Fix: The Last of Us Part 1 Stuttering, Lags, or Freezing constantly

The Last of Us Part I, an action-adventure game released in 2022, is a remake of the original 2013 classic developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game features improved gameplay, refined combat, expanded exploration, and more accessibility options. After its success on the PS4 and PS5 platforms, it is now available to PC gamers.

However, running the game requires a sufficient hardware configuration, particularly for PC gamers. This is because not all computers may have the necessary configuration to run the game at full resolution and higher FPS. This is a common issue with most PC games as they are typically performance-hungry.

Unfortunately, some Last of Us Part 1 PC players are experiencing various issues, such as stuttering, lags, crashes, and frame drops while playing the game. Depending on the compatibility factor, these issues can be severe on some PCs. Therefore, it is essential to fix the issue to at least play the game with a respectable FPS count. There may be several reasons behind these problems, which can be resolved by following the guide below.

Fix: The Last of Us Part 1 Stuttering, Lags, or Freezing constantly

Check System Requirements

Check out the system requirements of the Last of Us Part 1 game below to ensure that your PC configuration meets the game’s system requirements.

Minimum Requirements:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10 (Version 1909 or Newer)
  • Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 1500X, Intel Core i7-4770K
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM
  • Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 470 (4 GB), AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT (4 GB), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (4 GB), NVIDIA GeForce 1050 Ti (4 GB)
  • Storage: 100 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: SSD Recommended

Recommended Requirements:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10 (Version 1909 or Newer)
  • Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, Intel Core i7-8700
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM
  • Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (8 GB), AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (8 GB), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER (8 GB), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (8 GB)
  • Storage: 100 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: SSD Recommended

Fix: Last of Us Part 1 Stuttering and Lags Badly

Fixing in-game lags or frame drop issues isn’t easy because it depends on multiple factors, such as PC hardware, the display resolution of the game, maximum FPS limit count, conflicting third-party apps, and more. So, we recommend you try following all the methods one by one until the problem gets fixed or reduced. Changing the in-game graphics-related settings or keeping them low can fix several problems in a jiffy.

It may include the Screen Resolution of the game, in-game Texture Resolution, Shadow Resolution, Maximum Frame rate, number of Characters Displayed, or other visual effects that require higher graphics or memory. So, you can follow the steps below to try reducing the lags or frame drops up to some extent depending on which resolution and quality you’re playing the game, apart from FPS count.

1. Use Launch Options

  • Open your Steam client > Go to Library > Right-click on the Last of Us Part 1.
  • Select Properties > On the General tab, you’ll find Launch Options.
  • Enter the launch options -fullscreen = Forces the engine to start in fullscreen mode.

2. Update Graphics Drivers

  • Right-click on the Start Menu to open up the Quick Access Menu.
  • Click on Device Manager from the list.
  • Now, double-click on the Display adapters category to expand the list.
  • Then right-click on the dedicated graphics card name.
  • Select Update driver > Choose Search automatically for drivers.
  • An update will automatically download and install the latest version if available.
  • Once done, make sure to reboot your computer to change the effects.

3. Run the game as an administrator

Make sure to run the game exe file as an administrator to avoid user account control regarding privilege issues. You should also run the Steam client as an administrator on your PC. To do this:

  • Right-click on the Last of Us Part 1 exe shortcut file on your PC.
  • Now, select Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.
  • Make sure to click on the Run this program as an administrator checkbox to checkmark it.
  • Click on Apply and select OK to save changes.

4. Set High Priority in Task Manager

Make your game priority in the higher segment via the Task Manager to tell your Windows system to run the game properly. To do this:

  • Right-click on the Start Menu > Select Task Manager.
  • Click on the Processes tab > Right-click on the Last of Us Part 1 game task.
  • Select Set Priority to High.
  • Close Task Manager.
  • Finally, run the Last of Us Part 1 game to check for the issue.

5. Verify the Integrity of Game Files

If there is an issue with the game files and somehow get corrupted or missing, then make sure to perform this method to check for the issue easily. To do so:

For Steam Users: 

  • Launch Steam > Click on Library.
  • Right-click on Last of Us Part 1 from the list of installed games.
  • Now, click on Properties > Go to Local Files.
  • Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
  • You’ll have to wait for the process until it gets completed.
  • Once done, just restart your computer.

For Epic Launcher:

You can verify game files on Epic by watching our youtube tutorial

6. Change GPU Settings

Make sure to change the graphics card settings on the PC by following the steps below to check whether the problem has been fixed.

For Nvidia:

  • Open up Nvidia’s Control Panel > Right-click on the desktop screen.
  • Click on Nvidia Control Panel > Click on Manage 3D Settings.
  • Select Program Settings > Find ‘Last of Us Part 1’ and manually add the game if it’s not in the list:
    • Monitor Tech: G-Sync (If available)
    • Maximum Pre-rendered frames: 2
    • Threaded optimization: On
    • Power Management: Prefer Maximum Performance
    • Texture Filtering – Quality: Performance

For AMD:

  • Monitor Tech: G-Sync (If available)
  • Maximum Pre-rendered frames: 2
  • Threaded optimization: On
  • Power Management: Prefer Maximum Performance
  • Texture Filtering – Quality: Performance

7. Disable Fullscreen Optimizations

Full-screen optimization and DPI settings are the default ones on Windows. You should try disabling it by following the steps below:

  • Locate the Last of Us Part 1 game directory.
  • Find and right-click on the Last of Us Part 1.exe file.
  • Select Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.
  • Checkmark the ‘Disable Full-Screen Optimizations’ box.
  • Now, click on the ‘Change high DPI setting’s button.
  • Checkmark the ‘Override high DPI scaling behavior’ > Select ‘Application’ from the drop-down menu.
  • Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.

8. Update Last of Us Part 1

If in case, you haven’t updated your Last of Us Part 1 game for a while then make sure to follow the steps below to check for updates and install the latest patch (if available). To do this:

For Steam: 

  • Open the Steam client > Go to Library > Click on Last of Us Part 1 from the left pane.
  • It’ll automatically search for the available update. If there is an update available, make sure to click on Update.
  • It may take some time to install the update > Once done, make sure to close the Steam client.
  • Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes, and then try launching the game again.

For Epic Launcher: 

  • Open the Epic Launcher client > Go to Library > Look for Last of Us Part 1 from the left pane.
  • You must tap on the three-dot icon on your Last of Us Part 1 application.
  • Make sure to check the auto-update to get a new update installation automatically.
  • It’ll automatically search for the available update. If there is an update available, make sure to click on Update.
  • Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes, and then try launching the game again

That’s it, guys. We assume this guide is useful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.

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