My CPU usage is high. What can I do?

High CPU usage can be caused by various factors. Generally speaking, when your CPU is doing more work than your GPU, you can expect its usage to be high. A common example of this is when you target a high framerate. A number of possible solutions can be found below. You can monitor your framerate and CPU/GPU usage with the in-game HUD. These options can be found here: Options > HUD > Performance.

For general best practice, please ensure the following if you’re seeing high CPU usage.

• Shaders are finished building
• Your game is updated with the latest patch (more info here)
• Background applications that are CPU intensive are closed while playing

If you are still seeing high CPU usage after doing the above, you can try the following options. 

• Depending on your system specifications, increasing your resolution or texture settings may help by giving your GPU a higher workload, thereby reducing CPU usage. These settings include:
  • Options > Display > Display Resolution
  • Options > Graphics > Texture Settings
• Try setting an in-game Framerate Cap:
  • Options > Display > Framerate Cap
• Adjusting Graphics settings that have Moderate to Major effect on CPU performance may help. These settings include:
  • Options >  Graphics > Geometry Settings > Draw Distance
  • Options >  Graphics > Lighting Settings > Directional Shadow Distance
  • Options >  Graphics > Lighting Settings > Dynamic Lights Quality
  • Options >  Graphics > Reflections Settings > Real-Time Reflections Quality
  • Options >  Graphics > Visual Effects Settings > Effects Density
  • Options >  Graphics > Visual Effects Settings > Volumetric Effects Quality
  • Options >  Graphics > Misc Settings > Animation Quality
  • Options >  Graphics > Misc Settings > Ambient Character Density
  • Options >  Graphics > Misc Settings > AI Quality

If CPU usage is still high after the above, you can try launching the game with a core limiter console argument.

• Players can add the “cores <num>” command to limit the number of CPU cores used by the game’s engine during gameplay. <num> should be replaced with the number of desired cores. 
  • Example: If your CPU has 16 cores you can enter “cores 14” (without the quotation marks) to limit the game’s usage to 14 cores.
  • NOTE: While this may lower your CPU usage, limiting the number of cores may negatively impact performance.
  • For Steam: Right click The Last of Us Part 1 in Library > Select Properties > Select General > Enter the command in the space provided beneath “Launch Options” > Launch the game
  • For Epic: Click Profile in top right corner > Select Settings > Scroll to find The Last of Us Part 1 drop down > Check the box for Additional Command Line Arguments > Enter the command in the box provided > Launch the game