The most reliable way to improve The Last of Us Part I on PC is to update the game and GPU driver, choose a realistic frame-rate cap, enable the in-game performance HUD, and then change settings according to the bottleneck it shows. Use upscaling when your GPU cannot sustain the target at native resolution; reduce crowd, effects, shadow, reflection, ambient-occlusion or texture settings only when testing shows those options are limiting performance or exhausting VRAM. There is no single best preset for every resolution, graphics card, processor or target frame rate.
Start with the version, driver and a measurable target
Performance advice for this game is version-dependent. Install the newest game patch offered by your launcher and a current driver for your graphics card before comparing settings. Naughty Dog’s PC FAQ specifically recommends updating the game and GPU drivers as steps that may help framerate. Driver downloads are available from the manufacturer of your GPU; the game supports hardware from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel, but the exact upscaling choices depend on the installed hardware and game version.
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Patch history matters because several scalability controls were added or changed after launch. Version 1.0.5.0, released May 9, 2023, reduced shader-building times, optimized global CPU performance and several levels, added an Effects Density setting, added Very Low crowd density, expanded Low and Medium scalability tuning, and reduced the VRAM impact of texture-quality settings. That update also triggered a complete shader rebuild, so the first launch afterward can behave differently from later launches. These are documented engine and settings changes, not promises of a particular FPS increase.
Later updates expanded reconstruction options. Version 1.1.3, dated March 19, 2024, added AMD FSR 3 Super Resolution and Frame Generation. Version 1.1.5, dated July 3, 2025, added support for AMD FSR 4 on compatible Radeon GPUs, along with improvements and stability fixes carried over from The Last of Us Part II Remastered for PC. Naughty Dog’s patch notes describe that update as bringing “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).” A feature appearing in patch notes does not mean every GPU can use it.
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Set the cap before judging a change
- Open Options > Display > Framerate Cap.
- Choose the highest cap your system can sustain consistently in the sections you actually play. A stable 30, 60 or other attainable limit is more useful for tuning than an uncapped result that constantly swings.
- Open Options > HUD > Performance and enable the performance display.
- Play through a representative scene for several minutes, including combat, traversal and a busy area, and note the frame rate, GPU behavior, CPU behavior and VRAM use before changing one setting.
The HUD gives you a repeatable baseline. Change one group of options at a time, revisit the same type of scene, and keep the setting if the result is an acceptable visual trade-off. The official controls establish how to cap and observe performance; they do not establish one universal setting that produces a guaranteed uplift.
Match the preset to your hardware and resolution
PlayStation publishes configuration targets rather than guarantees. They describe expected average or minimum performance under the listed conditions, and individual scenes, patches and background processes can differ.
| Publisher tier | Published target | GPU class | CPU class | Memory and storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | 30 fps at 720p on Low | Radeon RX 470 or RX 6500 XT; GeForce GTX 970 or GTX 1050 Ti | Ryzen 5 1500X or Core i7-4770K | 16 GB RAM; 100 GB SSD |
| Recommended | Average 60 fps at 1080p on High | Radeon RX 5700 XT or RX 6600 XT; GeForce RTX 2070 Super or RTX 3060 | Ryzen 5 3600X or Core i7-8700 | 16 GB RAM; 100 GB SSD |
| Performance | Average 60 fps at 1440p on High | Radeon RX 6750 XT or GeForce RTX 2080 Ti | Ryzen 5 5600X or Core i7-9700K | 32 GB RAM; 100 GB SSD |
| Ultra | Average 60 fps at 4K on Ultra | Radeon RX 7900 XTX or GeForce RTX 4080 | Ryzen 9 5900X or Core i5-12600K | 32 GB RAM; 100 GB SSD |
Steam also lists 100 GB and recommends an SSD. The drive requirement is for installation and loading; an SSD should not be presented as a guaranteed frame-rate upgrade.
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Use upscaling before sacrificing every quality setting
Upscaling renders internally below the output resolution and reconstructs the final image, reducing the amount of work the GPU performs. The official PC feature information lists AMD FSR 2.2 and NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution. Depending on the patch and compatible hardware, the menu may also offer FSR 3 Super Resolution, FSR 3 Frame Generation or FSR 4.
Choose the mode your system actually supports
- DLSS Super Resolution: available on compatible NVIDIA hardware. Select it only when the game exposes it for your GPU.
- FSR 2.2 or FSR 3 Super Resolution: AMD reconstruction options supported according to the game version; hardware compatibility and available modes can vary.
- FSR 3 Frame Generation: added in version 1.1.3. It creates additional displayed frames and is not the same as rendering more native frames. Use it only when the option is available and the underlying frame rate is already responsive.
- FSR 4: added in version 1.1.5 for compatible Radeon GPUs. It is not a universal option for all graphics cards.
Start with the highest-quality upscaling mode that lets you approach your cap, then move to a more performance-oriented mode if the HUD still shows a GPU limit. The supplied official material does not provide image-quality comparisons or a measured FPS uplift for these modes, so treat each choice as a test rather than a promised percentage gain.
