The Last of Us is an action-adventure video game series and media franchise created by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The series takes place in a post-apocalyptic United States, where the country has been destroyed by humans infected with a changed fungus from the Cordyceps genus. The story follows several survivors, including Joel, a smuggler who lost his daughter during the outbreak; Ellie, a young girl who cannot be infected; and Abby, a soldier who becomes involved in a conflict between her militia and a religious group. The games use a third-person perspective, allowing players to fight against hostile humans and creatures using guns, handmade weapons, and stealth tactics.
Game director Bruce Straley and creative director Neil Druckmann led the development of the first game, The Last of Us, which was released for the PlayStation 3 in June 2013 and the PlayStation 4 in July 2014. A downloadable content expansion, The Last of Us: Left Behind, was released in February 2014 and focuses on Ellie and her friend Riley. Druckmann continued to lead the development of the sequel, The Last of Us Part II, which was released for the PlayStation 4 in June 2020, the PlayStation 5 in January 2024, and Windows in April 2025. A remake of the first game, titled The Last of Us Part I, was released for the PlayStation 5 in September 2022 and Windows in March 2023.
The series has received high praise and has won many awards, including multiple Game of the Year recognitions. The first game is often listed among the greatest video games ever made, and the second game won over 320 Game of the Year awards. Games in the series are among the best-selling PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 titles. The franchise has sold more than 37 million games as of January 2023. High sales and support led to the franchise expanding into other media, including a comic book in 2013, a live show in 2014, a television adaptation by HBO, a haunted house experience at Universal Studios in 2023, and a tabletop game by Themeborne in 2024.
Media
The Last of Us was released for the PlayStation 3 on June 14, 2013. An updated version, called The Last of Us Remastered, was released for the PlayStation 4 in July 2014. Twenty years after losing his daughter, Sarah, during a fungus outbreak, Joel is asked to protect Ellie, a teenage girl who cannot be infected, as she travels across a ruined United States. Fireflies, a group trying to find a cure, hope Ellie’s immunity can help. During their journey, Joel and Ellie grow closer after facing many difficult challenges. When they reach Salt Lake City, Ellie is scheduled for surgery that would end her life. Joel refuses to let this happen, fights to the operating room, kills the lead doctor, and carries Ellie to safety. After waking up, Ellie is told by Joel that the cure efforts failed.
The Last of Us: Left Behind was released for the PlayStation 3 on February 14, 2014. This expansion, which was part of the Remastered version for the PlayStation 4 in 2014, became a separate game for PlayStation 3 and 4 in May 2015. It takes place three weeks before the main game, showing Ellie spending time with her friend Riley in a deserted mall in Boston. Riley shares that she has been assigned to work with Fireflies in another city. Ellie begs Riley not to leave, and Riley removes her Firefly pendant before Ellie kisses her. They are later attacked by infected people and both bitten. They consider ending their lives to avoid the infection but instead choose to spend their final time together.
The Last of Us Part II was released for the PlayStation 4 on June 19, 2020. An updated version, The Last of Us Part II Remastered, was released for the PlayStation 5 in January 2024 and for Windows in April 2025. Four years after the first game, Abby Anderson finds and kills Joel for revenge over his role in her father’s death. Ellie and her girlfriend, Dina, travel to Seattle to find Abby. Over three days, Ellie kills some of Abby’s friends, while Abby befriends Lev, who is shunned by a religious group called the Seraphites. After discovering her friends are dead, Abby confronts Ellie but spares her at Lev’s request. Months later, Ellie and Dina live on a farm. Ellie later searches for Abby in Santa Barbara, finds her and Lev captured, and forces Abby to fight. Ellie defeats Abby but lets her live. Abby and Lev travel to Fireflies, while Ellie returns to the farm, which is now empty.
The Last of Us Part I was released for the PlayStation 5 on September 2, 2022, and for Windows on March 28, 2023. It is a remake of the first game with improved gameplay, artificial intelligence, performance, and accessibility features.
A comic book series, The Last of Us: American Dreams, was published by Dark Horse Comics from April to July 2013. Written by Neil Druckmann, the game’s creative director, and illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks, the comics tell the story of younger Ellie and Riley. At an event called The Last of Us: One Night Live in July 2014, the game’s cast performed scenes live in Santa Monica, California, with music by Gustavo Santaolalla. The event was directed by Druckmann and included graphics by Alex Hobbs.
