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The most reliable way to improve The Last of Us Part I on PC is to tune it for your hardware instead of copying a universal preset. Install the current game patch and graphics driver, set a realistic frame-rate cap, enable the in-game Performance HUD, then change one setting at a time while watching whether you are limited by the GPU, CPU or VRAM. Use the supported upscaler for your hardware before sacrificing more detail than necessary.
Start with a clean, current setup
Performance advice for this game is version-sensitive. Naughty Dog’s patches have changed shader compilation, CPU work, scalability and upscaling support, so compare settings only after the game has finished updating. Install the latest driver from your GPU manufacturer as well. Naughty Dog’s PC FAQ specifically recommends updating the game and GPU drivers when troubleshooting framerate.
Allow the first shader work to finish
After a major update, the game may rebuild shaders. Version 1.0.5.0, released May 9, 2023, triggered a full shader rebuild while also reducing shader-building times. A rebuild can make the first launch or first visit to areas feel unusually slow; let it complete before judging a graphics preset.
Confirm storage and memory headroom
PlayStation’s published PC specifications list 100 GB of SSD storage in every performance tier, and Steam also recommends an SSD. Treat that as an installation and loading requirement, not as a promised frame-rate upgrade. Keep enough free space for patches and shader data rather than filling the drive to capacity.
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Set a target, cap it and measure in the game
Do not begin by lowering every option. First decide what “better performance” means for your display: a stable 30, 60, or another practical cap. A stable cap can feel better than a fluctuating frame rate, and it gives you a consistent target while tuning.
- Open Options > Display > Framerate Cap and select the cap you can reasonably sustain.
- Open Options > HUD > Performance to display the game’s performance monitor.
- Play a representative section rather than standing in an empty room. Include traversal, combat, foliage, crowds and a save or area that normally causes slowdowns.
- Change one setting or one related group, return to the same section, and compare the HUD. Record whether the frame rate, frame-time consistency, GPU use, CPU use or VRAM changes.
This is a repeatable tuning method, not a claim that any particular option produces a fixed number of frames. The official sources do not provide a universal setting-by-setting benchmark or guaranteed FPS gain.
Identify the limit before lowering quality
When the GPU is the limit
If the GPU is near full load while the CPU has room, rendering resolution and GPU-heavy effects are the first places to test. Try an appropriate upscaler, then test shadows, reflections, ambient occlusion and effects density. Lowering several options at once hides which compromise helped, so change them separately and watch the HUD.
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When the CPU is the limit
If the GPU is not busy but frame time rises during crowds, traversal or simulation-heavy scenes, test CPU-oriented density controls. The 1.0.5.0 patch added a Very Low crowd-density option and more Low/Medium scalability tuning. Ambient Character Density and Effects Density are therefore sensible controls to test when the processor, rather than the graphics card, is holding back consistency.
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When VRAM is the limit
High VRAM use can cause stutter or force the game to stream data aggressively. Texture Quality and output resolution are the most direct controls to test. Lower texture quality one step, restart or reload if the game requests it, and observe whether the VRAM reading and hitching improve. Version 1.0.5.0 specifically reduced the VRAM impact of texture-quality settings, so behavior can differ from launch-era guides.
Do not assume a high VRAM reading is automatically a problem. Judge it alongside stutter, warnings and frame-time behavior. If the game remains smooth and below the card’s practical limit, lowering textures may only reduce image detail.
Use the upscaler that your version and hardware support
Upscaling renders internally at a lower resolution and reconstructs the output at your display resolution. It is a performance-versus-image-quality choice, not a guaranteed numerical uplift for every PC.
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- NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution: also listed on the official features page; availability depends on compatible hardware and the installed game build.
- AMD FSR 3 Super Resolution and Frame Generation: added in version 1.1.3 on March 19, 2024. These options require the game version and hardware support appropriate to them.