Find out whether the GPU, CPU or VRAM is limiting you
When the GPU is the bottleneck
If the frame rate falls while the GPU is fully occupied, reduce rendering workload first. Lower output resolution or select a more performance-oriented upscaler. Then test shadows, reflections and ambient occlusion, followed by effects density. These controls are exposed in the game’s graphics menus, but no official source ranks one of them as the largest FPS lever in every scene. Keep the HUD visible and compare the same type of location after each change.
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When the CPU is the bottleneck
A processor limit often appears in busy combat or areas with many characters even when lowering resolution changes little. Test Ambient Character Density and the Effects Density setting. Version 1.0.5.0 added Very Low crowd density and additional Low and Medium scalability, making those settings useful for systems that struggle with simulation and scene complexity. Lowering them reduces world detail and activity, so choose the lowest value that preserves the crowd level you consider acceptable.
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High VRAM use can cause stutter or texture streaming problems even when average FPS appears reasonable. Naughty Dog provides a dedicated FAQ topic for high VRAM usage, and the 1.0.5.0 patch specifically reduced the VRAM impact of texture-quality settings. If the HUD or an in-game warning indicates VRAM pressure, reduce Texture Quality first, restart or reload as requested by the game, and check the same scene again. Lowering textures mainly changes surface detail; it is preferable to dropping resolution when the problem is memory capacity rather than shader throughput.
Do not raise texture quality simply because the average frame rate is high. Leave headroom for streaming, especially at 1440p or 4K, where the published target tiers also move to 32 GB of system RAM and substantially faster GPUs.
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A practical tuning order for common targets
Entry-level hardware aiming for 30 fps
- Use the Minimum target as a reference: 720p, Low settings and a 30 fps cap.
- Enable the HUD and verify that the game remains near the cap in demanding scenes.
- If the GPU is saturated, use a supported performance-oriented upscaler before lowering every individual option.
- If busy scenes remain slow while resolution changes little, test Very Low crowd density and Effects Density.
- If VRAM use is high, lower Texture Quality and retest streaming behavior.
1080p systems targeting 60 fps
- Begin near the publisher’s Recommended target: 1080p, High settings and a 60 fps cap.
- Use the HUD to identify whether the limit appears during general rendering, crowded scenes or texture streaming.
- For a GPU limit, test upscaling, shadows, reflections and ambient occlusion in that order only as a starting workflow; retain any setting that delivers the needed headroom without an unacceptable visual loss.
- For a CPU limit, test Ambient Character Density and Effects Density instead of immediately lowering resolution.
1440p and 4K systems
The published Performance tier targets average 60 fps at 1440p High with a Radeon RX 6750 XT or GeForce RTX 2080 Ti class GPU and 32 GB RAM. The Ultra tier targets average 60 fps at 4K Ultra with a Radeon RX 7900 XTX or GeForce RTX 4080 class GPU, a Ryzen 9 5900X or Core i5-12600K class CPU and 32 GB RAM. Treat those as boundaries for expectations, not guarantees. At these resolutions, start with an appropriate upscaler and monitor VRAM before making broad quality cuts. The game also supports 21:9 ultrawide and 32:9 super-ultrawide displays, but the same cap-and-HUD method applies.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Settings that affect image quality as well as speed
- Texture Quality: the first setting to test when VRAM is close to capacity; lower values reduce texture detail and, according to the 1.0.5.0 notes, have a reduced but still relevant VRAM footprint.
- Shadows: can reduce rendering work when the GPU is saturated, at the cost of shadow detail and distance.
- Reflections: affect reflective surfaces and can be tested when scenes with water, glass or polished materials are slow.
- Ambient Occlusion: changes contact shading around objects and characters; lower it only if the visual trade-off is worthwhile.
- Effects Density: added as a dedicated control in 1.0.5.0 and useful when particles or combat effects coincide with slowdowns.
- Ambient Character Density and crowd density: useful for CPU-limited scenes, with Very Low crowd density added in 1.0.5.0.
These descriptions identify what to test, not a guaranteed ranking. The correct choice depends on which resource the performance HUD and your system monitoring show as constrained.
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The first run is unusually slow after an update
A patch can rebuild shaders. Version 1.0.5.0 explicitly triggered a full shader rebuild. Allow that process to complete, then compare later runs rather than judging performance during the rebuild itself.
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Frame rate is low despite lowering resolution
That pattern suggests the limit may be CPU-side, simulation-related or caused by streaming rather than pure pixel workload. Test Ambient Character Density, Effects Density and Texture Quality, and use the HUD to confirm whether the suspected resource changes.
Frame rate is unstable after enabling Frame Generation
Frame Generation from FSR 3 is available only with compatible hardware and the relevant game version. It does not replace a responsive base frame rate. Disable it while diagnosing the underlying GPU or CPU limit, establish a stable cap, then test it again if the option remains appropriate for your system.
VRAM warnings or texture hitching appear
Lower Texture Quality, close other GPU-intensive applications, and retest the same area. Keep resolution and upscaling changes separate from texture changes so you can identify whether memory pressure, rendering load or both are responsible.
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Use the settings menu as an experiment, not a preset hunt
Record your resolution, cap, upscaler, major quality values and HUD reading before each change. If a setting does not alter the limiting behavior or the visual result is not worth its cost, restore it. This approach accommodates the wide gap between the publisher’s 720p Low minimum and 4K Ultra target, differences between 16 GB and 32 GB systems, and the fact that later patches may add options unavailable at launch.
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