PCGameBenchmarks
Serious Sam 3: BFE

Serious Sam 3: BFE

70/100
175 ratings2011Easy to run

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Estimated FPS across quality settings and resolutions

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Serious Sam 3: BFE 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

Serious Sam 3: BFE estimated FPS at 1080p across 14 GPUs and 4 quality presets
GPUlowmediumhighultra
RTX 5090999 fps999 fps999 fps999 fps
RTX 4090999 fps999 fps999 fps999 fps
RX 7900 XTX999 fps999 fps999 fps999 fps
RTX 5080999 fps999 fps999 fps999 fps
RTX 4080 Super999 fps999 fps999 fps999 fps
RTX 4070 Ti999 fps999 fps999 fps999 fps
RTX 4070999 fps999 fps999 fps999 fps
RX 7800 XT999 fps999 fps999 fps999 fps
RTX 3080999 fps999 fps999 fps999 fps
RTX 4060 Ti999 fps999 fps999 fps999 fps
RTX 3070999 fps999 fps999 fps999 fps
RTX 4060999 fps999 fps999 fps951 fps
RTX 3060999 fps999 fps999 fps815 fps
GTX 1660 Super999 fps909 fps728 fps591 fps

1440p performance

Serious Sam 3: BFE estimated FPS at 1440p across 14 GPUs and 4 quality presets
GPUlowmediumhighultra
RTX 5090999 fps999 fps999 fps999 fps
RTX 4090999 fps999 fps999 fps999 fps
RX 7900 XTX999 fps999 fps999 fps999 fps
RTX 5080999 fps999 fps999 fps999 fps
RTX 4080 Super999 fps999 fps999 fps999 fps
RTX 4070 Ti999 fps999 fps999 fps999 fps
RTX 4070999 fps999 fps999 fps999 fps
RX 7800 XT999 fps999 fps999 fps943 fps
RTX 3080999 fps999 fps999 fps917 fps
RTX 4060 Ti999 fps999 fps999 fps866 fps
RTX 3070999 fps999 fps972 fps790 fps
RTX 4060999 fps999 fps878 fps713 fps
RTX 3060999 fps941 fps753 fps611 fps
GTX 1660 Super853 fps682 fps546 fps443 fps

4K performance

Serious Sam 3: BFE estimated FPS at 4K across 14 GPUs and 4 quality presets
GPUlowmediumhighultra
RTX 5090999 fps999 fps999 fps999 fps
RTX 4090999 fps999 fps999 fps999 fps
RX 7900 XTX999 fps999 fps999 fps951 fps
RTX 5080999 fps999 fps999 fps897 fps
RTX 4080 Super999 fps999 fps999 fps843 fps
RTX 4070 Ti999 fps999 fps820 fps666 fps
RTX 4070999 fps878 fps702 fps571 fps
RX 7800 XT967 fps774 fps619 fps503 fps
RTX 3080941 fps753 fps602 fps489 fps
RTX 4060 Ti889 fps711 fps569 fps462 fps
RTX 3070810 fps648 fps518 fps421 fps
RTX 4060732 fps585 fps468 fps380 fps
RTX 3060627 fps502 fps401 fps326 fps
GTX 1660 Super455 fps364 fps291 fps236 fps

Minimum Hardware

Graphics Card
Minimum required

Nvidia GeForce 7800/7900/8600 series

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Processor
Minimum required

Intel Dual Core 2.0 GHz

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Memory
Minimum required

1 GB

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Genres

About

Serious Sam 3: BFE (2011) is a fast-paced first-person shooter that celebrates classic arcade-style action gaming. This indie title ditches modern cover mechanics in favor of raw firepower and intense combat encounters, serving as a prequel to the original Serious Sam game. With its straightforward approach to mayhem and destruction, it's a refreshing throwback to when shooters prioritized pure gameplay over cinematic storytelling.

The game runs well on modest hardware, making it an accessible benchmark title for older or budget-focused systems. Entry-level GPUs with a score around 211 can meet minimum requirements, though you'll want at least a mid-range GPU to achieve solid FPS performance at higher graphics settings. With just 1 GB of RAM minimum, Serious Sam 3 won't stress modern PCs, and most systems from the last decade will handle it comfortably at 60+ FPS.

If you enjoy old-school shooter action without pretension, Serious Sam 3 delivers straightforward fun. The 70/100 rating reflects a solid if unspectacular experience that's worth playing if you appreciate the genre's roots.

Performance profile

November 2011 release. Serious Sam 3: BFE targets mid-2000s-to-early-2010s hardware — any modern entry-level GPU (GTX 1650 tier or newer integrated graphics) handles it at 1080p Ultra without breaking a sweat.

Action titles like Serious Sam 3: BFE reward high framerates for visual clarity during combat. A mid-range modern GPU at 1440p 60–120 FPS is the practical sweet spot; VRR (G-Sync/FreeSync) smooths out drops during heavy effects.

Extremely light — Serious Sam 3: BFE 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

Prior to AD 2060, humanity had slowly begun uncovering artifacts and ruins left behind in ancient times by the Sirians, the famous and long-thought extinct race from the place of Sirius. Unfortunately, Mental has chosen this time to turn his attention upon Earth. He dispatches his space fleet carrying his endless hordes to attack Earth, leading a three-year conquest that has humanity driven almost to the point of extinction. In a last-ditch effort, the survivors turn to the Time-Lock, a recently excavated device supposedly capable of granting a single person the ability of time travel via an inter-dimensional portal. Through it, that person could reach a pivotal point in time and alter events of the past. But as the device lies dormant, they must first discover a means to turn it on. Sam "Serious" Stone, part of the Earth Defense force, is dispatched with a detachment of soldiers in the Alpha team to modern Egypt, which is occupied by Mental's alien army. Their original mission is to recon, rendezvous, and extract Bravo team who are protecting Dr Stein, a scientist carrying hieroglyphics believed to contain instructions for powering up the Time-Lock. Sam's insertion goes haywire as his chopper is shot down and both teams are quickly wiped out. However, he is able to recover the hieroglyphics from Stein's phone in the museum and transmit them to headquarters. Deciphering indicates there is a hidden Sirian chamber below the Great Pyramid. Sam clears himself a path to a tunnel underneath the Sphinx and descends into the Pyramid. He not only discovers the hidden chamber but recovers crucial information and a bracelet device from the remains of what might have been Earth's last Sirian. In order to power the Time-Lock, two dormant but incredibly powerful plasma-energy generators need to be activated. Hellfire from Charlie team inserts Sam to bring both online. This is slowly accomplished and Team Charlie is staged to enter the Time-Lock. Sam is relieved of duty and in the process of being extracted from Cairo, but is shot down once again and is forced to flee towards the lost ruins of Nubia. Traversing through more tombs, Sam gets back in touch with Hellfire and learns that Mental's forces have overrun the human military and killed them all shortly before dying herself. Now determined to finish what the Sirians has started, Sam vows to use the Time-Lock himself and kill Mental in the past before he can destroy humanity in the present. Sam then makes one last travel to Hatshepsut Temple, where the Time-Lock is located. The struggle to this destination ends with Sam killing Ugh-Zan IV. With Ugh-Zan IV dead, the Time-Lock then activates, displaying an inter-dimensional portal to 3000 B.C., the timeline where the Sirians became extinct. Sam calls Mental on Stein's phone and is answered by Mental's daughter, Judy. She tells him that Mental is planning to "moon" him. Sam notices the Moon plummeting rapidly within Earth's atmosphere and escapes through the Time-Lock to 3000 B.C. as the Moon impacts Earth, destroying the planet.

Screenshots

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