Best GPU for Ghost of Tsushima PC (2026): 4 Picks by Tier

Ghost of Tsushima is one of the lighter big ports on PC. Nixxes shipped it without ray tracing, so raster speed sets the frame rate, and the game leans toward AMD: TechSpot measured the RX 9070 XT up to 14 percent ahead of the RTX 5070 Ti at 1440p Very High.

That changes the buying question. You are not buying a card to survive this game. You are buying for the monitor in front of you, ultrawide included, since the port supports 21:9 and 32:9. Four picks follow, sorted by resolution.

Our top pick: Sapphire Pulse RX 9070 XT

The Sapphire Pulse RX 9070 XT is the strongest card per dollar in this game, ahead of the RTX 5070 Ti at every resolution TechSpot tested, with 16GB for 4K Very High textures.

Sapphire 11348-03-20G Pulse AMD Radeon™ RX 9070 XT Gaming Graphics Card with 16GB GDDR6, AMD RDNA 4

Buy the Sapphire Pulse RX 9070 XT on Amazon

Quick picks

Specs at a glance

Benchmarks

No reviewer has run the full current lineup through one Ghost of Tsushima test, so the charts use TechPowerUp's launch benchmark of the cards it had then: Very High preset, native resolution, Ryzen 7 7800X3D. They show how the game scales. The current picks are placed against those cards from newer reviews below the charts.

TechSpot measured the RX 9070 XT ahead of the RTX 5070 Ti at every resolution and preset it tested, with the widest gap, about 14 percent, at 1440p Very High. In one RX 9060 XT comparison, the 16GB card averaged about 99 fps to the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB's 85 fps in this game, so the AMD lead holds at the entry tier too.

The bar sits low. TechSpot measured an Arc B580 at 82 fps at native 1080p Very High. At the top, Notebookcheck saw DLSS Quality lift an RTX 4080 from about 65 fps to about 103 fps at 4K Very High, which is the headroom a 4K 120Hz screen needs.

Do you need a new GPU for Ghost of Tsushima?

Maybe not. TechPowerUp measured an RTX 3070 at 58 fps at native 1440p Very High and an RTX 3060 at about 50 fps at native 1080p Very High. Drop to the High preset or turn on DLSS or FSR at Quality and both should clear 60. Sony's own High tier for 1440p 60 fps names exactly that RTX 3070 or RX 6800 class.

Upgrade when your monitor outruns the card: 1440p at 144Hz, 4K, or a 3440x1440 ultrawide. Below that, settings fix more than a new GPU does. The same holds for the other Sony ports, like God of War Ragnarok.

How we picked

Sony's official tiers start low. Very Low at 720p 30 fps asks for a GTX 960 4GB or RX 5500 XT. High, at 1440p 60 fps or 4K 30 fps, asks for an RTX 3070 or RX 6800. Very High at 4K 60 fps asks for an RTX 4080 or RX 7900 XT. Every pick here clears its resolution's tier with room left over, and our guide to matching a GPU and monitor explains why the screen comes first.

The port has no ray tracing, so the Nvidia ray tracing premium buys nothing in this game. Raster speed per dollar decides most slots, and that is why AMD cards hold two of the four. The Nvidia picks earn their place through DLSS image quality and what they do in the rest of your library.

This is one of the few recent ports where 8GB holds up. TechPowerUp measured the 8GB and 16GB RTX 4060 Ti within a frame of each other, even at 4K. Every pick still carries 16GB, because the rest of a 2026 library is less forgiving, as the 8GB VRAM explainer shows.

DLSS 3 and FSR 3 frame generation are both in the game. Treat them as a smoothness layer on a base above 60 fps. Frame generation turns 60 into 120, never 30 into 120.

Best Overall: Sapphire Pulse RX 9070 XT

Sapphire 11348-03-20G Pulse AMD Radeon™ RX 9070 XT Gaming Graphics Card with 16GB GDDR6, AMD RDNA 4

Get the Sapphire Pulse RX 9070 XT on Amazon

Specs

What it does well

The Sapphire Pulse RX 9070 XT is the card this game favors. TechSpot measured the RX 9070 XT ahead of the RTX 5070 Ti at every resolution and preset, peaking at about 14 percent at 1440p Very High. AMD ran strong in TechPowerUp's launch chart too: the RX 7900 XTX beat the RTX 4080 Super at every resolution.

It also handles 4K. The 16GB on a 256-bit bus covers the Very High texture pool, and FSR 3 upscaling at Quality brings 4K above 60 on a TV or a 4K monitor. Two standard 8-pin connectors feed it, so there is no 16-pin adapter to route.

What you give up

Ray tracing is where Nvidia takes the lead back, in other games. Ghost of Tsushima has none, but if your library leans on path-traced or heavy RT titles, weigh that. FSR 3 also trails DLSS for fine detail in motion, which shows most on foliage like the game's pampas grass fields.

Buyers have flagged that Sapphire sells the Pulse RX 9070 under a near-identical name and SKU (11349 instead of 11348). The pick is the XT, SKU 11348-03-20G. Street pricing on the 9070 XT has also been uneven since launch.

Who it's for

A 1440p 144Hz to 165Hz player who wants Very High without upscaling, or a 4K TV player happy to use FSR. If 1440p is your whole library, the 1440p GPU guide covers the same tier across other games.

