Black Mesa
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Estimated FPS across quality settings and resolutions
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Black Mesa 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 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 4090 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RX 7900 XTX | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 5080 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 4080 Super | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 4070 Ti | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 4070 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RX 7800 XT | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 925 fps |
| RTX 3080 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 900 fps |
| RTX 4060 Ti | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 850 fps |
| RTX 3070 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 954 fps | 775 fps |
| RTX 4060 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 862 fps | 700 fps |
| RTX 3060 | 999 fps | 923 fps | 738 fps | 600 fps |
| GTX 1660 Super | 837 fps | 669 fps | 535 fps | 435 fps |
1440p performance
| GPU | low | medium | high | ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 5090 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 4090 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RX 7900 XTX | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 5080 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 4080 Super | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 4070 Ti | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 919 fps |
| RTX 4070 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 969 fps | 788 fps |
| RX 7800 XT | 999 fps | 999 fps | 854 fps | 694 fps |
| RTX 3080 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 831 fps | 675 fps |
| RTX 4060 Ti | 999 fps | 981 fps | 785 fps | 638 fps |
| RTX 3070 | 999 fps | 894 fps | 715 fps | 581 fps |
| RTX 4060 | 999 fps | 808 fps | 646 fps | 525 fps |
| RTX 3060 | 865 fps | 692 fps | 554 fps | 450 fps |
| GTX 1660 Super | 627 fps | 502 fps | 402 fps | 326 fps |
4K performance
| GPU | low | medium | high | ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 5090 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 840 fps |
| RTX 4090 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 960 fps | 780 fps |
| RX 7900 XTX | 999 fps | 999 fps | 862 fps | 700 fps |
| RTX 5080 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 812 fps | 660 fps |
| RTX 4080 Super | 999 fps | 954 fps | 763 fps | 620 fps |
| RTX 4070 Ti | 942 fps | 754 fps | 603 fps | 490 fps |
| RTX 4070 | 808 fps | 646 fps | 517 fps | 420 fps |
| RX 7800 XT | 712 fps | 569 fps | 455 fps | 370 fps |
| RTX 3080 | 692 fps | 554 fps | 443 fps | 360 fps |
| RTX 4060 Ti | 654 fps | 523 fps | 418 fps | 340 fps |
| RTX 3070 | 596 fps | 477 fps | 382 fps | 310 fps |
| RTX 4060 | 538 fps | 431 fps | 345 fps | 280 fps |
| RTX 3060 | 462 fps | 369 fps | 295 fps | 240 fps |
| GTX 1660 Super | 335 fps | 268 fps | 214 fps | 174 fps |
Where to buy
Black Mesa
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$19.99
Minimum Hardware
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Genres
About
Black Mesa is a full remake of Valve's legendary Half-Life, reimagined using the Source Engine and released in 2020. This action-adventure shooter puts you back in the role of Gordon Freeman, navigating the mysterious Black Mesa Research Facility through detailed environments filled with experimental weapons and memorable characters. The game delivers the classic Half-Life experience with enhanced graphics, new voice acting, and updated gameplay that appeals to both nostalgic fans and newcomers to the franchise.
Black Mesa is reasonably accessible for modern gaming PCs, running well on mid-range hardware without demanding cutting-edge components. Most players can achieve smooth FPS performance on a GTX 1060 or RX 580 at 1080p with high graphics settings, while older GPUs can still hit 60 FPS at lower settings. The game scales effectively across different resolutions and quality presets, making it easy to find the right balance between visual fidelity and performance for your benchmark testing.
With an 88/100 rating, Black Mesa is absolutely worth playing for action and adventure fans, especially those who appreciate classic shooters with strong level design and storytelling. Whether you're benchmarking new hardware or simply looking for a solid single-player experience, this remake delivers excellent value and lasting appeal.
Performance profile
Released in March 2020, Black Mesa targets RTX 20/30-series and RX 6000-era hardware. A current mid-range GPU (RTX 4060 Ti / RX 7700 XT) is the sweet spot for 1440p Ultra; 4K needs a high-end card.
Black Mesa is a narrative-driven experience — a rock-solid 60 FPS is plenty. Prioritise resolution and image quality (AA, anisotropic filtering) over chasing high-refresh framerates.
Extremely light — Black Mesa runs at 60 FPS 1080p on any integrated GPU (Intel Iris Xe, AMD Radeon Graphics) or a decade-old discrete card like the GTX 1050. A current-gen RTX 4060 pushes 4K Ultra without effort.
Storyline
The plot of Black Mesa is almost identical to Half-Life's storyline, playable through the "Lambda Core" chapter. As in the original game, the player controls Gordon Freeman, a scientist working at the Black Mesa Research Facility. He is tasked to place a sample of a strange material into an electromagnetic instrument, using the Hazardous Environment Suit Mark IV to do so safely. However, the sample material causes a "resonance cascade", devastating the facility and creating an interdimensional rift to an alien dimension called Xen, bringing its alien creatures to Earth. Freeman survives, finds other survivors, and makes his way to the surface with the protection of his hazard suit to get help. Upon reaching the surface, however, he finds that the facility is being cleansed of any living thing - human or alien - by armed forces. From other scientists, Freeman finds the only way to stop the alien invasion is to cross over to Xen and destroy the entity holding the portal open.
