Update: An earlier version of this article didn't make it clear that the 5800 XT doesn't actually exist. This has been clarified.
Last week the PC specifications for The Last of Us (or TLOU if you’re cool) PC port had been released by Naughty Dog and Sony. If those minimum requirements gave you a fright, then there's some good news, as they have been updated and are not quite as demanding. Interestingly, the Iron Galaxy logo has also been slapped onto the new specification sheet which suggests it is handling the port.
The Last of Us is a game dear to many peoples' hearts, and as well as being a critically-acclaimed game, a HBO TV show based on the game has been extremely well received as well, so hype for the PC port is higher than ever.
As well as the addition of the Iron Galaxy logo, we can see a few minor changes to the recommended requirements for gamers looking to play the game soon.
The good news is the updated specifications are actually lower than before, which means more PC gamers are will be able to play the game without having to shell out for equipment upgrades. For example, in the graphic below you can see that if your performance goal is 60 fps at 1080p, rather than the AMD Radeon RX 5800 XT (8GB), players with a seemingly less powerful AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (8GB) will be able to meet that specification.
As a lot of people have pointed out, despite there being an AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (8GB) and even an AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, AMD never ended up releasing a AMD Radeon RX 5800 XT. The reference to the GPU in the initial system requirements appears to have been an unfortunate typo.
We've got high hopes that the game will run smoothly and be just as much fun for PC gamers as it was for console players since Iron Galaxy did a pretty good job with the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection port. Not a sensational port by any means, but definitely solid enough that the gaming experience wasn't hindered.
Great news for everyone!
As we gear up for the PC version of The Last of Us to release on March 28, we’re pretty pleased to see the adjustments that have been made to allow gamers with older equipment to still enjoy the game at a reasonable capacity. While the reference to the non-existent AMD Radeon RX 5800 XT was an error, we're glad that it seems like it was meant to say the more affordable RX 5700 XT, rather than the more expensive AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT. When it comes to PC specs, a stray number can change the context quite drastically.
With the popularity of the show and the subsequent resurgence of the fandom, loads of newcomers to TLOU will be pleased with the improved specification list.
Hopefully, this is a trend we will see more in the future and have those of us stuck on older, more familiar equipment kept in mind when porting games over from console to PC. There’s no drastic change between hardware specifications in this case, but enough to hopefully warrant a positive reaction from the community.
