have problems with The last of us building shaders? If so, you’re probably staring at the in-game menu screen wondering how long the process will take. Well, you are not alone as the problem affects all platforms, whether you are using a high-end RTX 4090 powerhouse or a gaming laptop like the Steam Deck.

To avoid any hardware issues other than the build shader issue, we suggest you double-check The Last of Us system requirements before playing the game. While Naughty Dog says it’s “actively investigating” the slow performance and crashes, ensuring your rig meets the developer’s recommended specs will help the correct port to PC.

How long does it take to build The Last of Us shaders?

The Last of Us shader creation process should take about an hour.. We strongly recommend that you wait for the message to disappear before playing, and you will want to restart before clicking “new game”. If you dive in without doing so, you’ll experience goofy textures and choppy performance.

Testing the best settings for The Last of Us on PC, I foolishly decided to go ahead and start playing without restarting the game first. The result? Well, Sarah and her room looked like a psychedelic nightmare, and Joel’s beard turned into a Deux Ex artwork. In other words, if you want to avoid any diversion that would interrupt the act of opening post-apocalyptic drama, make sure you have permission to create shaders and relaunch the game when finished.

What do The Last of Us building shaders mean?

Simply put, The Last of Us build shaders message means you’re getting ready to deal with shadows, lighting, and textures.. Without shaders, the port won’t be able to add fancy effects to your 3D models and environments, ultimately leading to visual disaster.

Again, there’s not much you can do to avoid the build shaders message at this point, and it has nothing to do with your specific build. However, if you plan to play Last of Us Steam Deck, you might want to plug in your portable charger while charging, as an hour of compiling shaders will consume your battery life.

Categorized in: