The Last of Us Part 1 preloads are live on Steam

The Last of Us Part 1 screenshot
(Image credit: Naughty Dog)

The Last of Us Part 1 finally comes to PC tomorrow, and if you've pre-purchased the game and want to jump in the moment the light goes green, you can start preloading it on Steam right now.

It's probably not a bad idea to get an early start on the download if you can, especially if you're on a slow or dodgy internet connection—which, as we noted when Arkane announced it was looking into dropping the always-on requirement for Redfall, is still an issue for some gamers. The Last of Us Part 1 download on Steam is kind of a whopper, weighing in at 75GB, and that could chew up some time.

(Image credit: Steam)

An exact unlock time for The Last of Us Part 1 hasn't been announced, but based on our calculations—Steam says it will unlock in approximately 18 hours, I'm writing this around 4 pm ET—it will go live at 7 am PT/10 am ET on March 28.

And last but not least, if you haven't seen it yet, here's the full rundown of The Last of Us Part 1 system requirements on PC. The low settings are pretty basic, but if you've got the hardware to handle it, the game also supports an array of high-end features including adjustable Texture Quality, Shadows, Reflections, Ambient Occlusion, and more.

(Image credit: Naughty Dog)

The Last of Us Part 1 is also available on the Epic Games Store, but it doesn't provide preload information or unlock times on its store page. Epic does support preloading now, though, so I would guess that you'd also be able to start turning the preload crank over there, too.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.