Arknights: Endfield launched on January 22, 2026 across PC, PS5, iOS, and Android. The PC version runs on Unreal Engine 5 and combines an open-world environment on Talos-II with real-time four-character combat and an industrial factory-building system that runs simultaneously in the game world. That combination creates a demanding and varied rendering workload that behaves differently across hardware tiers in ways worth examining precisely.
This analysis covers GPU scaling across mid-range and high-end hardware, frame time behavior in the game’s most demanding scenarios, CPU load from the AIC factory system, and the practical optimization configuration for each hardware tier.
Test Configuration and Methodology
Testing was conducted on a system running an Intel Core i7-13700K, 32GB DDR5-5600, and NVMe SSD storage. GPU variables were isolated by holding all other system components constant across tested graphics cards. Windows 11 24H2 was used as the operating system across all tests.
Tested GPUs cover four representative tiers: GTX 1060 6GB at minimum spec, RTX 2060 at recommended spec, RTX 3070 at the mid-high tier, and RTX 4070 at the upper-mid tier. Each card was tested at 1080p and 1440p across three distinct in-game scenarios chosen to represent the performance range players will encounter in normal gameplay.
The three test scenarios are open-world traversal across a moderately complex area of Talos-II, a four-character boss encounter with dense simultaneous particle effects, and a large active AIC factory build with multiple production chains running simultaneously. These scenarios were selected because they represent the three distinct rendering workload profiles that define Endfield’s PC performance behavior.
Frame time data was captured using FrameView alongside average frame rate figures. The 99th percentile frame time — representing worst-case frame delivery performance — is reported alongside averages because Endfield’s frame time consistency varies significantly between scenarios in ways that average frame rate alone does not communicate.
GTX 1060 Minimum Spec Reality
At 1080p with all settings at Low, the GTX 1060 delivers average frame rates between 42 and 51fps during open-world traversal in standard complexity areas. The frame time consistency at this configuration is acceptable — 99th percentile frame times stay below 28ms in traversal scenarios, which corresponds to a frame rate floor above 35fps.
The situation deteriorates in the two demanding test scenarios. The boss encounter with four simultaneous operator ability animations drops the GTX 1060 to average frame rates between 28 and 35fps, with 99th percentile frame times reaching 45ms. At this threshold, frame delivery inconsistency is perceptible during gameplay as irregular stuttering rather than consistent low performance.
The large factory scenario produces the most severe performance impact on minimum spec hardware. A production chain of moderate complexity — 15 to 20 active processing nodes with running conveyor systems — drops average frame rates to the mid-20s with 99th percentile frame times exceeding 55ms. This result reflects both GPU load from rendering the factory geometry and CPU load from the production simulation, creating a compound bottleneck that Low graphics settings cannot fully address.
The GTX 1060 6GB VRAM configuration adds memory pressure in certain areas. Endfield’s Low texture setting keeps VRAM usage within the 6GB limit in most scenarios, but specific high-density areas of Talos-II push usage to the boundary, producing occasional texture streaming stutters that manifest as brief frame time spikes independent of the sustained performance numbers.
Minimum spec on the GTX 1060 means playable traversal and story content under constrained conditions. It does not mean comfortable performance across the full range of gameplay scenarios the game presents.
RTX 2060 recommended spec delivered
The RTX 2060 at 1080p Medium-High settings with DLSS Quality enabled represents the configuration where Endfield performs as designed. Open-world traversal delivers average frame rates between 68 and 78fps with 99th percentile frame times consistently below 18ms — smooth, stable, and representative of the game’s intended visual presentation.
The boss encounter scenario on the RTX 2060 drops to average frame rates between 54 and 63fps at the same settings. Frame time consistency holds well — 99th percentile frame times remain below 22ms, keeping the experience within the range where combat responsiveness is not compromised by delivery inconsistency. This is the recommended spec performing as its designation suggests.
