The Last of Us Part II is a 2020 action-adventure game created by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The story takes place four years after The Last of Us (2013) and follows two main characters in a United States ruined by a disaster. Ellie seeks revenge for the death of Joel, while Abby, a soldier who killed Joel, becomes involved in a conflict between her group and a religious group. The game is played from a third-person view, and players fight human enemies and zombie-like creatures using guns, handmade weapons, and stealth tactics.
Development of the game began in 2014, after the release of The Last of Us Remastered. Neil Druckmann returned as creative director and co-wrote the story with Halley Gross. The themes of revenge and justice were influenced by Druckmann’s childhood in Israel. Ashley Johnson reprises her role as Ellie, and Laura Bailey voices Abby. Their performances included recording motion and voice at the same time. Gustavo Santaolalla returned to create the game’s music. The developers tested the full power of the PlayStation 4. The project involved long work hours, with 12-hour days, and cost about $220 million, making it one of the most expensive video games ever made.
After delays, partly because of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Last of Us Part II was released for the PlayStation 4 in June 2020. A remastered version came out for the PlayStation 5 in January 2024 and for Windows in April 2025. The game received praise for its gameplay, sound design, music, acting, characters, and visuals, though its story and themes caused disagreement among critics. Some players argued about the story and characters, leading to negative reviews on Metacritic. It is one of the best-selling PlayStation 4 games and the fastest-selling exclusive title for the console. Over four million copies sold in its first weekend, and ten million by 2022. The game won many awards, including 326 Game of the Year honors from publications and events.
Gameplay
The Last of Us Part II is an action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective, combining elements of the survival horror genre. Players move through post-apocalyptic settings like buildings and forests to progress through the story. They can use guns, homemade weapons, and stealth to fight hostile humans and infected creatures affected by a mutated Cordyceps fungus. Players take turns controlling Ellie and Abby, and briefly control Joel in the opening scene. The player character’s quick movements allow jumping and climbing to navigate environments and gain combat advantages. Players can break glass, such as windows, to access areas or collect supplies. Some areas are explored using horses or boats.
In combat, players use long-range weapons like rifles and bows, and short-range weapons like pistols and revolvers. Players can find limited-use melee weapons, such as machetes and hammers, and throw bricks or bottles to distract or attack enemies. Collected items can be used to upgrade weapons at workbenches or craft tools like health kits, Molotov cocktails, and silencers. Players can collect supplements to improve skills in a skill tree. Training manuals found in the environment unlock additional skill upgrades, such as increasing health, crafting speed, or ammunition types.
Players can attack enemies directly or use stealth to avoid detection or sneak past them. "Listen Mode" helps players find enemies by showing outlines through walls and objects using enhanced hearing and spatial awareness. In the cover system, players crouch behind objects to gain combat advantages or crawl on the ground to avoid enemies. Hostile enemies use artificial intelligence, such as taking cover, calling for help, or attacking when the player is distracted, out of ammo, or in a fight. If a player is hit by an arrow, their health decreases and Listen Mode is disabled until they are in cover and remove the arrow. Companions like Dina help by killing enemies or alerting the player to their location. The game includes guard dogs that track the player’s scent, visible in Listen Mode.
Plot
Joel (Troy Baker) tells his brother, Tommy (Jeffrey Pierce), that he was responsible for saving Ellie (Ashley Johnson) from a surgery that would have killed her, which stopped the Fireflies from finding a cure for the Cordyceps fungus outbreak. Four years later, Joel and Ellie live in Jackson, Wyoming, but their relationship is difficult. While on patrol, Joel and Tommy save a stranger named Abby (Laura Bailey) from a group of infected people. They return to a place where Abby’s group, former Fireflies now part of the Washington Liberation Front (WLF), a military group in Seattle, Washington, are staying. The group attacks Joel and Tommy. Abby wants revenge because Joel killed her father (Derek Phillips), a Firefly doctor who was going to operate on Ellie. Meanwhile, Ellie and her girlfriend, Dina (Shannon Woodward), search for the brothers. Ellie enters the WLF base and sees Abby kill Joel. Abby does not harm Ellie or Tommy, who promise to get revenge.
