Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsMost performance problems in The Last of Us Part I have a different cause, so start by identifying whether the game is still compiling shaders, the CPU or VRAM is saturated, the PC is below the published requirements, or the game and graphics driver are outdated. Finish shader building, update the game and driver, measure with the built-in performance HUD, then change only the settings related to the bottleneck.
The procedure below follows Naughty Dog’s documented remedies. It does not promise a universal frame rate or a one-setting fix for every PC.
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Use this troubleshooting order first
Work through these checks in sequence. They prevent you from judging performance while the game is doing one-time shader work or from lowering image quality when the real problem is a background process or unsupported hardware.
- Confirm the game version. Install the newest patch offered by your launcher. The latest official patch page located for this guide is v1.1.5, dated July 3, 2025; check the patch index for anything newer on your installation.
- Let shader building finish. Do not treat the first launch, a post-patch launch, or the first minutes of a new driver installation as representative gameplay.
- Turn on the performance display. Open Options > HUD > Performance and watch frame rate, CPU use, and GPU use while repeating the same scene.
- Check for software and hardware limits. Close CPU- or VRAM-intensive applications, compare your components with the published requirements, and verify that the game is installed on an SSD.
- Change one setting group at a time. Compare the same route or scene after each change so you know which adjustment helped and what visual quality it cost.
- Use a frame cap when the CPU is the limiter. The in-game control is Options > Display > Framerate Cap.
- Escalate crashes with useful information. Record the exact error, hardware, driver, game version, and where the crash occurs before contacting official support.
Shader building: why stutter can be temporary
The Last of Us Part I compiles shaders for your hardware. During that work, CPU usage, storage activity, hitching, and long loading times can be abnormal. A game that feels smooth after compilation can stutter badly while the process is incomplete, so changing every graphics option immediately can hide the real cause.
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What changed with the patches
Naughty Dog’s v1.1.0 notes say that installing the update triggers a full shader rebuild and that the patch improves shader-compilation times. The same notes address a case in which the progress indicator could appear complete before compilation was actually finished. A rebuild after that update is therefore expected, not evidence that your files are damaged.
The official patch history also records fixes for crashes during shader building and loading. Those fixes improve known cases, but they cannot establish why a particular PC is crashing.
What to do when building appears stuck
- Install the current game patch, then restart the game once so the new build process starts cleanly.
- Leave the game open until the shader process genuinely completes. Avoid repeatedly killing the process at the first apparent 100 percent.
- Allow extra time after an update or driver change before judging normal gameplay. Use the performance HUD only after returning to a repeatable playable scene.
- If the game repeatedly crashes during building, note the exact point, error message, GPU, driver version, and game version. Use that record when contacting Naughty Dog support.
Do not delete shader files or alter game files as a first-line remedy; the official material used here does not recommend either action.
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Open Options > HUD > Performance. The display lets you compare frame rate with CPU and GPU activity instead of guessing from a single hitch. Pick one repeatable route, such as the same room or corridor, and make one change before running it again.
- CPU use is high while GPU use is relatively low: investigate shader compilation, background applications, the frame-rate target, and CPU-sensitive settings.
- VRAM is nearly full or the game reports memory pressure: close GPU-heavy applications and reduce the VRAM-sensitive settings listed below.
- Both CPU and GPU are busy: lowering the setting associated with the higher or more erratic workload is more useful than applying a random preset.
- The frame rate is stable but lower than expected: compare the machine with the published CPU, GPU, RAM, operating-system, and storage requirements before pursuing advanced tweaks.
Use the built-in cap at Options > Display > Framerate Cap when an aggressively high target is keeping the CPU busy. Choose a cap your system can sustain in the scene you care about; no single cap is guaranteed for every configuration.
Fix high CPU usage and CPU-related stutter
A high CPU percentage is not automatically a fault. Naughty Dog specifically notes that targeting a high frame rate can raise CPU usage. Shader compilation, crowded scenes, background programs, and CPU-heavy graphics settings can all contribute.
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Start with software and timing checks
- Finish shader compilation and bring the game to the current patch.
- Close browsers with heavy tabs, recording or encoding jobs, game launchers doing downloads, and other CPU-intensive programs. Recheck the HUD after each major application is closed.
- Set a practical in-game frame cap. A lower, stable target can prevent the CPU from rendering work your display cannot show.
- Repeat the same scene. If CPU use falls but the frame rate does not improve, the GPU, storage, or a game-specific hitch may be the limiting factor instead.
CPU-sensitive graphics settings
Naughty Dog identifies the following options as having moderate-to-major CPU effects. Lower them selectively rather than moving every slider to its minimum.
