load.

It's a known engine issue, not a power problem: fps can swing from the 40s to over 100 in the same match on strong hardware. Limiting the game to 4 CPU cores via Task Manager's Set Affinity option, disabling Vsync, and closing background overlays like Discord's are the fixes that help most players.

DirectX 11. Any GPU released since around 2011 supports it, so this is never the blocker.

No. If Black Ops 3 is the only game you're chasing performance for, your current PC almost certainly already runs it well; the stutter issue is a software quirk that a hardware upgrade won't fully fix on its own.

Only for ranked online multiplayer. Campaign and offline Zombies work fully without a connection.

Comfortably, yes. The RTX 3050 clears Call of Duty: Black Ops III's recommended bar, which puts high 1080p and 1440p both in reach.

It clears the bar. The GTX 1650 matches Call of Duty: Black Ops III's minimum, so 1080p on low to medium is realistic once you tune a few settings. About 70 to 100 fps at 1080p high, no upscaling needed.

No trouble at all. The GTX 1060 6GB meets or beats what Call of Duty: Black Ops III recommends, so 1080p high runs well and 1440p is realistic. Typically 60 to 90 fps at 1080p high, though this is the card most associated with the game's known stutter, with dips into the 40s in busy matches.

No trouble at all. The RX 580 meets or beats what Call of Duty: Black Ops III recommends, so 1080p high runs well and 1440p is realistic. Around 80 to 110 fps at 1080p high to ultra.

Plenty of power here. The RTX 4060 is above Call of Duty: Black Ops III's recommended tier, so high 1080p is smooth and 1440p is a fair target. Comfortably 150 fps plus at 1080p ultra, closer to the multiplayer fps cap than anything the GPU struggles with.

No trouble at all. The RTX 3060 meets or beats what Call of Duty: Black Ops III recommends, so 1080p high runs well and 1440p is realistic. About 110 to 140 fps at 1080p ultra; one benchmark showed around 110 fps in multiplayer at 1080p medium with an i5-11400F.

No trouble at all. The RTX 2060 meets or beats what Call of Duty: Black Ops III recommends, so 1080p high runs well and 1440p is realistic. Roughly 100 to 140 fps at 1080p ultra with Vsync off.

For sure. The GTX 1660 outpaces Call of Duty: Black Ops III's recommended card, leaving you high 1080p now and 1440p whenever you like. Around 90 to 120 fps at 1080p high to ultra.

Yes, with room to spare. Call of Duty: Black Ops III recommends less than the GTX 1660 Super offers, so expect smooth 1080p high and a playable 1440p.

No trouble at all. The RX 6600 meets or beats what Call of Duty: Black Ops III recommends, so 1080p high runs well and 1440p is realistic. Roughly 130 to 160 fps at 1080p ultra.

Comfortably, yes. The GTX 1660 Ti clears Call of Duty: Black Ops III's recommended bar, which puts high 1080p and 1440p both in reach.

Yes, with room to spare. Call of Duty: Black Ops III recommends less than the RTX 3060 Ti offers, so expect smooth 1080p high and a playable 1440p.

Easily. With the RTX 4050 you are past Call of Duty: Black Ops III's recommended tier, which means high settings at 1080p and a genuine shot at 1440p.

Runnable. The GTX 1050 Ti covers Call of Duty: Black Ops III's minimum, meaning 1080p low to medium and a smoother feel after a small settings drop. Roughly 50 to 70 fps at 1080p high, well above what the game actually needs.

Yes, with room to spare. Call of Duty: Black Ops III recommends less than the RTX 4070 offers, so expect smooth 1080p high and a playable 1440p. About 200 to 240 fps at 1080p ultra, essentially capped by the game's own frame rate limit rather than the GPU.

No Mac version was ever built for Black Ops 3, on Apple silicon or the older Intel Macs. A cloud gaming service that includes it in its library is the practical workaround.

Yes, in most cases. Modern integrated GPUs like Intel Iris Xe or AMD's Radeon 780M exceed the official minimum GPU and can manage low to medium settings at 1080p, usually in the 30 to 50 fps range.

The hardware and OS just aren't there for it. Chromebooks can't install and run this game locally, which leaves cloud gaming as the only real path to play it on one.

It does, running through backward compatibility rather than a native Series X/S build, and the extra horsepower shows: load times drop and frame rates hold steadier than they did on the original Xbox One hardware.

PS4 has the native release, and PS5 plays that same build through backward compatibility with quicker load times layered on top.

No. Black Ops 3 never released on Switch; there's no portable Nintendo version of this game.

Yes, and it runs well. It's rated Playable, with the LCD Steam Deck holding a steady 60 fps at medium to high settings and the OLED model reaching a locked 90 fps at similar settings. ROG Ally and Legion Go handhelds perform similarly or better given their stronger hardware.

Availability varies by service and changes over time, so check the current library before relying on it. Cloud play is also the practical way to run the game on Mac or Chromebook.

No official Linux build exists, but Steam Play carries it fine. Black Ops III sits at Playable on Steam Deck, with the LCD model holding a steady 60fps and the OLED locking in 90fps at medium to high settings. A desktop Linux box with comparable or better hardware should see similar results on a current Proton build. ProtonDB is worth checking before you install, in case a specific fix is needed.

Yes, comfortably above recommended. Expect around 100 to 130 fps at 1080p ultra settings.

Yes, well above recommended. It handles 1440p ultra at well over 100 fps and 1080p ultra near the game's frame rate ceiling.

Yes, far above recommended. Around 130 to 160 fps at 1080p ultra, with 1440p ultra staying well past 90 fps.

Yes, far above recommended. Roughly 180 to 220 fps at 1080p ultra, and comfortably over 100 fps at 4K ultra.

Yes, massively above recommended. Expect the GPU to spend most of its time waiting on the game's own frame rate cap rather than being pushed.

Yes, far beyond what the game needs at any resolution, including 4K ultra at well over 100 fps.

Yes, effectively capped by the game's own 240 fps multiplayer limit at 1080p rather than by the GPU.

Yes, with enormous headroom at every resolution up to and including 4K ultra.

Yes, easily. At 1080p it's bound by the game's own fps cap, and at 4K ultra it still stays well past 100 fps.

Yes, far above recommended. Around 150 to 180 fps at 1080p ultra and strong 1440p ultra performance too.

Yes, well above recommended, with 4K ultra staying comfortably above 60 fps.

Yes, above recommended. Expect roughly 120 to 150 fps at 1080p ultra.

Yes, at low to medium 1080p settings, typically in the 30 to 45 fps range. It clears the official minimum, which is an easy bar for this game.

Yes. This handheld/laptop integrated GPU handles 1080p low to medium settings at around 40 to 60 fps.