Testing The Last of Us Part II Remastered on RTX 3070: A Surprisingly Smooth Experience

Naughty Dog just dropped The Last of Us Part II Remastered for PC last week, and I couldn't resist jumping in right away. Considering the rough launch history of Part I on PC, I went in expecting some headaches—but to my surprise, this time things were vastly different. Smooth gameplay, polished optimization, and new features made this one of the best post-apocalyptic gaming sessions I've had in a while.

A Redemption Arc After Part I's Bumpy Ride

If you remember the PC launch of The Last of Us Part I, then you'll understand why expectations were a bit low for this release. Back then, even GPUs with 8GB VRAM struggled to handle the game decently, and those using anything less were completely out of luck. Constant crashes, stuttering cinematics, and memory leaks plagued the experience until about five or six months down the road, when Naughty Dog finally pushed enough patches to stabilize things.

So when Part II Remastered hit PC just a week ago, I was cautiously optimistic—but right from the start, this version proved it was built differently.

My Setup: Mid-Tier Hardware, Top-Tier Experience

I ran the game on my main rig:

GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3070

CPU: Intel Core i9-10900 (clocked at 4GHz)

RAM: 32GB DDR4

Storage: NVMe Gen3 SSD

Resolution: 1080p

Settings: Very High

And honestly? The performance blew me away.

Even during intense combat sequences, dynamic lighting, and wide open areas, the framerate never dipped below 70 FPS, and most of the time I was cruising at around 110 FPS. I didn't have to compromise on graphics quality to get that, either. Very High settings made the game visually stunning, especially with the revamped lighting and environmental textures in the remaster.

Video Playthrough: Intro, Settings, and Real-Time FPS Monitoring

I've also uploaded a video of my playthrough that gives a quick intro to the game, followed by a detailed walkthrough of my graphics settings and system performance. In the first few minutes, I go through the options menu to show exactly what I've enabled—including Very High textures, ambient occlusion, and AMD Framegen—so you can see how the game runs on mid-to-high-end hardware like the RTX 3070.

Throughout the video, I've included an on-screen FPS counter using MSI Afterburner so you can see real-time frame rates during different gameplay scenarios—exploration, stealth sections, heavy combat, and cutscenes. The frame rate stays consistently above 70 FPS, averaging around 110 FPS, with no noticeable stutters or dips, even in graphically intense moments. If you're on the fence about performance or wondering how it holds up in action, definitely check it out.

AMD Frame Generation on RTX? Yes, Please!

One of the most exciting surprises was native support for AMD's Frame Generation tech. This might sound odd, but yes—it actually works on NVIDIA cards too.

Back when I played The Last of Us Part I, I had to manually download the frame generation files and patch the game to get smoother framerates on my RTX 3070. It worked, but it felt like a workaround rather than a supported solution.

This time? It's integrated out of the box, no extra steps needed. Just enable it in the settings, and you're good to go. The fluidity it adds, especially during fast-paced gameplay or heavy action scenes, is immediately noticeable. Hats off to Naughty Dog and Iron Galaxy for giving PC gamers proper treatment this time around.

A Neat Touch: Corsair K55 Keyboard Syncs with In-Game Health

Here's something unexpected that I really enjoyed—my Corsair K55 RGB keyboard reacts to Ellie's health bar in real time.

It might sound like a gimmick, but it's actually super immersive. When Ellie's health is full, the keyboard glows a calm green. Take a few hits, and it shifts to yellow. Low on health? You'll see a warning red glow across the entire keyboard. It's subtle, but during tense stealth segments or sudden ambushes, the color shift adds another layer of immersion. I didn't even know this game supported iCUE integration until I noticed the lighting responding during my first firefight. It's a small feature, but it definitely adds to the overall experience.

A Quick Overview: What's New in the Remastered Version?

If you're wondering what's different in this remastered edition compared to the original PS4 release, here's a quick rundown:

Graphical Enhancements: Better textures, lighting, shadows, and character models. The visuals feel closer to the Part I remake than the original PS4 version.

Performance Mode: Support for ultrawide resolutions, high frame rates, and PC-centric features like DLSS and AMD FSR.

New Roguelike Mode ("No Return"): A fresh addition that lets you play a randomized combat-focused mode with different characters. It's surprisingly addictive and adds replayability beyond the main story.

Developer Commentary: A behind-the-scenes audio experience you can enable during gameplay for insight into the story's creation.

Unlocked Frame Rates & Full KB/M Support: All the PC bells and whistles you'd expect are here—and they work flawlessly.

Final Thoughts: A Must-Play PC Port (Finally)

For those who were burned by Part I's launch on PC, The Last of Us Part II Remastered feels like an apology—and a very well-executed one at that. It's clear that a lot more attention went into optimizing this port. From the stable performance on my RTX 3070 rig, to the slick framegen support, to the little touches like keyboard integration, it's just a great package overall.

If you've been waiting to experience Ellie's brutal journey on PC—or if you're just curious how far Naughty Dog has come in the porting game—this one's worth checking out. No more excuses, no more waiting for half a year of patches. It's good to go, right out the gate.