- AMD FSR 4: added in version 1.1.5 on July 3, 2025 for compatible Radeon GPUs. It is not an option for every PC.
Start with the upscaler’s quality-oriented mode at your native display resolution. If the Performance HUD still shows an unsustainable result, move toward a faster mode before dropping multiple individual settings. Inspect moving foliage, thin geometry and fine textures for artifacts after every change. Frame Generation, where available, creates additional displayed frames but does not remove the underlying CPU or GPU work; evaluate it by frame-time feel and responsiveness rather than by the displayed number alone.
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VSync and the in-game frame-rate cap are separate controls. Use the cap to establish your target, then test VSync according to whether you prefer tear-free output or the lowest possible display latency. Keep your comparison method consistent.
Change individual settings in a sensible order
Texture Quality
Textures primarily affect visual detail and VRAM allocation. Keep them high when your card has comfortable memory headroom and no streaming problems. If the HUD or the game’s warning indicates high VRAM use, lower Texture Quality before making broad reductions to geometry or resolution.
Shadows
Shadow quality can be expensive in scenes with many lights. Test a lower level when the GPU is saturated, checking faces, foliage and moving characters for the visual change you accept. The sources establish the setting as adjustable, but not a universal “largest FPS” lever.
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Reflections can add GPU work in wet, glossy or water-filled environments. Compare a representative area containing those surfaces. If your normal play rarely includes them, a lower setting may be a useful trade; if those scenes are a priority, keep the setting higher and look for savings elsewhere.
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Ambient Occlusion
Ambient occlusion supplies contact shading around objects. Lowering it can reduce some GPU work while making corners and object contact look flatter. Test it together with shadows only if you are deliberately evaluating a broader lighting compromise; otherwise, change one option at a time.
Effects Density
Version 1.0.5.0 added Effects Density and expanded Low/Medium scalability. Test it during smoke, debris, weather and combat effects. A lower value may reduce visual complexity and help in effect-heavy scenes, but the patch notes do not quantify a fixed frame-rate gain.
Ambient Character Density and crowd density
Character and crowd controls can matter more to the CPU than to the GPU. Lower them when slowdowns coincide with populated areas or traversal, especially if the GPU is underutilized. The Very Low crowd-density option documented in version 1.0.5.0 gives low-end systems an additional step beyond older presets.
Match your expectations to the published hardware tiers
The following are PlayStation’s configuration targets, not independent tests and not guarantees for every scene, patch or PC. “Average” describes the publisher’s stated target rather than a promise that every moment will hold that rate.
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| Tier | Publisher target | Graphics target | GPU class | CPU class | Memory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | 30 fps at 720p | 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 |
| Recommended | Average 60 fps at 1080p | 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 |
| Performance | Average 60 fps at 1440p | High | Radeon RX 6750 XT or GeForce RTX 2080 Ti | Ryzen 5 5600X or Core i7-9700K | 32 GB RAM |
| Ultra | Average 60 fps at 4K | Ultra | Radeon RX 7900 XTX or GeForce RTX 4080 | Ryzen 9 5900X or Core i5-12600K | 32 GB RAM |
All four tiers list 100 GB of SSD storage. If your hardware falls between tiers, use the nearer target as a starting point and let the Performance HUD decide whether your actual cap is realistic.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Practical starting profiles (then verify with the HUD)
| Situation | Start with | What to test next |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level GPU or a system near the minimum tier | 720p output, Low settings and a 30-fps cap | Use a supported upscaler; if VRAM is high, reduce Texture Quality; if populated areas are slow, test crowd and Ambient Character Density. |
| 1080p system near the recommended tier | 1080p, High settings and a 60-fps cap | Keep textures high if VRAM allows; test upscaling, shadows, reflections and effects only when the HUD shows the need. |
| 1440p system near the Performance tier | 1440p, High settings and a 60-fps cap | Use the supported quality upscaler before lowering several high-impact settings; monitor CPU behavior in crowds. |
| 4K system near the Ultra tier | 4K, Ultra settings and a 60-fps cap | Check VRAM and GPU headroom. Test upscaling or individual lighting/effects settings rather than assuming native 4K will hold in every scene. |
These are starting configurations derived from the publisher’s targets, not benchmark results. A different CPU, memory configuration, driver or patch can change the outcome.
