The Last of Us Part 1 PC vs. PS5 Comparison: Is There A Big Upgrade?

Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part 1 remake was originally only available on the PS5, but with the PC version now available, fans are likely interested in knowing how the console versions stack up against it.

The PC version of The Last of Us Part 1 supports improved features over the PS5 version, though they can be quite demanding and require reasonably capable hardware. This includes a slight improvement in texture resolution and geometry, higher resolution screen space reflections, higher shadow resolution, improved water physics and interaction, longer draw distance, and a slight improvement in the quality of global illumination. Though, it’s worth mentioning that screen space reflections are in a buggy state, just as they are on PS5. In addition, certain animations do not display correctly and some textures show clipping in the PC version. Neither of these issues occur in the PS5 version.

In terms of image quality, the PS5 version runs at a native resolution of 4K (2160p) in Resolution Mode and at 1440p in Frame Rate Mode. On PC, the game can run at arbitrary resolutions in various aspect ratios. Moreover, there is support for numerous image reconstruction techniques, including DLSS and FSR. Enabling DLSS results in higher image quality compared to FSR 2.0, though both reconstruction techniques result in better image than that of the PS5 version running in Frame Rate Mode at the same resolution.

In terms of performance, the PS5 version targets a frame rate of 30fps in Resolution mode and 60fps in Frame Rate mode, and largely maintains it with a consistent delivery of frame times. On PC, it’s possible to run the game at higher frame rates for potentially smoother and more responsive gameplay, though that is currently not the case. The PC version suffers from inconsistent frame times, which manifest as stutters. Additionally, it is prone to random crashes due to hitting the VRAM limit. Meanwhile, on the Steam Deck, The Last of Us Part 1 is unable to target a frame rate of 30fps consistently at the lowest possible graphical settings, and, therefore, runs quite poorly.

Load times in the PC version are 5 times slower than on PS5, even on an SSD, which is rather disappointing.

All in all, the PC port of The Last of Us Part 1 delivers higher graphical settings, but performance is marred by stuttering and inconsistent frame times and the game is prone to random crashes. As a result, the PC version is currently not in an ideal state, and is in need of a patch to fix some of the more pressing performance issues. As of writing, the PS5 version delivers a better overall experience.