The RTX 3050 can run most games but not at the best quality
Reviewed By: Kevin Pocock
Table of Contents
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 is a low-end graphics card capable of running many modern games, but it may not be able to run all games at the highest settings or resolutions. It’s built to perform 1080p gaming comfortably, but if you push past that barrier, you'll start experiencing frame drops and a lack of frame stability. It can still provide decent performance in 1440p at medium settings, but you may need to lower the graphics settings in order to maintain a smooth frame rate.
That said, to get the best performance from the RTX 3050, it is recommended to have a fast processor and plenty of system memory. It is also important to ensure that your system has sufficient cooling and power to support the graphics card.
Overall, the RTX 3050 is a good choice for gamers looking for solid performance at a reasonable price, but it may not be the best choice for those looking to play the latest and most demanding games at the highest settings.
What games can run on the RTX 3050?
As with most graphics cards, you can technically run practically any game. However, what you’re really asking is how well can it run most games.
Testing Games, a YouTube channel dedicated to testing games across various GPUs, have a video that showcases various popular titles on the RTX 3050. Here are some of the findings, that we think can illustrate how the RTX 3050 performs at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K and their corresponding frames per second.
| Game | 1080p | 1440p | 4K |
| Battlefield 2042 | 60 – 67 | 44 – 50 | 25 – 30 |
| Forza Horizon 5 | 76 – 103 | 65 – 70 | 34 – 44 |
| Hitman 3 | 63 – 94 | 51 – 66 | 30 – 38 |
| God of War | 68 – 85 | 46 – 55 | 31 – 39 |
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 54 – 63 | 43 – 49 | 26 – 32 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 54 – 63 | 35 – 43 | 19 – 25 |
| Microsoft Flight Simulator | 51 – 58 | 33 – 40 | 20 – 24 |
| PUBG | 103 – 124 | 58 – 79 | 27 – 31 |
| RDR2 | 60 – 68 | 45 – 54 | 24 – 32 |
| The Witcher 3 | 73 – 86 | 52 – 57 | 28 – 32 |
As you can see from the sample selection of games, most can run at above 50 frames per second in 1080p for more graphically demanding titles such as Horizon Zero Dawn and Cyberpunk 2077. That being said with titles such as PUBG and Forza Horizon 5 you can get much higher – above 100 fps in some cases.
For 1440p, the fps take a bit of a hit, but for the added resolution even 30 fps isn’t too shabby. For 4K, the card does seem to struggle, and we’d at this point, you should consider upgrading.
Camilo's thoughts
The RTX 3050 can be a good or poor card, depending on the type of games you want to play. For example, if you're mostly a competitive FPS player and favor titles like CS:GO (now CS 2), this card should be a good fit, especially if operating on a budget. These high-action FPS games are generally played with tuned-down settings to reduce visual clutter and get the most frames possible because each frame matters.
On the other hand, if you prefer single-player, open-world games, this GPU might fall short unless you turn down some settings. While that is okay, the appeal of such games generally comes from their beautiful scenery, sunlight coming through the clouds, attention to minor details, and so on. So, turning down the settings will reduce these aspects, but the game should still be playable.
Is the RTX 3050 enough for gaming?
The RTX 3050 is enough for most games and a good choice for people looking to build a PC with a low budget. You should be able to play gaming in 1080p on high settings but might still experience FPS drops occasionally. On top of that, if you want to take it further, you'll have to tweak a few settings to get decent FPS. That said, the DLSS3 should help you with that and make the gaming experience a bit more fun.
Is RTX 3050 a high-end graphics card?
No, not at all. While capable of running games in decent settings, the RTX 3050 is a budget-friendly card aimed at casual gamers who don't need the latest and greatest technology for their systems. As of 2025, it is still making rounds in the market and finding its place in decent budget builds.
Should you get an RX 6600 over the RTX 3050?
As we can see from the comparison above, the RX 6600 blows the RTX 3050 clear out of the water with a significant performance gap. On top of that, the price difference isn't a lot, which means that going for an RX 6600 should be more beneficial in the long run. However, if you still want to go for the RTX 3050 for its DLSS3 and Ray Tracing, we've got you covered with our best RTX 3050 GPU guide that has the top picks available on the market today.
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