The Last of Us Part 1 appears to launch in rough shape for Steam Deck and Windows PC

The Last of Us Part 1 Joel
(Image credit: PlayStation Studios)

What you need to know

  • The Last of Us Part 1 is now available on PC.
  • The game is reportedly causing crashes for many players, with performance problems across a range of hardware configurations. 
  • The Last of Us Part 1 also reportedly runs in rough shape on Steam Deck. 

It seems like the latest PlayStation game to hit PC isn't in particularly great shape. 

The Last of Us Part 1 is now available on PC, bringing Naughty Dog's iconic adventure to a completely new audience, as well as a platform outside of PlayStation consoles for the first time in almost 10 years. As many PlayStation Studios games now come to Windows PC, this is a great opportunity for developer Naughty Dog to expand its reach.

Unfortunately, the game doesn't appear to have made it over in great condition. The port, co-developed by Iron Galaxy — a studio that assisted Naughty Dog in the past with Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection on PC — appears to have serious issues, especially for Steam Deck users. 

GamingonLinux reports massive issues for running The Last of Us Part 1 on Steam Deck, with shaders taking an hour or so to compile after downloading the game. At the time of the this article being written, the game's Steam page also has a 36% positive rating, with negative reviews repeating a frustration with VRAM allocation and CPU usage.

Now, it's worth keeping in mind early angry reviews aren't always correct when it comes to game launches, but all of this is adding up. Prior to launch, The Last of Us Part 1's PC requirements were noted to be extremely high.

Windows Central's take

Right now, Windows Central has not had a chance to test the game too far in-depth, as we did not receive a pre-launch review code. We'll be sure to keep readers updated on what we find. As things stand, it seems like you might want to hold off on grabbing this unless you just can't wait or are confident in your computer's specs.

This is especially disappointing considering how PlayStation Studios has mostly seen quality PC ports over the last couple of years, with the ports of Insomniac Games' Spider-Man titles — co-developed by Nixxes Software — being incredible showcases for how a game can be adapted across a range of hardware.

Image

The Last of Us Part 1

The game that spawned a massive franchise for PlayStation is finally getting a PC version. Adjust different settings based on your hardware and relish new features like ultrawide support and more.

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Samuel Tolbert
Freelance Writer

Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter @SamuelTolbert.