In September 2020, CMON announced a board game called The Last of Us: The Board Game, focusing on exploration and survival. Another game, The Last of Us: Escape the Dark, was released in 2024, allowing up to five players to escape infected enemies in game locations.
In January 2025, Druckmann announced a physical experience where users can fight infected enemies in Seattle using virtual weapons, video, audio, and scent technology. A book containing scripts for The Last of Us, Left Behind, and Part II was published in December 2025 by Dark Horse Books.
In March 2014, Sony announced a film adaptation of The Last of Us, written by Druckmann and produced by Sam Raimi. However, the film faced challenges and was eventually canceled. In 2020, an animated short film was planned but canceled by Sony. A television adaptation was announced in 2020 by HBO, with Druckmann and Craig Mazin as writers and producers. The show, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, premiered in 2023 and was renewed for additional seasons. The series received Emmy nominations and is the first live-action video game adaptation to be considered for major awards.
Development and history
Preliminary work on The Last of Us, under the codename "Project Thing" or "T1," began after the release of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves in October 2009. For the first time in the company's history, developer Naughty Dog split into two teams to work on projects at the same time. While one team developed Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (2011), the other began work on The Last of Us. To manage both teams smoothly, co-presidents Evan Wells and Christophe Balestra chose game director Bruce Straley and creative director Neil Druckmann to lead development on The Last of Us. Straley, who joined Naughty Dog in March 1999, was selected based on his experience and previous work. Druckmann, who became an employee in 2004, was chosen for his determination and talent for design, which became clear about a year into the game's production.
While in university, Druckmann had an idea to combine the gameplay of Ico (2001) with a story set during a zombie apocalypse, similar to George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968). He imagined a lead character like John Hartigan from Sin City (1991–2000), a police officer tasked with protecting a young girl. However, due to the lead character's heart condition, players would often control the girl instead, switching roles. Druckmann later used this idea when creating the story of The Last of Us. He sees the game as a coming-of-age story, showing how Ellie learns to survive with Joel, and as an exploration of how far a father would go to save his child. The Last of Us was announced on December 10, 2011, at the Spike Video Game Awards, along with its debut trailer. The announcement created excitement in the gaming industry, which journalists linked to Naughty Dog's reputation. The game missed its original release date of May 7, 2013, and was delayed to June 14, 2013, worldwide for additional improvements. To encourage pre-orders, Naughty Dog worked with retailers to offer special editions with extra content.
Naughty Dog began developing Left Behind after the release of The Last of Us, using a team about half the size. After deciding to create single-player downloadable content for the game, the team chose to focus the story on Ellie, as players were curious about events in her life before the main game, especially those involving Riley Abel, whom Ellie mentioned in The Last of Us. Some players were also interested in the events between the Fall and Winter segments of the main game, where Ellie cares for an injured Joel. This led the team to contrast these events, believing it would improve the story's pacing. Straley said the team felt the story justified creating Left Behind. The shorter development time allowed the team to test mechanics and ideas they could not try on the main game.
Early story ideas for The Last of Us Part II were created during the development of the first game. Naughty Dog started working on Part II in 2014, shortly after the release of The Last of Us Remastered. By August 2017, after the release of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, the entire 350-person team at Naughty Dog shifted to develop Part II. Druckmann led development as creative director and writer, co-writing the story with Halley Gross. Straley left Naughty Dog in 2017, and Anthony Newman and Kurt Margenau were chosen as co-game directors for Part II. Both were hired during the development of Uncharted 2 (2009); Newman was the melee combat designer for The Last of Us, and Margenau was the game director for Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Margenau and Newman oversaw gameplay elements, such as level design and mechanics. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team worked remotely for the final months of development. In total, about 2,169 developers across 14 studios worked on the game.
