Skip to main content

No, The Last of Us PC requirements aren’t changing

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) released an updated PC requirement chart for The Last of Us Part One on Monday, clarifying the system requirements players will need if they want to play the game when it launches on March 28. Some reports claim that the PC requirements have been downgraded, but they haven’t; if anything, the port calls for a slightly more powerful system.

The original PC requirements (below) called for a Radeon RX 5800 XT at the Recommended tier, which is to run the game at 1080p with 60 frames per second (fps). The updated requirements call for an RX 5700 XT instead. That sounds like a downgrade, but AMD never released an RX 5800 XT — it was a typo. You don’t need to look further than the next GPU recommendation to see that, which is an AMD “Radeom” RX 6600 XT. The updated requirements have fixed that typo, as well.

System requirements for The Last of Us Part One on PC.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

There are some changes in the new PC spec sheet, though. Most notably, the game’s Ultra recommendation calls for an AMD RX 7900 XTX instead of the RX 7900 XT it previously called for. It’s an interesting change, especially now that AMD is offering The Last of Us Part One for free along with the purchase of a new AMD graphics card.

Another update is the Iron Galaxy logo. Previously, it wasn’t clear who was handling the PC port of The Last of Us, but the updated spec sheet clarifies that Iron Galaxy is the studio behind it. That’s the studio that ported Uncharted Legacy of Thieves collection to PC, which was one of the more stable PC releases we’ve seen in the past couple of years.

Updated PC requirements for the Last of Us Part One.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Everything else is identical in the spec sheet; the update mainly is there to fix some typos and give a nod to AMD’s flagship graphics card. Even without major changes, the good news is that you don’t need a beefy rig to run The Last of Us Part One. At a minimum, you can get by with an Intel Core i7-47700K and Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti graphics card.

The more interesting requirement is RAM. The game calls for 16GB at minimum, with the Ultra and Performance tiers jumping up to 32GB. This is a similar path that Returnal and Hogwarts Legacy went down, neither of which really needed 32GB of RAM. That could be the case here, where the developers are asking for more than what’s needed.

Editors' Recommendations

Jacob Roach
Senior Staff Writer, Computing
Jacob Roach is a writer covering computing and gaming at Digital Trends. After realizing Crysis wouldn't run on a laptop, he…
This might be why The Last of Us has terrible stuttering on PC
Joel looks at Ellie in The Last of Us Part 2.

The Last of Us on PC has launched in a dire state. Although I haven't experienced as many issues as some players are reporting, the consensus is clear: the game is buggy, poorly optimized, and underbaked. It's currently sitting with a Mostly Negative review status on Steam, which is typically reserved for the most broken games, like Battlefield 2042. 

Consider yourself warned if you want to jump into Joel and Ellie's story on PC, especially if you just finished off the excellent HBO series. For players who already have the game, there's a particular issue you should be aware of that relates to Nvidia's Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) and AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), as well as demands on your system that go far beyond the recommended specs.
A possible source of stutter

Read more
Newegg’s AI PC Builder is a dumpster fire that I can’t look away from
Newegg's AI PC builder

Newegg is the latest to capitalize on the hype of ChatGPT by integrating the GPT model into its PC Builder tool. It sounds great -- give it a prompt tailored for your purpose and get a PC build, all with quick links to buy what you need. There's just one problem -- it's terrible.

No, the Newegg AI PC Builder isn't just giving out a few odd recommendations. It's still in beta, and that's to be expected. The problem is that the AI seems to actively ignore the prompt you give it, suggests outlandish and unbalanced PCs, and has a clear bias toward charging you more when you asked to spend less.
A grab bag of nonsense

Read more
Here’s how you can get The Last of Us for free from AMD
the-best-stealth-games-of-all-time

AMD has just announced a particularly well-timed bundle. If you're a fan of The Last of Us, be it the game or the show, you might find this deal worth picking up.

Starting today, you'll be able to score a free copy of the upcoming The Last of Us Part I for PC if you buy an AMD GPU. The chipmaker is also throwing in a discount on one of its best graphics cards.

Read more