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|---|---|---|
| Draw distance | Reduces the amount of distant scene detail the CPU must manage. | Objects and detail can appear at shorter distances. |
| Directional shadow distance | Limits the range of the main directional shadow calculations. | Distant shadows become less detailed or disappear sooner. |
| Dynamic lights quality | Reduces CPU work from movable light sources. | Some lighting interactions look simpler. |
| Real-time reflections quality | Can reduce scene work used for dynamic reflections. | Reflections may be less detailed or update less fully. |
| Effects density | Limits the number of active effects in busy scenes. | Smoke, particles, or debris can look less dense. |
| Volumetric effects quality | Reduces processing for fog, light shafts, and other volumetric effects. | Atmospheric lighting and haze can look less rich. |
| Animation quality | Can reduce character-animation processing. | Animation detail may be less refined at a distance. |
| Ambient character density | Reduces the number of background characters the game manages. | Busy areas may contain fewer ambient people. |
| AI quality | Can reduce simulation work for non-player characters. | Behavioral or reaction detail may be less complex. |
The table describes the developer-identified CPU-sensitive options, not a benchmark ranking. Test one group in the same scene and keep the change only if the HUD shows a worthwhile improvement.
Advanced experiment: limit engine cores
Naughty Dog documents the launch argument cores <num> for limiting the engine’s CPU cores. It may lower reported CPU use, but the same guidance warns that it can reduce overall performance. Treat it as a diagnostic experiment for an advanced user, not a default optimization. If frame pacing or loading becomes worse, remove the argument and return to the normal launch configuration.
When a GPU-side change can help a CPU-limited system
On some systems, increasing resolution or selected texture settings can move more work to the GPU and prevent the CPU from racing toward an unnecessarily high frame rate. Do this only after the HUD shows that the GPU has headroom and after testing a frame cap. If the GPU or VRAM is already saturated, raising those settings will make performance worse.
Fix high VRAM use and memory-related hitching
Naughty Dog’s published figures list 4 GB of VRAM as the minimum and 8 GB as recommended (Naughty Dog, 2023). Those capacities are requirements tiers, not a guarantee of a particular resolution, preset, or frame rate on every card.
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Reduce competing memory use first
- Close GPU- or VRAM-intensive applications, including other games, 3D tools, video editors, and GPU-accelerated browser work.
- Install the current game patch and the current driver supplied by your GPU manufacturer.
- Restart the game and check the HUD in the same scene.
- If VRAM pressure continues, lower the settings in the next table in stages.
VRAM-sensitive settings
The official VRAM guidance identifies these options as the most relevant places to start.
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| Setting group | What lowering it changes | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic object, character, and environment level of detail | Reduces memory held for detailed geometry and assets. | Memory pressure rises in large or crowded scenes. |
| Texture quality for objects, characters, environments, and visual effects | Uses smaller texture assets. | VRAM is full without a corresponding CPU bottleneck. |
| Texture streaming rate | Controls how aggressively texture data is streamed. | Streaming spikes or texture-memory warnings accompany stutter. |
| Image-based lighting | Reduces memory and processing for environment-based lighting data. | Lighting data is contributing to a near-full budget. |
| Screen-space reflections | Reduces reflection buffers and related data. | Reflections are expendable and memory headroom is small. |
| Screen-space subsurface scattering | Reduces buffers used for skin and material-lighting effects. | Memory pressure occurs in character-heavy scenes. |
| Depth of field | Reduces the cost of the cinematic focus effect. | Cutscenes or focus effects coincide with spikes. |
| Motion blur quality | Uses less data for motion-blur processing. | Fast movement produces temporary memory spikes. |
| Bloom resolution | Uses a smaller buffer for bright-light bloom. | Additional buffer savings are needed after texture changes. |
There is no developer-published universal “best settings” preset or comparative benchmark for these choices. Keep the highest level that leaves consistent VRAM headroom in the scenes you actually play, then verify stability with the HUD.
Check whether the PC meets the published requirements
Naughty Dog’s requirements page is dated April 1, 2023. Both listed tiers require 16 GB of system RAM and 100 GB of SSD storage, and both specify Windows 10 64-bit version 1909 or newer. The tiers are publisher specifications, not a promise of a fixed frame rate.
