For the rood-boi native PC port, Ultra path tracing needs a 64-bit x86-64 computer with a recent CPU, 8 GB of RAM, roughly 4.5 GB of working free space, and a discrete graphics card whose current driver exposes Vulkan 1.3 and VK_KHR_ray_query. Current driver examples include NVIDIA RTX, AMD RDNA2-or-newer and Intel Arc hardware. The project does not publish a minimum retail GPU, VRAM requirement or frame-rate target, so no particular card can be promised to deliver a specific FPS.
What “path-traced Vagrant Story” refers to
This question normally concerns rood-boi, an unofficial native PC port of Vagrant Story, rather than ordinary PlayStation emulation. Its Ultra preset uses Vulkan ray queries for ray-traced soft shadows and per-pixel path-traced indirect lighting. Ultra also denoises that lighting with NVIDIA Real-time Denoisers (NRD).
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The port is a work in progress. The project README describes it as playable but unfinished: the opening, exploration, battles, menus, saving and loading work in areas that have been tested, while the ending has not been ported and some paths still stop with [UNIMPLEMENTED] messages. Experimental widescreen support is available, but HDR is not implemented. A faster GPU cannot make those software limitations disappear.
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Minimum hardware for the Ultra preset
Graphics card and driver
The decisive requirement is not a particular model number; it is a 64-bit Vulkan-capable GPU with VK_KHR_ray_query exposed by the installed driver. The project identifies NVIDIA RTX, AMD RDNA2-and-later and Intel Arc as current hardware families that can provide ray queries. Ultra is documented as requiring a discrete RT GPU and Vulkan.
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The renderer also requires Vulkan 1.3 with dynamic rendering, synchronization2 and geometry shaders. A card may be physically capable of ray tracing yet fail the port if its driver does not expose the required API features. Driver quality and version therefore matter as much as the silicon.
No official minimum GPU model, VRAM amount, resolution target or FPS target is published. Treat a model advertised as “ray tracing capable” as a starting point, not a guarantee. Check the actual Vulkan feature report on the machine that will run the game.
Processor
The README says that any recent x86-64 CPU is sufficient for playing. It does not specify a core count, clock speed or named processor generation. A normal modern desktop or laptop processor is therefore a reasonable fit; buying an unusually high-end CPU solely for this port is not supported by the project’s requirements.
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Memory
8 GB of system RAM is described as plenty for playing. Compilation has a different demand: the project estimates about 1–2 GB per compiler job. If you build with several jobs in parallel, leave enough RAM for the operating system and other applications or reduce the parallel job count. That build-time figure is not a gameplay requirement.
Storage
A checkout containing the disc image, extracted data and both builds is estimated at about 2.5 GB. The first 64-bit build needs approximately 2 GB of temporary space, so plan for about 4.5 GB of free working headroom during setup. The project also downloads roughly 500 MB for the first-build NRD dependency; about 40 MB remains afterward. These are project estimates, not a benchmark of total drive usage for every toolchain.
| Storage item | Published estimate | When it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Checkout, disc image, extracted data and both builds | About 2.5 GB | Persistent working tree |
| Temporary space for the first 64-bit build | About 2 GB | Peak setup usage |
| Initial NRD dependency download | About 500 MB | First build only |
| NRD retained after download | About 40 MB | Subsequent builds |
Check a PC before installing
- Confirm the platform. Use a 64-bit x86-64 system. Linux x86-64 is the tested environment; the project specifically tests Ubuntu 24.04 LTS under X11 or Wayland/XWayland.
- Install a current graphics driver. Select the driver branch appropriate for your GPU and keep it current enough to expose Vulkan 1.3 and ray-query support. The port cannot add missing Vulkan features in software.
- Run the Vulkan diagnostic. With the Vulkan tools installed, run
vulkaninfo --summary. The README recommends verifying that the output lists your GPU and an API version of 1.3 or later. - Check the required extension. Inspect the full Vulkan report, rather than relying only on a marketing specification, and confirm that
VK_KHR_ray_queryis present. If it is absent, Ultra and the ray-traced High path are unavailable on that driver. - Reserve working space. Keep approximately 4.5 GB free before extracting the source and building, with additional room if your compiler, package manager or home directory uses temporary files elsewhere.
- Verify memory during a build. An 8 GB machine can play, but parallel compiler jobs can consume 1–2 GB each. Close unnecessary applications or build with fewer jobs if the system starts swapping.
