Fish Lab System Requirements Guide

Fish Lab looks light on paper — roughly 700 MB on disk and modest CPU/RAM mins — but the fantasy sells GPU-simulated fish swarms that can climb toward absurd on-screen counts. This page restates the Steam minimum requirements for Windows, macOS, and Linux/SteamOS, then explains community-known caveats (especially Intel UHD), swarm FPS reality, and how to decide whether your machine is a comfort fit. For tuning after install, jump to Performance Tips. For what shipped at 1.0, see September 2026 Launch Notes.

Windows minimum (Steam)

Spec	Minimum
OS	Windows 10
Processor	2.5 GHz dual-core
Memory	4 GB RAM
Graphics	Radeon RX Vega 11 / Intel Iris Xe / GTX 1050 2 GB
Storage	700 MB available space

These are the published Steam mins for the full game. Meeting them means the lab should boot and play; it does not guarantee buttery frame time when thousands of shader fish pack the screen. Entry discrete GPUs and stronger integrated options (Iris Xe class, RX Vega 11 class) match the store listing better than older office iGPUs.

macOS minimum (Apple Silicon)

Spec	Minimum
Processor	Apple Silicon only
OS	macOS 11.0 Big Sur or newer
Memory	4 GB RAM
Graphics	Apple Silicon integrated GPU (Metal)
Storage	700 MB available space

macOS support is Apple Silicon / Metal oriented. If you are on unsupported Intel Mac hardware, do not expect the Steam macOS build to be your path — check the storefront OS gate before buying.

SteamOS + Linux minimum

Spec	Minimum
OS	SteamOS 3 / Linux
Processor	2.5 GHz x86-64 dual-core
Memory	4 GB RAM
Graphics	Radeon RX Vega 11 / Intel Iris Xe / GTX 1050 2 GB
Storage	700 MB available space

Linux players should treat GPU driver freshness as part of the requirement list. Proton/Steam Runtime quirks can appear around overlays and fullscreen toggles; isolate those before blaming the swarm simulation.

Intel UHD and older iGPU reality

Historical itch.io / community notes for Fish Lab’s lineage were blunt: graphics cards besides Intel UHD should work fine — implying UHD-class chips were a known poor fit. Steam’s published minimums list Iris Xe (and peers), not UHD as a blessed target. Practical takeaway:

• Intel UHD (common laptop office GPUs) — expect poor results or “won’t run well” experiences; do not buy solely for late Endless spectacle on UHD
• Iris Xe / Vega 11 / GTX 1050 2 GB class — aligned with the store minimum fantasy
• Newer discrete GPUs — headroom for dense swarms and recording overlays

If you only barely meet RAM/CPU but sit on weak UHD, upgrade expectations matter more than clock speed bragging rights.

Why “700 MB indie” still stresses hardware

Fish Lab’s spectacle is not a giant texture pack — it is many simulated agents with shader-driven motion. Community demo chatter mentioned frame drops around roughly ~3000 fish on screen for some setups; the marketing fantasy talks about climbing toward on the order of 100,000 fish depending on hardware and settings. That gap is why this requirements page exists beside a separate Performance Tips guide.

Stress factors:

• Swarm density and on-screen count
• Background apps, browsers, and Discord overlays
• Outdated GPU drivers
• Thermals on thin laptops (sustained clocks matter)
• Capturing/streaming while playing Endless

Performance tips that belong next to requirements

Before refund panic or “game broken” posts:

1. Close Chromium-heavy browsers and idle game launchers
2. Update GPU drivers (OEM laptop package or vendor Studio/Game Ready as appropriate)
3. Avoid relying on Intel UHD for late swarms
4. Lower other 3D apps; keep HUD overlays minimal
5. Verify Steam files if the title fails to launch after an OS update
6. Re-test after patches via the Updates Hub

Rhythm fairness depends on stable frame pacing. If hits feel random, measure FPS before rewriting your Controls habits.

Platform features that are not “specs” but matter

Steam also advertises Steam Cloud, Family Sharing, full controller support, and ten achievements. Cloud saves help if you collect on a desktop GPU and review Zen on another machine — just allow sync time. Controller support does not change GPU needs; it only changes how you aim.

Who should feel confident buying

• Desktops/laptops with GTX 1050-class or better discrete GPUs
• Modern APUs listing Vega 11 / Iris Xe-class graphics
• Apple Silicon Macs on Big Sur+
• SteamOS 3 handhelds/PCs that meet the Linux GPU line

Who should be cautious

• Machines stuck on Intel UHD without a discrete GPU
• Very low-RAM systems below 4 GB (below minimum)
• Older Intel Macs outside Apple Silicon support
• Anyone expecting console-perfect 60 FPS at maximum swarm fantasy on minimum silicon

Related pages

• Performance Tips — practical FPS triage
• Controls & Input Guide — timing vs hitching
• Game Modes — Endless is the stress test
• Tips and Tricks — when “bugs” are UX
• Updates — post-launch fixes

Checklist before you hit purchase

• Confirm OS line (Win10 / Big Sur+ Apple Silicon / SteamOS3 Linux)
• Confirm GPU is at least in the Vega 11 / Iris Xe / GTX 1050 2 GB conversation
• Budget ~700 MB disk plus driver updates
• Plan Endless spectacle as a hardware-scaled dream, not a promise on every iGPU
• Join Discord if you need to report a hard launch failure with specs attached

Fish Lab is intentionally approachable at the store-minimum layer and intentionally ambitious at the swarm layer. Read the table honestly, respect the UHD warning from community history, and keep Performance Tips bookmarked once the lab outgrows your first hour.