32GB is not overkill for gaming anymore.

No, it’s not overkill. A few years ago 16GB was plenty. Today, it’s the baseline if you play AAA titles and don’t want to close Discord every time you launch a game.

Modern games are memory hogs. Hogwarts Legacy, Starfield, Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing — they can push past 16GB easily, especially if you have a browser tab or two open. Windows itself likes 4-5GB. Add anti-cheat, a launcher, and you’re at 12GB before you even load a save. That leaves almost nothing for the game’s own spike.

16GB still works for most games, but you’ll notice stutter when the system starts swapping to disk. 32GB gives you headroom for Chrome tabs, streaming, or just forgetting to close background stuff. It’s a cheap insurance policy against frustration.

If you’re building a new PC and gaming is the main use, get 32GB. DDR5 is affordable enough now that there’s no reason to cheap out. Future you won’t regret it.