And while we know many of you would like to play The Last of Us Part I on Steam Deck, we are prioritizing fixes and patches before submitting it for verification.
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) April 3, 2023
We will keep you updated of its Steam Deck status as we continue to improve the PC version.
Naughty Dog is prioritising The Last of Us PC fixes over Steam Deck compatibility
Neil Druckmann and Valve both previously noted the game’s ability to run on the handheld
Naughty Dog has said it’s prioritising fixes for the PC version of The Last of Us Part I over any plans to get it running better on Steam Deck.
A new Twitter thread from the official Naughty Dog account reads: “A reminder that we will have a new hotfix live for The Last of Us Part I on PC tomorrow [Tuesday], and a patch on Friday.
“We will share patch notes when the hotfix is live, and let you know some of what to expect in Friday’s patch ahead of its launch.”
It then adds: “And while we know many of you would like to play The Last of Us Part I on Steam Deck, we are prioritising fixes and patches before submitting it for verification.
“We will keep you updated of its Steam Deck status as we continue to improve the PC version.”
The PC port of The Last of Us Part I has been heavily criticised for poor performance and frequent crashes, with Steam Deck players in particular noting major issues such as extremely low frame rates on the lowest settings.
Before its release there were indications that the game would work on Steam Deck, from both Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann and Valve itself.
Druckmann stated back in December that the game would be playable on the device, claiming on Twitter: “Ellie and Joel will grace the Steam Deck, don’t worry.”
Then, just one day before the game’s PC release, Valve posted a new promotional image on the Steam Deck website showing a montage of games running on the system, including The Last of Us Part I alongside the likes of Hades, No Man’s Sky and Stray.
Druckmann’s comments and Valve’s use of the game to promote the handheld both implied it would be officially Steam Deck verified, but it isn’t at the time of writing.
Unusually for a Sony Interactive Entertainment game, there were zero reviews for The Last of US Part 1 on PC published on Metacritic on release day, suggesting that press either did not receive review code, or did so extremely late.
The aggregator now has 12 reviews listed, with an average score of 58.