The Last of Us Part II was announced at the PlayStation Experience event on December 3, 2016. The game missed its original release date of February 21, 2020, and was delayed to May for extra improvements, then to June 19 due to logistical issues caused by the pandemic. In late April, leaked videos showed cutscenes, gameplay, and major plot details. Druckmann said he was "heartbroken" for fans and the team, who had spent years working on the game. According to a report by Kotaku's Jason Schreier, the development of Part II included a 12-hour workday schedule due to the studio's culture. After the game's delay, developers continued under this schedule for additional months. Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment gave the team two extra weeks for bug fixes.
The existence of The Last of Us Part I was first reported in April 2021 by Bloomberg News' Schreier. The game was announced in June 2022 at Summer Game Fest and released for the PlayStation 5 on September 2, 2022, and for Windows on March 28, 2023. Development was led by game director Matthew Gallant and creative director Shaun Escayg. Gallant previously worked as a combat designer on the original game and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016), and became lead systems designer on Part II, co-leading its accessibility features. Escayg was lead cinematic animator on The Last of Us—his first game—and creative director on The Lost Legacy. He later worked as creative director and co-writer of Marvel's Avengers (2020) at Crystal Dynamics before returning to Naughty Dog in April 2021. Escayg focused on cinematics, while Gallant found he connected more closely with the game's themes since becoming a father. Escayg said the team saw the remake as "a love letter to our fans, to the franchise, and to ourselves as developers." They felt a responsibility to keep the game's original quality and essence. Many members of the Part I creative team had worked on the original game.
Like the first game, an online multiplayer mode was originally planned for Part II, as confirmed in June 2018. In September 2019, developers said the game would include a single-player campaign; Naughty Dog confirmed the multiplayer mode was removed and continued development separately. The company increased its multiplayer-related job openings after Part II was released. At Summer Game Fest in June 2022, Druckmann confirmed the multiplayer mode would get a standalone release and revealed the first concept art. He said the game would be as large as Naughty Dog's single-player games, featuring new characters and a different American location, possibly San Francisco. Development was led by co-game directors Newman and Vinit Agarwal and narrative lead Joseph Pettinati. Production was scaled back in May 2023 while Sony
Reception
The first game received very high praise from Metacritic, a website that collects reviews. It was the seventh-best-rated PlayStation 3 game, and the Remastered version was the fourth-best-rated PlayStation 4 game. It was listed on many "best of 2013" lists and won top awards at the Annie Awards, British Academy Video Games Awards, D.I.C.E. Awards, and Game Developers Choice Awards. It is considered one of the most important games from the seventh generation of consoles and among the greatest games ever made. The Last of Us Part II also received very high praise from Metacritic. It was the sixth-best-rated PlayStation 4 game, and the Remastered version was the eleventh-best-rated PlayStation 5 game. It won over 320 Game of the Year awards, which some outlets called record-breaking. It won awards at the Game Awards, GLAAD Media Awards, Golden Joystick Awards, and Titanium Awards. According to Metacritic, Left Behind and the PlayStation 5 version of Part I received mostly positive reviews, while the Windows version of Part I was Naughty Dog's lowest-rated game, with mixed or average reviews.
The Last of Us games are known for their stories. IGN's Colin Moriarty said the story was one of the game's standout features. PlayStation Official Magazine's David Meikleham wrote that the pacing helped the story feel powerful. GameSpot's Tom McShea found Left Behind's story insightful, and GamesRadar's Henry Gilbert described it as "intermittently intense, tragic, humorous, and even poignant." For Part II, Game Informer's Andy McNamara said the writers expressed themes with care and emotion, and Push Square's Sammy Barker praised the use of flashbacks and overlapping stories. However, GamesRadar+'s Alex Avard felt the story lost its momentum by trying to resolve every plot thread, and Polygon's Maddy Myers and Kotaku's Riley MacLeod said the game repeated its themes without letting players make choices. Neil Druckmann, the writer, won awards for his work on the series, including two from the D.I.C.E. Awards, Game Developers Choice Awards, SXSW Gaming Awards, and Writers Guild of America Awards.
