Is 16GB of RAM the new minimum for modern open-world games?

Yes, it will help significantly. Cyberpunk 2077 and Starfield are memory hogs, and 8GB causes micro-stutters and freezes from constant swapping. 16GB gives games room to breathe without that. It won’t fix a weak GPU or CPU, but for stuttering specifically, it’s the single most impactful upgrade. Just make sure you use dual-channel memory (2x8GB) and enable XMP/EXPO.