The factory scenario on the RTX 2060 shows the configuration’s most relevant limitation. A large active factory build drops average frame rates to 44 to 52fps, with 99th percentile frame times reaching 28ms. Performance remains above the threshold of comfortable playability, but the headroom above 60fps disappears in this scenario. Players building extensive factory networks on RTX 2060 hardware should expect performance in the 45 to 55fps range rather than the 60fps+ delivered in standard gameplay.
DLSS Quality at 1080p on the RTX 2060 contributes 15 to 20 percent frame rate headroom compared to native 1080p rendering at equivalent settings. This headroom is what keeps the boss encounter scenario above 50fps average on this hardware tier. Disabling DLSS on an RTX 2060 and running native 1080p at Medium-High settings produces average frame rates 15 to 20 percent lower across all test scenarios.
RTX 3070 and RTX 4070 the comfortable Range
The RTX 3070 at 1080p High settings with DLSS Quality delivers average frame rates above 90fps in traversal and above 72fps in boss encounters. The factory scenario stays above 60fps average on this hardware, making the RTX 3070 the first tested tier where all three scenarios remain within a comfortable performance envelope without active management.
At 1440p with DLSS Quality, the RTX 3070 delivers 60 to 75fps in traversal, 52 to 62fps in boss encounters, and 45 to 55fps in the large factory scenario. The 1440p factory scenario represents the RTX 3070’s performance floor — acceptable but no longer comfortable in the way traversal and combat scenarios are.
The RTX 4070 at 1440p High settings with DLSS Quality resolves the factory scenario limitation present on the RTX 3070. Average frame rates in the factory test reach 62 to 70fps on the RTX 4070, keeping all three scenarios above 60fps at 1440p. Boss encounter performance at 1440p averages 72 to 82fps, and traversal stays consistently above 90fps.
The RTX 4070 effectively represents the hardware tier where 1440p becomes the fully comfortable platform for Endfield across all gameplay types — the equivalent of what the RTX 2060 represents at 1080p.
CPU Load the factory variable
The AIC factory system’s production simulation creates CPU load that scales with factory complexity independently of GPU workload. On the Intel Core i7-13700K test system, moderate factory builds show CPU utilization between 35 and 45 percent on the most active cores — well within the processor’s capability.
Large, optimized factory networks with 40 or more active processing nodes push CPU utilization to 55 to 70 percent on active cores. At this complexity level, the factory simulation becomes a meaningful CPU workload running alongside the rendering pipeline. On older quad-core and six-core processors at or near the minimum specification, large factory builds can create CPU bottlenecking that manifests as GPU underutilization alongside low frame rates — a scenario where reducing graphics settings produces no performance improvement because the GPU is already waiting on CPU processing.
Players planning extensive factory builds on minimum-spec CPU hardware should expect performance constraints in the factory scenario that graphics settings adjustments cannot resolve.
Recommended configurations by hardware Tier
GTX 1060 at 1080p: All settings Low, FSR Quality if available, factory complexity kept moderate. Target: 40 to 50fps in traversal, 28 to 35fps in combat.
RTX 2060 at 1080p: Medium-High settings, DLSS Quality enabled. Target: 65 to 75fps traversal, 54 to 63fps combat, 44 to 52fps factory.
RTX 3070 at 1440p: High settings, DLSS Quality enabled. Target: 60 to 75fps traversal, 52 to 62fps combat, 45 to 55fps factory.
RTX 4070 at 1440p: High settings, DLSS Quality enabled. Target: 90fps+ traversal, 72 to 82fps combat, 62 to 70fps factory.
Arknights: Endfield’s PC performance scales predictably across hardware tiers with the factory system representing the most demanding and variable workload in the game. The RTX 2060 recommended specification delivers the intended experience at 1080p with DLSS assistance. The RTX 4070 is the practical recommended specification for comfortable 1440p performance across all gameplay types including extensive factory builds. Minimum spec hardware on the GTX 1060 is viable for story progression and standard combat but reaches its limits in the game’s most demanding scenarios.
