Area 51
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Estimated FPS across quality settings and resolutions
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Area 51 FPS by GPU
Estimated framerates for 14 reference GPUs · pick a resolution and quality
Full benchmark grid · 14 GPUs × 4 qualities × 3 resolutions
1080p performance
| GPU | low | medium | high | ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 5090 | 587 fps | 470 fps | 376 fps | 305 fps |
| RTX 4090 | 545 fps | 436 fps | 349 fps | 284 fps |
| RX 7900 XTX | 489 fps | 391 fps | 313 fps | 254 fps |
| RTX 5080 | 461 fps | 369 fps | 295 fps | 240 fps |
| RTX 4080 Super | 433 fps | 347 fps | 277 fps | 225 fps |
| RTX 4070 Ti | 343 fps | 274 fps | 219 fps | 178 fps |
| RTX 4070 | 294 fps | 235 fps | 188 fps | 153 fps |
| RX 7800 XT | 259 fps | 207 fps | 166 fps | 135 fps |
| RTX 3080 | 252 fps | 201 fps | 161 fps | 131 fps |
| RTX 4060 Ti | 238 fps | 190 fps | 152 fps | 124 fps |
| RTX 3070 | 217 fps | 173 fps | 139 fps | 113 fps |
| RTX 4060 | 196 fps | 157 fps | 125 fps | 102 fps |
| RTX 3060 | 168 fps | 134 fps | 107 fps | 87 fps |
| GTX 1660 Super | 122 fps | 97 fps | 78 fps | 63 fps |
1440p performance
| GPU | low | medium | high | ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 5090 | 440 fps | 352 fps | 282 fps | 229 fps |
| RTX 4090 | 409 fps | 327 fps | 262 fps | 213 fps |
| RX 7900 XTX | 367 fps | 294 fps | 235 fps | 191 fps |
| RTX 5080 | 346 fps | 277 fps | 221 fps | 180 fps |
| RTX 4080 Super | 325 fps | 260 fps | 208 fps | 169 fps |
| RTX 4070 Ti | 257 fps | 206 fps | 164 fps | 134 fps |
| RTX 4070 | 220 fps | 176 fps | 141 fps | 115 fps |
| RX 7800 XT | 194 fps | 155 fps | 124 fps | 101 fps |
| RTX 3080 | 189 fps | 151 fps | 121 fps | 98 fps |
| RTX 4060 Ti | 178 fps | 143 fps | 114 fps | 93 fps |
| RTX 3070 | 163 fps | 130 fps | 104 fps | 85 fps |
| RTX 4060 | 147 fps | 117 fps | 94 fps | 76 fps |
| RTX 3060 | 126 fps | 101 fps | 81 fps | 65 fps |
| GTX 1660 Super | 91 fps | 73 fps | 58 fps | 47 fps |
4K performance
| GPU | low | medium | high | ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 5090 | 235 fps | 188 fps | 150 fps | 122 fps |
| RTX 4090 | 218 fps | 174 fps | 140 fps | 113 fps |
| RX 7900 XTX | 196 fps | 157 fps | 125 fps | 102 fps |
| RTX 5080 | 185 fps | 148 fps | 118 fps | 96 fps |
| RTX 4080 Super | 173 fps | 139 fps | 111 fps | 90 fps |
| RTX 4070 Ti | 137 fps | 110 fps | 88 fps | 71 fps |
| RTX 4070 | 117 fps | 94 fps | 75 fps | 61 fps |
| RX 7800 XT | 103 fps | 83 fps | 66 fps | 54 fps |
| RTX 3080 | 101 fps | 81 fps | 64 fps | 52 fps |
| RTX 4060 Ti | 95 fps | 76 fps | 61 fps | 49 fps |
| RTX 3070 | 87 fps | 69 fps | 55 fps | 45 fps |
| RTX 4060 | 78 fps | 63 fps | 50 fps | 41 fps |
| RTX 3060 | 67 fps | 54 fps | 43 fps | 35 fps |
| GTX 1660 Super | 49 fps | 39 fps | 31 fps | 25 fps |
Where to buy
Area 51
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Minimum Hardware
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Genres
About
Area 51 is a first-person shooter released in 2005 that puts you in the role of Specialist Ethan Cole, a member of an elite Special Forces unit responding to a catastrophic viral outbreak at the government's most secretive military facility. The game combines fast-paced combat with a compelling sci-fi premise, trapping you inside the lockdown facility alongside infected personnel and experimental threats. It stands out as one of the few major FPS titles to fully embrace the iconic Area 51 setting and mythology.
Running Area 51 is quite accessible by modern standards. The minimum GPU requirement is relatively modest, needing only an entry-level graphics card with a benchmark score around 5364 to achieve playable performance. With just 4 GB of RAM required, you can expect solid FPS performance on budget gaming builds, and even modest systems can handle the game at decent graphics settings without extensive benchmark testing or optimization.
If you enjoy early 2000s shooters with imaginative sci-fi scenarios, Area 51 is worth revisiting despite its 73/100 rating. The game offers straightforward action-shooter gameplay that remains entertaining, and its low performance requirements make it an ideal title to test on retro gaming PCs or older hardware benchmarks.
Performance profile
Released in April 2005, Area 51 comes from the DirectX 9 era. Even the cheapest modern discrete GPU crushes it at maxed-out settings; the only real bottleneck today is CPU single-thread speed on older titles that were never multi-threaded.
Area 51 is latency-sensitive: a high refresh-rate monitor (144 Hz+) and consistent 1% low framerate matter more than raw averages. Aim for a GPU that delivers 20–30% more headroom than the "just 60 FPS" tier to keep frame pacing smooth during intense fights.
Entry-level hardware target. A GTX 1650 or RX 6500 XT reaches 60 FPS at 1080p Medium in Area 51; an RTX 4060 comfortably sustains 1440p Ultra. 4K Ultra 60 FPS needs an RTX 4070 or better.
Storyline
In July 1947, an alien spacecraft crashed near Roswell, New Mexico in the United States. The craft was recovered by the U.S. Air Force and taken to Area 51 in Nevada, where the lone survivor of the crash, a powerful Grey named Edgar, was held captive by the U.S. military. Eventually, the Greys opened a dialogue with the Illuminati led by the ominous Mr. White (Phil Proctor), and struck a deal with them. The Illuminati would give the Greys a research base 3 miles below the surface of Area 51, the use of the base as a landing site, and give them human test subjects where they, along with human scientists, would research a mutagenic virus to use in a war on their homeworld. In return the Greys would give the Illuminati exclusive access to Grey technology. The Illuminati used some of this technology to spy on the population. The Greys and the human scientists eventually developed a powerful alien being - known as the "Theta", which spread the virus. Unbeknownst to many of the scientists working on the project, the Greys and the Illuminati were also planning to use the virus against the Earth population and dominate the planet. When Dr. Winston Cray found out about the plan, he let loose the "Theta" and the mutagenic virus throughout Area 51, in an effort to slow them down. This prompted the military to send in a Quick Reaction Force led by Major Bridges (Powers Boothe) to quarantine and contain the virus. HAZMAT Team Delta, the first team initially sent into Area 51 are ambushed by the "Theta" creature, sustaining casualties, before withdrawing deeper into the base. HAZMAT Team Bravo, composed of team leader Ramirez, McCan, Crispy, and mission specialist Ethan Cole is sent to find Delta.