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 1500X or Intel Core i7-4770K | AMD Ryzen 5 3600X or Intel Core i7-8700 |
| GPU | AMD Radeon 470 (4 GB), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (4 GB), or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4 GB) | AMD Radeon RX 5800 XT (8 GB), AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (8 GB), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super (8 GB), or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (8 GB) |
| System RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| Operating system | Windows 10 64-bit, version 1909 or newer | Windows 10 64-bit, version 1909 or newer |
| Storage | 100 GB SSD | 100 GB SSD |
Why the installation drive matters
Naughty Dog encourages an SSD for optimal performance and warns that older hard disk drives may cause issues. First verify where the game is installed and whether that drive is nearly full or showing signs of failure. Moving the installation to a suitable internal SSD can address storage-related streaming problems, but it will not repair a CPU bottleneck, insufficient VRAM, incomplete shader compilation, an outdated driver, or an unrelated crash.
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Game version
The latest official patch page located for this guide is v1.1.5, dated July 3, 2025. Its notes describe general performance optimizations and stability fixes and add support for AMD FSR 4 on compatible Radeon GPUs. Naughty Dog’s statement says: “This update brings over various improvements and stability fixes from The Last of Us Part II Remastered for PC and support for AMD’s latest version of FidelityFX™ Super Resolution (FSR).” The notes do not provide a benchmark or guarantee for a particular PC, so do not assume the update will deliver a specific frame-rate increase.
Earlier updates can matter too. For example, v1.1.0 improved shader-compilation times and required a full rebuild. If your launcher offers a version newer than the patch page cited above, use the newer official release and follow its own notes.
Driver version
Use the current driver from your GPU manufacturer, then restart Windows after installation. The driver numbers named in the May 2023 v1.0.5.0 notes—AMD Adrenalin 23.4.3 and NVIDIA 531.79—are historical examples, not current downloads. Do not install an old number merely because it appears in an older patch note.
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Improve FPS without chasing a mythical universal preset
Frame-rate improvement depends on the limiting resource. A setting that helps a CPU-limited computer can hurt a VRAM-limited one, and a lower texture setting cannot fix shader work that has not finished. Use this decision path:
- Confirm shaders are complete and the game is patched.
- Read CPU and GPU activity in the HUD during the same route.
- If CPU use is the constraint, cap the frame rate and test the CPU-sensitive settings.
- If VRAM is the constraint, close competing applications and lower texture, level-of-detail, streaming, reflection, and post-processing settings from the VRAM table.
- If the system is below the published tier, set expectations accordingly; the requirements do not specify a guaranteed FPS target.
- After every change, compare frame stability and visual quality, not just the highest instantaneous number.
Keep a simple record of the setting, scene, frame-rate behavior, CPU/GPU readings, and visual trade-off. Reverting a change is easier when you know exactly what was altered.
What to do when the game keeps crashing
Patch notes document fixes for some crashes during shader building, loading, and particular hardware or game conditions. They do not identify the cause of an individual crash. Avoid assuming that a crash proves your GPU, storage drive, or one graphics option is defective.
Collect a useful crash report
- Exact error text or code, including whether Windows closes the game or the game returns to the desktop.
- Game version and the date of the last update.
- CPU, GPU, VRAM capacity, system RAM, Windows version, and installation-drive type.
- Graphics-driver version and whether the crash followed a driver or game update.
- Where it happens: shader building, a loading screen, a cinematic, a particular location, or after changing a setting.
- Whether closing background applications, completing shaders, or restoring default settings changed the behavior.
Use Naughty Dog’s official support route after the standard version, shader, driver, and requirements checks. Its support index includes separate CPU, VRAM, shader-rebuild, FAQ, and requirements guidance. The patch index is available at Naughty Dog’s PC patch-notes page.
Separate audio faults from performance faults
Pops, clicks, missing cinematic dialogue, and incorrect surround output are handled separately from CPU, GPU, and VRAM tuning. If the symptom is audio rather than a frame-rate hitch:
- For pops or clicks, the FAQ recommends setting audio latency to Medium or High, then relaunching.
- For missing cinematic dialogue, it recommends the Output Mode Traditional.
Do not lower texture or shadow settings to solve an audio-output configuration problem.
When to stop tweaking
Stop changing settings when the HUD shows stable frame pacing, VRAM is no longer under constant pressure, and the visual result is acceptable in your repeatable test scene. If the computer is below the 2023 minimum tier, the game is on an older hard drive, or crashes continue after current patches and drivers, further slider changes may not address the underlying limitation. At that point, preserve the diagnostic details and use official support rather than applying undocumented file edits or launch parameters at random.
Sources and version context
The official CPU troubleshooting guidance is available in Naughty Dog’s CPU-usage support article. The VRAM-specific settings and the 4 GB minimum/8 GB recommended figures are documented in Naughty Dog’s VRAM-usage support article. Requirements and troubleshooting pages are older than the July 3, 2025 v1.1.5 notes, so recheck the patch index, driver releases, and any current Known Issues page before relying on an older workaround.
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