'The Last of Us Part 1' Is Plagued With Technical Issues on PC – Is Naughty Dog Working on a Fix?

Although The Last of Us Part 1 has been available on PS5 for quite some time, the hit title only just launched for PC on March 28. Unfortunately, the release has been anything but smooth, with technical issues and visual glitches popping up for a large portion of the community.

In fact, the game is currently sitting with “Mostly Negative” user reviews on Steam – something no one would have predicted a few weeks ago.

If you’re interested in buying the game, here’s what you need to know about The Last of Us Part 1 PC glitches, along with details on when you can expect all the hiccups to be fixed.

By all accounts, The Last of Us Part 1 is a fantastic game. It earned rave reviews on PS5, and the original PS3 title it’s based on is often cited as one of the best games of its generation. You won’t know that if you’re playing on PC, however, as thousands of users are reporting a wide range of glitches.

One of the most frustrating glitches in The Last of Us Part 1 on PC is its slow shader load time, causing players to sit for more than three hours as they wait for the installation to occur. Players that manage to make it through the long load time aren’t out of the woods, as there are several reports of random crashes, stuttering frame rates, and gameplay that’s poorly optimized compared to its PS5 sibling.

Many of the glitches in The Last of Us Part 1 on PC aren’t game-breaking – in fact, some of them are downright hilarious. One bug, for example, randomly turns character models wet during cutscenes, while another lights up Bill’s house with a kaleidoscope of colors.

But no matter how you cut it, this PC port isn’t offering the smooth gameplay experience fans of The Last of Us expected.

Thankfully, Naughty Dog is fully aware of the issues facing PC players. The team is “actively investigating multiple issues” and will continue to update the community as it squashes bugs. It’s not all good news, however, as Naughty Dog goes on to state that the team is “prioritizing updates,” meaning it could be a while before we see fixes for these existing PC glitches.

For now, there isn’t a foolproof way to avoid these PC issues. You can try verifying the integrity of your game files if you’re playing on Steam (this is found in the properties tab after selecting The Last of Us Part 1), or you can try deleting and reinstalling all your files.

Neither of these is guaranteed to work, but they could offer a short-term fix while Naughty Dog works on a permanent update.