Critics praised the characters in the series. The relationship between Joel and Ellie in the first game was highly praised. Game Informer's Matt Helgeson said their bond was relatable and emotional, and PlayStation Official Magazine's David Meikleham called them the best characters in any PlayStation 3 game. Ellie and Riley's relationship in Left Behind, and Ellie and Dina's relationship in Part II, were also praised. VG247's Kirk McKeand said every character in Part II was "complex and human," and Destructoid's Chris Carter felt empathy for the main characters. The cast's performances were highly praised, especially Troy Baker as Joel, Ashley Johnson as Ellie, and Laura Bailey as Abby. For The Last of Us, Baker won Best Voice Actor at Spike VGX, and Johnson won the D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Character Performance. Johnson won two consecutive British Academy Games Awards for Performer for The Last of Us and Left Behind, and was nominated for Part II but lost to Bailey for her role as Abby. Bailey won Best Performance at the Game Awards 2020.
Reviewers considered The Last of Us, Part II, and Part I as examples of the best graphics for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5, respectively. The first game's art design was called "outstanding" by Computer and Video Games' Andy Kelly and "jaw-dropping" by Eurogamer's Oli Welsh. The Guardian's Keza MacDonald described Part II's graphics as "meticulous and astounding." IGN's Jonathon Dornbush appreciated how the world helped tell more stories. The Verge's Andrew Webster compared the improved graphics of Part I to modern movies, and Siliconera's Josh Tolentino said they matched his memory of the original. The first game won the D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction, and Part II won Best Visual Design at the 38th Golden Joystick Awards. Both games were nominated for the British Academy Games Award for Artistic Achievement and the Game Developers Choice Award for Best Visual Art. Part I won Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project at the 21st Visual Effects Society Awards. The Windows version of Part I was criticized for its optimization, system requirements, and performance issues.
Many reviewers found the game's combat refreshing compared to other games. Game Informer's Helgeson appreciated the feeling of vulnerability during fights, and IGN's Moriarty said the crafting system helped with combat and made enemies feel "human." Eurogamer's Stace Harman praised Left Behind for linking gameplay to the story, though a late-game sequence was criticized for feeling unnatural. GamesRadar+'s Avard said Part II's new gameplay mechanics showed care and authenticity. GameRevolution's Michael Leri praised the cohesiveness between gameplay and story, and how it created empathy. Part I's improvements to gameplay were praised for their realism and intensity. Some reviewers said Part II's combat was better than Part I's, but acknowledged it was a big improvement from the original. The Last of Us won the Game Developers Choice Award for Best Design, and the sequel was nominated. Both games were nominated for the British Academy Games Award for Game Design, and Part II won the inaugural Innovation in Accessibility award at The Game Awards 2020.
The use of sound was praised for its emotional impact. Eurogamer's Welsh said the first game's sound design was much better than in other games, and Vice's Rob Zacny said Part II's audio made settings feel more lifelike than visuals sometimes did. The use of 3D audio in Part I led some reviewers to play without sound or headphones, and GamesRadar+'s Avard said it made the Infected more terrifying. The first game won awards for sound design at the British Academy Games Awards, D.I.C.E. Awards, Game Audio Network Guild Awards, and SXSW Gaming Awards. The sequel won at the Game Audio Network Guild Awards and Golden Joystick Awards, and received nominations elsewhere. The score for both games was called "haunting" by some reviewers. Destructoid's James Stephanie Sterling said it complemented gameplay in the first game, and IGN's Dornbush found it moving in the second. The first game won Excellence in Musical Score at the SXSW Gaming Awards, and the second won Best OST at the Titanium Awards. Both games received music nominations at the British Academy Games Awards, Game Audio Network Guild Awards, and New York Game Awards.
The series has been praised for its portrayal of female and LGBT characters. Edge's Jason Killingsworth said the first game's lack of sexualized female characters was refreshing, and Eurogamer's Ellie Gibson praised Ellie as "sometimes strong, sometimes vulnerable, but never a cliché." GayGamer.net's Sam Einhorn said the revelation of Bill's sexuality "added to his character … without really tokenizing him," and GLAAD named Bill one of the year's "most intriguing new LGBT characters." The kiss between Ellie and Riley in Left Behind was called a "breakthrough moment" and "a big deal" by Kotaku's Kirk Hamilton, and "beautiful and natural and funny" by IGN's Keza MacDonald. Some members of the transgender community criticized the portrayal of Lev, a transgender supporting character in Part II. Criticism focused on villains using