Introduction

The Last of Us is a good example for how game studios from Sony’s PlayStation ecosystem tend to produce releases that go beyond just game mechanics and become works of interactive art. The original game from 2013 gathered critical acclaim, and has even been adapted to other forms of media, such as TV shows. The Last of Us Part I is a 2022 remake of the PlayStation-exclusive from 2013, which is now available for the PC platform, in 2023. The game has been rebuilt on a new-generation game engine, with mostly new assets, highly-detailed environments and models; vastly improved visual effects and lighting; and updated gameplay. The game now also incorporates a custom rendering tech that creates reflection effects similar to ray tracing (it is not actual ray tracing)- If you haven’t played the 2013 original, The Last of Us Part I should come as a revelation in gameplay and storytelling. For those who did, there’s still enough going on in the way of new gameplay mechanics, and jaw-dropping visuals that help you relive the experience.

The setting of the Last of Us is very similar to some of the best Resident Evil games out there, although the story is vastly different. There has been an apocalypse. A highly contagious outbreak has turned mankind into feral, mindless zombies. You are sent on a mission to rescue and exfiltrate a young girl who is seemingly immune to the disease, so the last remaining humans could develop a cure with her help. Your journey takes you across a battered, post-apocalyptic hellscape, with equal measure of urban and suburban locales. There are many twists and turns in this journey that are better left explored by yourself.

The Last of Us Part I, curiously enough, is based the most advanced version of the proprietary engine that powers The Last of Us Part II (2020), which is where the idea to remake the 2013 original as “Part I” based on new technology came from. Most of the game’s assets are redone, with higher poly-counts, higher-resolution textures, and a more organic look. The same goes to the game’s environments, which are more richly detailed and better lit. However, the PC version of the game has been suffering from various issues, like crashes during shader compile, driver crashes, game crashes and more.

This benchmark review will evaluate the performance of The Last of Us Part 1 on a wide selection of modern graphics cards, show image quality comparisons and look at what’s required in terms of VRAM usage.