The Last of Us Part 1 Building Shaders PC Issue (Explained)

Why is the building shaders issue on PC happening for The Last of Us Part 1?

The Last of Us Part 1 Building Shaders PC Issue featured

If you boot up The Last of Us Part 1, you may notice that there’s a loading screen for building shaders that is another PC issue preventing you from even starting the game, which makes PC Players more frustrated as they continue to encounter these problems. So what is this issue? Why is it happening? And most importantly, how do you fix it?

What is the Building Shaders PC Issue in The Last of Us Part 1?

On the main menu of The Last of Us Part 1, there is a small sign in the bottom right corner of the screen that says “Building Shaders” with a percentage that slowly counts to one hundred. Once this percentage is complete, you can start playing the game.

So what exactly is The Last of Us Part 1 doing when it is building shaders on your PC? Well, it’s actually syncing with your PC’s hardware, which is normal the first time you boot up a game. The thing that makes it an issue is that players are experiencing an excruciatingly slow process when it comes to waiting for the shaders to finish building.

Its long wait time is causing several problems with the PC community. Some are worried that this will affect their ability to refund The Last of Us Part 1 on Steam due to surpassing the 2-hour time period of just waiting for the Building Shaders PC issue to finish.

Main Menu - The Last of Us Part 1 Building Shaders PC Issue

How long should Building Shaders last?

The Last of Us Part 1 Building Shaders shouldn’t last longer than a couple of minutes. If it persists for more than 15 minutes, then you’re experiencing problems.

If your concern is to refund The Last of Us Part 1, then you shouldn’t wait until it takes more than an hour to refund the game. While it is normal to encounter building shaders the first time the game boots up, it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes at most.

As for why players are encountering The Last of Us Part 1 Building Shaders PC issue, it has to do with poor optimization rather than your hardware not being strong enough to run the game. Even those who are playing The Last of Us Part 1 on hardware beyond what is recommended are still experiencing a lot of problems.

If you’re intending to play The Last of Us Part 1, especially on Steam Deck, we recommend waiting for the shaders to finish building while the portable hardware is plugged in.

Is there a fix for The Last of Us Part 1 Building Shaders PC Issue?

There is no current fix for this issue at the moment. The only way to fix the Building Shaders issue on PC for The Last of Us Part 1 is by waiting for an update from the developers.

You could try to update your GPU drivers and see if that will fare better. Though don’t cross your fingers.

Thankfully, developers Naughty Dog have already released a hotfix just recently after receiving numerous complaints. The Last of Us Part 1 is still experiencing plenty of problems at the moment, so there’s no guarantee that you’ll have a smooth experience.

The Last of Us Part 1 Building Shaders PC Issue separator

That’s the The Last of Us Part 1 Building Shaders PC Issue explained. We hope this article was informative.

Check out this YouTube video from Gaming Bench showing an in-game comparison for Building Shaders vs Pre Build Shaders in The Last Of Us Part 1:

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