What each renderer tier supports
Ray queries determine the high-end lighting modes, but a machine without them is not automatically excluded. The port has several fallback paths with different API requirements.
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| Preset or renderer | API and hardware condition | Lighting capability |
|---|---|---|
| Ultra | Vulkan 1.3 and VK_KHR_ray_query on a discrete RT GPU |
Ray-traced soft shadows plus per-pixel path-traced indirect light, denoised with NRD |
| High | Vulkan ray-query support on a compatible driver | Ray-traced lighting features; exact performance target is not published |
| Low/Medium Vulkan | Vulkan without ray queries | Shadow-map lighting fallback |
| OpenGL 4.3+ | OpenGL 4.3 or newer | Path tracer and probe-based global illumination without the documented Vulkan ray-query path |
| OpenGL 3.3 core | OpenGL 3.3 core | Basic renderer |
This makes ray-query support the practical buying criterion for Ultra. If your computer only meets the OpenGL or shadow-map paths, it may still run the port, but it will not provide the same lighting mode.
Operating-system requirements and build route
Linux
Linux x86-64 is the project’s tested platform, with Ubuntu 24.04 LTS named specifically. Both X11 and Wayland/XWayland are covered. This is the simplest supported route because the native build environment is Linux.
Windows
Windows 10 or 11 on x64 can run a native 64-bit build produced from Linux or WSL2. The documented workflow is therefore a Linux or WSL2 build path followed by running the resulting Windows executable; it is not presented as a separate, independently tested Windows-native development environment.
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Unsupported platforms
macOS is unsupported, as is Linux on ARM. An ARM-based laptop or single-board computer therefore does not meet the port’s stated target even if it has a capable graphics API. Emulation or compatibility layers would be a separate, undocumented experiment rather than a supported configuration.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Game files you must provide
The port ships no copyrighted game data. You need your own USA Vagrant Story disc dump, specifically named SLUS-01040.bin, in raw 2352-byte-per-sector BIN format. The documented pipeline does not support the European or Japanese releases, nor ISO, CHD, PBP or ECM files.
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Controller and display considerations
A controller is optional. Keyboard mappings are documented, and SDL 3 supports Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and other standard gamepads. DualSense and DualShock 4 controllers work over USB or Bluetooth as ordinary gamepads. A USB or Bluetooth pad can provide console-style controls, but it is not part of the minimum hardware requirement.
Widescreen is experimental, so a wide monitor should not be treated as evidence of a fully supported ultrawide presentation. HDR is not implemented, meaning an HDR-capable display will not unlock HDR output in the port.
Troubleshooting hardware and setup failures
vulkaninfo shows an API below 1.3
Update the GPU driver first and rerun vulkaninfo --summary. If the reported API remains below 1.3, that driver/GPU combination does not meet the Vulkan renderer requirement. Use an OpenGL fallback where supported or replace the graphics hardware; changing the in-game preset cannot add Vulkan 1.3 features.
VK_KHR_ray_query is missing
Check that the intended discrete GPU is selected and that the system is not using an older integrated-GPU driver. If the extension is still absent on a current driver, use Vulkan Low/Medium shadow maps or an OpenGL renderer instead of Ultra. Do not infer support from the GPU brand alone.
The first build runs out of memory or disk space
Free more than the project’s estimated working headroom, then reduce compiler parallelism so fewer 1–2 GB jobs run at once. The initial NRD download temporarily adds about 500 MB, so a machine that barely meets the persistent checkout estimate can still fail during setup.
The game will not find the disc image
Confirm that the file is the USA dump named SLUS-01040.bin and that it uses raw 2352-byte sectors. ISO, CHD, PBP and ECM containers, or European and Japanese discs, do not match the documented input pipeline.
Quick Recap
How to choose hardware without invented FPS claims
- Start with the API checklist: Vulkan 1.3, dynamic rendering,
synchronization2, geometry shaders andVK_KHR_ray_query. - Prefer a discrete RT-capable GPU if Ultra lighting is the goal; the project names RTX, RDNA2-or-newer and Arc families as examples.
- Do not pay for a specific VRAM number based on this port: no official VRAM recommendation is published.
- Match the operating system to the build path: Linux is tested directly, while Windows uses a build produced from Linux or WSL2.
- Keep fallback expectations realistic: without ray queries, the port can still use shadow-map or OpenGL modes, but not the documented Ultra path.
- Remember project maturity: hardware determines whether a renderer can run; it does not complete unported sections or remove
[UNIMPLEMENTED]stops.
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