How has The Last of Us Part I PC port improved since launch?

The Last of Us Part I launched in March 2023 with one of the most troubled PC ports in recent memory — widespread shader compilation stutters, VRAM overallocation crashes, and CPU bottleneck issues affected the vast majority of players regardless of hardware tier. Naughty Dog and Iron Galaxy released over a dozen patches in the months following launch that significantly improved shader pre-compilation, reduced VRAM usage, and fixed NPC streaming hitches. As of late 2023 the game was in a substantially better state, though it remains more demanding than its quality tier would suggest — the recommended GPU score of 88 is high relative to the graphical output. Installing the latest patch before playing is essential.

What are the minimum specs to run The Last of Us Part I without crashes?

Post-patch, the minimum PC requirements for stable play in The Last of Us Part I are: CPU — Intel Core i7-8700 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600; GPU — GeForce GTX 1070 8 GB or RX 5700 XT; RAM — 16 GB (the game is notably RAM-hungry, and 8 GB systems see more hitches); Storage — 100 GB SSD. The game's shader pre-compilation screen at launch must be allowed to complete fully — interrupting it causes in-game stutter on first load. If crashes persist after patching, verifying game files via Steam and clearing the shader cache folder (`%localappdata%\Naughty Dog\TheLasOfUs`) resolves most post-patch instability reports.

Can I Run The Last of Us Part I on RX 6600 XT?

The Last of Us Part I FPS Benchmark and Performance Analysis

GPU: AMD RX 6600 XTGame: The Last of Us Part IUpdated: Mar 30, 2026

AMD RX 6600 XT handles The Last of Us Part I without major issues. Expect roughly 59 FPS at 1080p high; settings tuning will be important. Not sure whether AMD RX 6600 XT can keep up with The Last of Us Part I? Below you'll find our performance projection at 1080p high along with 1440p scaling data.

The Last of Us Part I FPS Benchmarks on RX 6600 XT

Resolution	Settings Preset	Avg FPS	1% Low FPS	Verdict
1080p	Competitive (Low)	74 FPS	49 FPS	Playable
1080p	High	59 FPS	39 FPS	Playable
1440p	High	36 FPS	23 FPS	Low
1440p	Ultra	27 FPS	17 FPS	Low
4K	High	21 FPS	15 FPS	Low

Benchmarks are estimated by our performance engine. Actual results may vary.

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Best Settings for The Last of Us Part I on RX 6600 XT

59+FPS1080p Competitive

Display Mode: Fullscreen
Resolution: 1920×1080
V-Sync: Disabled
Texture Quality: Medium
Shadow Quality: Low
Anti-Aliasing: FXAA
Effects Quality: Low
Post-Processing: Low
Ambient Occlusion: Disabled

Performance Analysis

AMD RX 6600 XT is estimated around 59 FPS at 1080p high in The Last of Us Part I. At 1440p, that typically translates to around 36 FPS with similar quality targets. This places the card in the mid tier for this title, with a playable experience profile. AMD RX 6600 XT can run The Last of Us Part I reliably, but smart setting choices matter for consistency.

The Last of Us Part I beautifully remakes a classic narrative journey with stunning post-apocalyptic environments and incredibly lifelike character animations. To meet the minimum system demands, your PC should have a AMD Radeon RX 470 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970. For optimal performance and smooth rendering, it’s recommended to play with a AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER.

AMD RX 6600 XT supports FSR 3 Super Resolution. Using FSR Quality or Balanced mode in The Last of Us Part I can recover meaningful frame rate headroom, which may be the difference between a playable and unplayable experience.

Use low/competitive settings and performance upscaling to keep gameplay smooth.
VRAM headroom is tight (8GB); avoid ultra textures to prevent hitching.
Keep ray tracing disabled for stable FPS.
Disable ray tracing and lower effects density

Bottom line: The Last of Us Part I on AMD RX 6600 XT is playable, and optimization has a measurable impact.

Frequently Asked Questions

How has The Last of Us Part I PC port improved since launch?: The Last of Us Part I launched in March 2023 with one of the most troubled PC ports in recent memory — widespread shader compilation stutters, VRAM overallocation crashes, and CPU bottleneck issues affected the vast majority of players regardless of hardware tier. Naughty Dog and Iron Galaxy released over a dozen patches in the months following launch that significantly improved shader pre-compilation, reduced VRAM usage, and fixed NPC streaming hitches. As of late 2023 the game was in a substantially better state, though it remains more demanding than its quality tier would suggest — the recommended GPU score of 88 is high relative to the graphical output. Installing the latest patch before playing is essential.
What are the minimum specs to run The Last of Us Part I without crashes?: Post-patch, the minimum PC requirements for stable play in The Last of Us Part I are: CPU — Intel Core i7-8700 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600; GPU — GeForce GTX 1070 8 GB or RX 5700 XT; RAM — 16 GB (the game is notably RAM-hungry, and 8 GB systems see more hitches); Storage — 100 GB SSD. The game's shader pre-compilation screen at launch must be allowed to complete fully — interrupting it causes in-game stutter on first load. If crashes persist after patching, verifying game files via Steam and clearing the shader cache folder (`%localappdata%\Naughty Dog\TheLasOfUs`) resolves most post-patch instability reports.