Best gaming PC for Grand Theft Auto V (2026)
For Grand Theft Auto V, we'd build the CREATE TRINITY at £2,453 (RTX 5060 Ti 16GB) for high-refresh 1080p, up to the CREATE ORACLE at £3,405 with RTX 5070 Ti 16GB for 4K with everything on. Prefer to build it yourself? The component tiers are further down, where RTX 5050 8GB is the sensible floor.
The PCs we'd actually build for Grand Theft Auto V
These are real machines from Create PCs, the UK builder we run, ordered cheapest first, £2,453 to £3,405 depending on the resolution and frame rate you're targeting. Specifications and prices are live, and each link lands on that exact build.
CREATE TRINITY
Mid
- CPU
- Intel 14 Core Ultra 5 245K Unlocked Desktop CPU/Processor
- GPU
- Palit NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti INFINITY 3 16GB Blackwell Graphics Card
- RAM
- Corsair Vengeance Grey 32GB 6000MHz DDR5 Dual Profile Memory Kit
- Storage
- WD Black SN850X 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 Gen4 x4 NVMe SSD PC/PS5
CREATE NR200P
Mid-high
- CPU
- Intel 20 Core Ultra 7 265 Desktop CPU/Processor
- GPU
- PALIT NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB GamingPro-S Blackwell Graphics Card
- RAM
- Corsair Vengeance Grey 32GB 6000MHz DDR5 Dual Profile Memory Kit
- Storage
- Sandisk Black SN850X 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 Gen4 x4 NVMe SSD PC/PS5
CREATE ZION
Mid-high
- CPU
- Intel 14 Core Ultra 5 245K Unlocked Desktop CPU/Processor
- GPU
- ASUS ROG STRIX NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti OC Blackwell Graphics Card
- RAM
- Corsair Vengeance Grey 32GB 6000MHz DDR5 Dual Profile Memory Kit
- Storage
- Sandisk Black SN850X 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 Gen4 x4 NVMe SSD PC/PS5
CREATE ORACLE
High-end
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 8 Core AM5 Zen4 3D V-Cache PCIe 5.0 CPU/Processor
- GPU
- PALIT NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB GamingPro-S Blackwell Graphics Card
- RAM
- Corsair Vengeance Grey 32GB 6000MHz DDR5 Dual Profile Memory Kit
- Storage
- WD Black SN8100 2TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD / Solid State Drive
Prices from Create PCs, the UK builder we run, and include VAT. They're the price shown on arrival, not a teaser, but components get repriced, so treat them as current rather than fixed. Custom-built machines start around £2,400; below that a self-build is usually the better answer, and we say so on our budget guides.
What to expect at each resolution
- 1080p Very High
- 165+ FPS
- RTX 5060 or RX 9060
- 1440p Very High
- 120+ FPS
- RTX 5060 Ti or RX 9060 XT
- 4K Very High
- 90+ FPS
- RTX 5070 or RX 9070
Building it yourself: the four tiers for Grand Theft Auto V
Custom-built machines start around £2,400. Below that, a self-build is the better answer, so here are the component tiers we'd put together at each level, no assembly service, but far more performance per pound.
Budget
1080p · 60fps
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 5 7600
- GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 8GB
- RAM
- 16 GB
- Storage
- 1TB NVMe SSD
Comfortably hits 1080p/60fps in Grand Theft Auto V on high settings.
Build this at Create PCs →Mid-tier
1440p · 60fps
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 7 7700
- GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB
- RAM
- 32 GB
- Storage
- 2TB NVMe SSD
Targets 1440p/60fps on high settings in Grand Theft Auto V. The 5060 Ti's 16GB gives enough VRAM headroom for ray tracing with DLSS Quality.
Build this at Create PCs →High-end
1440p · 144fps
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
- GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB
- RAM
- 32 GB
- Storage
- 2TB NVMe SSD
Built for 1440p at 144fps in Grand Theft Auto V with all the visual extras on. The 9800X3D's 3D V-Cache helps in CPU-heavy moments.
Build this at Create PCs →Enthusiast
4K · 60fps
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 32GB
- RAM
- 64 GB
- Storage
- 4TB NVMe SSD
Designed to max Grand Theft Auto V at 4K/60fps with path tracing and frame generation where supported.
Build this at Create PCs →What Grand Theft Auto V actually demands from your PC
Steam's recommended spec for Grand Theft Auto V is NVIDIA GTX 660 2GB / AMD HD 7870 2GB with 8GB RAM and a Intel Core i5 3470 @ 3.2GHz (4 CPUs) / AMD X8 FX-8350 @ 4GHz (8 CPUs). That spec was written for the Take-Two Interactive team's internal "minimum acceptable" target, not for a buyer in 2026 planning to keep this PC for the next four years.
CPU-bound moments: Grand Theft Auto V drops frames during specific high-load scenarios more than its average framerate suggests. Invest in CPU single-thread performance, the Ryzen 7800X3D and 9800X3D are particularly strong here.
What you can skip vs what matters
- Worth spending on: GPU first, then a fast NVMe SSD (most modern games benefit from sub-3000MB/s sustained reads), then RAM at the tier amount.
- Worth skipping at this budget: RGB lighting, exotic cooling, brand-name PSUs above 850W (unless you're building enthusiast tier), and motherboards with more than 4 M.2 slots.
- Don't compromise on: The PSU. A reliable 750W gold-rated unit will outlast two GPU upgrades.
Frequently asked questions
- What's the minimum gaming PC for Grand Theft Auto V?
- AMD Ryzen 5 7600 paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 8GB and 16GB of RAM hits 1080p/60 on high settings.
- Is Grand Theft Auto V CPU-heavy or GPU-heavy?
- Grand Theft Auto V leans heavily on the CPU, late-game scenarios stress single-thread performance. A modern X3D chip (Ryzen 7 7800X3D / 9800X3D) makes a noticeable difference.
- Do I need ray tracing for Grand Theft Auto V?
- Grand Theft Auto V does not require ray tracing. Any current-generation GPU will deliver the intended visual experience.
- How much RAM do I need?
- For Grand Theft Auto V, 32GB is the sensible answer in 2026. 16GB still works for the budget tier but limits future-proofing.