What are The Last of Us system requirements? Both parts of The Last of Us are now available to play on PC, and revisiting either of these games requires some hefty hardware if you want 60fps at 4K resolution. If you’re aiming for much more reserved performance, say 1080p@60fps, you’ll find it to be quite a low bar to clear.
The original version of the classic PlayStation action-adventure game may be over 10 years old now, and its demands suggest The Last of Us will run on similarly old hardware. That being said, if you want the best experience possible, upgrading to one of the best graphics cards is a must. The Last of Us Part 2 system requirements are quite similar if you also plan to play the sequel to this iconic adventure.
Here are the Last of Us system requirements:
| Minimum | Recommended | |
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit, version 1909 or later | Windows 10 64-bit, version 1909 or later |
| CPU | Intel Core i7 4770K AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | Intel Core i7 8700 AMD Ryzen 5 3600X |
| RAM | 16GB | 16GB |
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 AMD Radeon RX 470 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT |
| Storage | 100GB SSD | 100GB SSD |
Take our The Last of Us system requirements PC benchmark test to answer the question… Can I run The Last of Us?
Meeting the Last of Us minimum requirements is challenging for dated budget builds. While it’s not too demanding on the CPU or GPU front, you’ll need at least 16GB of RAM to join Joel and Ellie on their epic journey across America. Luckily, upgrading to some of the best gaming RAM is one of the cheapest and easiest upgrades you can do.
Just bear in mind that if your graphics card is comparable to the Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon RX 470, you should only expect 30fps at 720p using the ‘Low’ preset. That said, you can play The Last of Us without a graphics card, technically, so the minimum bar is lower than you’d think.
Moving up to the Last of Us recommended specs, you’ll need a Hexa-core processor akin to the Intel Core i7-8700 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600X. Additionally, your pixel-pushing power levels need to keep up with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT.
Hardware of this caliber should be good enough for 60fps at 1080p using the ‘High’ preset. However, since The Last of Us supports Nvidia DLSS and AMD FSR 2, you may be able to boost fps higher than this.
| Performance (60fps, 1440p) | Ultra (60fps, 4K) | |
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit, version 1909 or later | Windows 10 64-bit, version 1909 or later |
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT (FSR Quality) |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-9700K AMD Ryzen 5 5600X | Intel Core i5-12600K AMD Ryzen 9 5900X |
| RAM | 32GB | 32GB |
| Storage | 100GB SSD | 100GB SSD |
The Last of Us ultra specs are for the pinnacle of performance and demand an AMD Ryzen 9 5900X or Intel Core i5-12600K paired with an AMD RX 7900 XT or Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080. Curiously, if using the 7900 XT, you’ll also need to use AMD FSR set to quality to hit the 4K, 60fps performance target.
The Last of Us download size comes in at 100GB. Developer Naughty Dog outright says you’ll need a solid-state drive no matter what, so be sure to install it on the best SSD you have rather than a hard drive.
Naturally, The Last of Us PC has a couple of features that its PlayStation counterpart lacks. Namely, those with the best gaming monitors with a 21:9 aspect ratio will be able to enjoy native ultrawide support.
Meanwhile, the Last of Us PC also supports the PlayStation DualSense pad, making it a shoo-in for the best PC controller to experience the game with. A standard Xbox controller will work fine, however.
To help prevent any additional frame rate dips, we’ve tested the best Last of Us settings for fps and fidelity.
You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We’ve also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with members of the team and fellow readers.
