Optimizing The Last of Us Part II Remastered Gameplay with AV1 Encoding

When I sat down to record a no damage, all collectibles run of The Last of Us Part II Remastered on Grounded+ difficulty with chronological mode and maximum upgrades, I knew the biggest challenge wasn't the infected or the WLF patrols. It was figuring out how to preserve every brutal detail of that 4K resolution footage without turning my hard drive into a screaming mess. After years of wrestling with video compression for gameplay captures, I finally dove deep into av1 encoding gameplay to see if it could deliver the quality I needed at file sizes that didn't make me wince.

Why Compression Matters for a Run Like This

A no damage run of The Last of Us Part II on Grounded+ difficulty demands total focus. You cannot afford a single hit from a Runner or a stray bullet from a Seraphite patrol. Recording that at 4K resolution with all the foliage, particle effects, and dynamic lighting the Remastered version throws at you means the raw video stream is enormous. Even with a high-end capture card and an RTX 4090 handling the encoding on the fly, the bitrate required to keep everything looking sharp can balloon past 100 Mbps. Over a two-hour session, that adds up to roughly 90 GB of footage. Multiply that by multiple attempts for the perfect all collectibles route, and you are looking at terabytes of data for a single video.

That is where av1 encoding gameplay started to change the math for me. AV1, developed by the Alliance for Open Media (AOM), promises around 30 to 50 percent better compression than its predecessor VP9, and roughly twice the efficiency of H.264. For a gameplay walkthrough that includes both stealth sections in overgrown Seattle suburbs and intense firefights in hospital hallways, that efficiency gain means I can keep a higher bitrate ceiling while still cutting file sizes by a significant margin. The result is faster uploads, cheaper storage, and less time spent waiting for HandBrake to finish a transcode.

Hardware Encoding vs. Software Encoding

There are two main paths to using AV1 for recording gameplay: hardware encoding and software encoding. Hardware encoding relies on dedicated chips inside modern GPUs. The RTX 4090, for example, includes an NVENC encoder that supports AV1. This lets you record or stream with very low overhead, keeping your framerate stable even during the most chaotic encounters. When I am in the middle of a Grounded+ encounter with multiple clickers closing in, the last thing I need is my encoder stealing cycles from the game. Hardware encoding keeps that latency low and the gameplay smooth.

Software encoding, on the other hand, uses the CPU to compress the video. It can produce smaller files or higher quality at the same bitrate, but it demands far more processing power. For a game like The Last of Us Part II, which already pushes the PlayStation 5 and a PC capture setup to their limits, software encoding of AV1 can introduce noticeable streaming latency or dropped frames. I have tested both approaches on my rig, and for live recording sessions, I lean heavily on the RTX 4090's NVENC AV1 encoder. For archival purposes or when I need the absolute best compression for a highlight reel, I let HandBrake run a slow software encode overnight.

Comparing AV1 to Older Codecs

Before AV1 became practical for real-time use, most gameplay recorders relied on H.264 or H.265. H.264, often delivered through x264 software encoders, is still the most compatible codec. Every editing suite, streaming platform, and media player supports it. But at 4K resolution, H.264 demands a very high bitrate to avoid blocky artifacts in fast motion. Grass swaying in the wind or a character sprinting through a rainstorm can turn into a pixelated mess if you try to pinch the bitrate too hard.

H.265, also called HEVC, improved on that by roughly doubling compression efficiency. It became popular among gamers who wanted to record at higher resolutions without instantly filling their drives. But H.265 licensing has always been messy, and support on older devices is spotty. AV1 sidesteps those licensing issues entirely because it was designed as an open, royalty-free codec from the start. That single factor has driven rapid adoption across browsers, streaming services, and now hardware encoders like NVENC.

VP9, Google's earlier open codec, was a step in the right direction, but AV1 takes everything VP9 did well and pushes it further. In my tests, a segment of The Last of Us Part II running through the forested suburbs near the start of Ellie's section compressed with AV1 at a moderate bitrate looked noticeably cleaner than the same segment encoded with VP9 at the same bitrate. The difference was most visible in the dappled light filtering through the trees and the texture of Ellie's jacket. AV1 preserved the grain and detail that VP9 tended to smooth over.

Practical Settings for AV1 Encoding Gameplay

Getting the best results from av1 encoding gameplay requires a few tweaks. If you are using OBS Studio, which now supports AV1 on supported hardware, start by selecting the NVENC AV1 encoder. Set the bitrate to somewhere between 15 and 25 Mbps for 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. That might sound low if you are used to H.264, where you would need 40 to 60 Mbps for similar quality, but AV1's efficiency means you can drop the bitrate significantly without sacrificing detail.

For post-processing, HandBrake offers an AV1 encoder option if you install the right build or use the command line with SVT-AV1 or aomenc. When I transcode a finished recording for long-term storage, I use the following settings:

• Encoder: AV1 (SVT-AV1 or aomenc)
• Preset: Slow or Slower for better compression
• Bitrate: 12 to 18 Mbps for 4K
• Keyframe interval: 2 seconds for smoother seeking
• Audio: Passthrough or high-bitrate AAC

These settings give me files that are roughly half the size of the original H.264 capture, with no visible loss in quality. For a no damage run where every dodge roll and every collectible pickup matters, I want the final video to look as close to the original game as possible. AV1 gets me there without requiring me to buy another NAS drive every few months.

Trade-Offs and Real-World Considerations

AV1 is not perfect for every situation. The encoding process, especially with software encoding, can take a long time. A two-hour 4K video might take four to six hours to encode on a modern CPU with SVT-AV1 at a slow preset. That is fine for a finished video that will be uploaded once, but it makes AV1 impractical for live streaming unless you have hardware encoding support. Streaming latency can also be higher with AV1 because the decoder on the viewer's end needs to buffer more frames to handle the complex compression. Most major streaming platforms now support AV1 for playback, but if your audience uses older devices, they might not see the benefit.

Another trade-off is compatibility with editing software. If you record directly to AV1, you might run into issues importing the footage into your editor. Some editors require you to transcode to an intermediate codec like ProRes or DNxHD before you can edit smoothly. That adds an extra step and eats up drive space again. My workflow avoids this by recording to H.265 via NVENC during the session, then transcoding the final edit to AV1 for distribution. That way I get the smooth editing experience and the archival efficiency.

Final Thoughts on AV1 for Gameplay Recording

After spending weeks perfecting my all collectibles route through The Last of Us Part II Remastered, I have come to rely on av1 encoding gameplay as a key part of my workflow. The codec's ability to maintain crisp detail in 4K resolution while cutting file sizes by half or more has saved me countless hours of waiting for uploads and freed up space for more recordings. It is not a magic bullet, and it requires some careful setup to avoid compatibility headaches, but for anyone serious about recording high-quality gameplay, especially on Grounded+ difficulty where every frame matters, AV1 is worth the effort.

If you are still using x264 at high bitrates because that is what you have always done, consider giving AV1 a try. Start with your RTX 4090's NVENC encoder in OBS Studio, run a short test clip, and compare the file size to your usual H.265 output. I think you will be surprised at how much cleaner the image looks at the same bitrate. And when you are trying to capture a flawless no damage run of a game as demanding as The Last of Us Part II, every bit of quality headroom helps.