What the major patches changed
Launch-era settings guides can be misleading because the game’s scalability has evolved. Naughty Dog’s version 1.0.5.0 notes (May 9, 2023) document reduced shader-building times, optimized global CPU performance and optimizations to several levels. They also added Effects Density, a Very Low crowd-density setting, additional Low/Medium tuning and lower VRAM impact from texture-quality settings. Those notes describe engineering changes, not a measured FPS increase for every system.
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Version 1.1.3 (March 19, 2024) added FSR 3 Super Resolution and Frame Generation. Version 1.1.5 (July 3, 2025) added FSR 4 support for compatible Radeon GPUs. Naughty Dog described that update as bringing improvements and stability fixes from The Last of Us Part II Remastered for PC together with support for AMD’s latest FidelityFX Super Resolution version. Check the options actually shown by your installed build; a menu item is not evidence that your hardware can use it.
Troubleshoot by symptom
Stutter after an update or driver change
- Confirm the game and driver are current.
- Allow shader building to complete, especially after a patch that triggers a rebuild.
- Repeat the same route after the initial pass before changing every quality option.
- Watch VRAM and frame time; lowering textures is more relevant to a VRAM limit than lowering shadows.
High CPU use
- Check whether the slowdown appears in crowds, traversal or simulation-heavy areas.
- Test Ambient Character Density, crowd density and Effects Density.
- Keep a realistic cap; asking a CPU-limited system to produce more frames than it can simulate will not be solved by texture quality.
High VRAM use
- Lower Texture Quality one step and retest the same scene.
- Consider reducing output resolution or selecting a faster upscaling mode if memory pressure persists.
- Do not lower textures solely because the reading is high if gameplay is smooth and no warning appears.
Uneven frame pacing despite a high average
Use the cap and HUD to focus on consistency, not just the highest displayed average. Test the scene that produces the longest frame times, then address the corresponding limit: GPU effects and resolution for a saturated GPU, density controls for a CPU limit, or textures and resolution for VRAM pressure.
Ultrawide displays and display options
PlayStation lists support for 21:9 ultrawide and 32:9 super-ultrawide displays. Select the display resolution that matches your panel, then apply the same cap-and-HUD process. A wider aspect ratio can increase the amount of scene rendered; if performance falls compared with a narrower resolution, test upscaling or the individual GPU-heavy settings rather than assuming the monitor is defective.
A repeatable tuning checklist
- Update the game and graphics driver.
- Confirm the SSD has the required 100 GB installation capacity plus room for updates.
- Choose a realistic frame-rate target in Options > Display > Framerate Cap.
- Enable Options > HUD > Performance.
- Run a representative gameplay route and note GPU load, CPU behavior, VRAM use and frame-time consistency.
- Select the supported upscaler for your game version and hardware, starting with its quality-oriented mode.
- Change one setting at a time: textures for VRAM pressure; shadows, reflections, ambient occlusion or effects for GPU pressure; density controls for CPU pressure.
- Retest the same route and keep the change only if its visual cost matches the stability improvement.
- Recheck after major patches or driver updates because shader behavior and available options can change.
Bottom line
There is no officially established universal “best settings” list for The Last of Us Part I on PC. The dependable approach is conditional: update first, cap and measure in the game, identify the limiting resource, use a compatible upscaler, and trade the specific setting that addresses that limit. The publisher’s 30-fps 720p minimum and 60-fps targets at 1080p, 1440p and 4K are useful boundaries, but your scene, patch, driver and hardware determine what remains stable.
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