Best Premium: MSI RTX 5080 Suprim Liquid SOC

msi Gaming RTX 5080 16G SUPRIM Liquid SOC Graphics Card (16GB GDDR7, 256-bit, Extreme Performance: 2760 MHz, DisplayPort x 3 2.1a, HDMI 2.1b, NVIDIA Blackwell Architecture)

Get the MSI RTX 5080 Suprim Liquid SOC on Amazon

Specs

What it does well

The MSI RTX 5080 Suprim Liquid SOC is the card for 4K Very High at high refresh. TechPowerUp measured the RTX 4080 Super, a slower card, at 67 fps at native 4K Very High, and the RTX 5080 sits a step above that class. Native 4K at 60 is settled before upscaling enters the picture.

DLSS adds the rest. Notebookcheck saw DLSS Quality take an RTX 4080 from about 65 fps to about 103 fps at 4K Very High. On a 5080 that is 4K 120Hz territory, and frame generation then smooths a base that already sits above 60. The 240 mm liquid cooler keeps the card quiet under that load.

What you give up

This game does not need it. The RX 9070 XT runs 4K Very High with FSR for much less, and the 5080 still leaves a large gap to the RTX 5090 above it. Buy it for the 4K library, not for Tsushima alone.

The AIO needs a 240 mm radiator mount in your case. Pumps are the wear part on any liquid cooler, and reports suggest they are the first thing to go after several years of use.

Who it's for

A 4K 120Hz or 144Hz OLED owner who also plays ray-traced games where the 5080 earns its premium. The 4K GPU guide sorts the rest of the field by refresh target.

Best Budget: ASRock RX 9060 XT Challenger 16GB

ASRock Radeon RX 9060 XT Challenger 16GB OC, RDNA 4, 3290MHz Boost, 16GB GDDR6 128-bit, PCIe 5.0, Dual Fans, 0dB Silent, LED Indicator, DisplayPort 2.1a, HDMI 2.1b

Get the ASRock RX 9060 XT Challenger 16GB on Amazon

Specs

What it does well

The ASRock RX 9060 XT Challenger 16GB carries the AMD lead down to the entry tier. One head-to-head put the RX 9060 XT 16GB at about 99 fps average against the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB's 85 fps in this game. That is 1080p at high refresh on Very High, and 1440p above 60 with FSR at Quality.

The 16GB matters more than this game shows. Ghost of Tsushima runs fine on 8GB, but most 2026 releases do not, and 16GB at this tier is what keeps the card useful for years. The dual-fan cooler stops its fans at idle.

What you give up

The 128-bit memory bus limits it at 4K. Treat 4K as an FSR Performance experiment, not a target. Ray tracing in other games is weaker than on Nvidia's equivalent.

Buyers have flagged that ASRock sells an 8GB RX 9060 XT under the same Challenger name. The pick is the 16GB card; check the capacity in the listing title before you order.

Who it's for

A 1080p 144Hz player, or a 1440p 60Hz to 100Hz player, who wants the most frames per dollar. The budget GPU guide covers this tier across other games.

Editor's Pick: ASUS TUF RTX 5070 Ti OC

ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB GDDR7 OC Edition Graphics Card | PCIe 5.0, HDMI/DP 2.1, 3.125-slot, Military-grade Components, Protective PCB Coating, Axial-tech Fans

$1,389.99

Get the ASUS TUF RTX 5070 Ti OC on Amazon

Specs

What it does well

The ASUS TUF RTX 5070 Ti OC is the ultrawide pick. Nixxes built the port for 21:9 and 32:9, and a 3440x1440 panel pushes about a third more pixels than 16:9 1440p. That is where DLSS earns its keep: upscaling at Quality holds fine detail on the wide frame better than FSR 3, and DLAA is there when you have frames to spare.

The rest of your library is the other reason. Ghost of Tsushima has no ray tracing, but plenty of ultrawide-friendly games do, and that is where the RTX 5070 Ti pulls ahead of the RX 9070 XT. Reflex is in the game too, which helps when frame generation is on.

What you give up

In this game it is the slower card. TechSpot measured the RX 9070 XT up to 14 percent ahead at 1440p Very High, and the 5070 Ti costs more. You pay for DLSS and ray tracing elsewhere, not for Tsushima frame rates.

The 3.125-slot TUF cooler is thick, so check case clearance first. Buyers have flagged that ASUS sells white and BTF versions of the TUF 5070 Ti; the pick is the standard black OC Edition.

Who it's for

A 3440x1440 ultrawide player whose library includes ray-traced games. The 1440p ultrawide GPU guide covers the same panel across more titles.

Bottom line

If you play at 1440p high refresh or on a 4K TV, buy the Sapphire Pulse RX 9070 XT. If you want 4K Very High at 120Hz and play heavier games too, buy the MSI RTX 5080 Suprim Liquid SOC. If you play at 1080p or 1440p 60Hz, buy the ASRock RX 9060 XT Challenger 16GB. If you play on a 3440x1440 ultrawide, buy the ASUS TUF RTX 5070 Ti OC. If you already own an RTX 3070 or RX 6800 class card, tune the settings first.

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