Tommy goes to Seattle to find Abby, and Ellie and Dina follow him. In Seattle, Ellie reveals she is immune to the Cordyceps fungus, and Dina says she is pregnant. The next day, Ellie searches for Tommy alone and meets Jesse (Stephen Chang), Dina’s former boyfriend, who has been following them. While looking for Abby’s friend Nora (Chelsea Tavares), Ellie meets the Seraphites, a religious group fighting the WLF for control of Seattle. Ellie tortures Nora to find Abby’s location, which upsets her. The next day, Ellie kills two members of Abby’s group, Mel (Ashly Burch) and her boyfriend, Owen (Patrick Fugit). A memory shows that two years earlier, Ellie visited a Firefly hospital in Salt Lake City and learned the truth. She felt hurt and stopped speaking to Joel. Now, Ellie’s group is attacked by Abby, who kills Jesse and takes Tommy hostage.
Three days earlier, Abby learns from WLF leader Isaac (Jeffrey Wright) that Owen, her ex-boyfriend, is missing after looking into Seraphite activity. Abby searches for Owen and is captured by the Seraphites. Yara (Victoria Grace) and Lev (Ian Alexander), Seraphite siblings who were punished for breaking rules, rescue Abby. Abby leaves to find Owen, who plans to sail to Santa Barbara, California, where Fireflies may be regrouping. After spending time with Owen, Abby has a nightmare about Yara and Lev dying. She returns to save them and goes with Lev to get medicine so Mel can treat Yara’s injured arm. After the surgery, Lev leaves to convince his mother to leave the Seraphites. Abby and Yara find Lev in the Seraphite settlement, where he killed his mother to protect himself. The three escape as the WLF attacks the island. Abby betrays the WLF to save Lev, and Yara kills Isaac to help them escape. They return to find Owen and Mel dead, along with a map to Ellie’s hiding place. After killing Jesse, Abby shoots Tommy and hurts Ellie and Dina. Lev convinces Abby to let them go.
Several months later, Ellie and Dina live on a farm, raising Dina and Jesse’s son, though Ellie has trouble with stress from past events. Tommy, who survived his injuries, arrives with news about Abby’s location. Ellie decides to find Abby, even though Dina asks her to stay. Abby and Lev go to Santa Barbara to find the Fireflies, who are regrouping on Catalina Island, California, but are captured and hurt by the Rattlers, a group that keeps slaves. Ellie rescues Abby and Lev. Ellie forces Abby to fight her, and Abby bites off two of Ellie’s fingers. Ellie almost drowns Abby but stops after remembering Joel and decides to spare her. Abby and Lev sail to find the Fireflies. Ellie returns to the old farmhouse. She tries to play Joel’s guitar with her injured hand, remembers her last conversation with Joel, where she said she would forgive him, and leaves.
Development
In 2013, while working on The Last of Us, the team started thinking about the story for The Last of Us Part II. Naughty Dog began making the game in 2014, shortly after The Last of Us Remastered was released. By August 2017, after Uncharted: The Lost Legacy came out, all 350 members of the Naughty Dog team focused on developing Part II. Neil Druckmann led the project as creative director and writer, a role he had before on The Last of Us and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016). Anthony Newman and Kurt Margenau were chosen as co-game directors, responsible for designing levels and gameplay mechanics. For the final months of development, the team worked remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, about 2,169 developers from 14 studios helped create the game. According to Sony Interactive Entertainment, the 70-month development process had up to 200 full-time employees and cost around US$220 million, making it one of the most expensive video games ever made.
Druckmann wrote the story with Halley Gross. The team tried different story ideas and almost gave up until they decided to follow a structure similar to the first game. Druckmann explained that while The Last of Us focused on love, Part II explores how far someone might go to seek justice for loved ones. Themes of revenge and justice were influenced by Druckmann’s childhood in Israel, where violence was common. He mentioned watching footage of the 2000 Ramallah lynching and how it made him think about punishing those who caused harm. Other themes include tribalism, trauma, and justice. Artists from Naughty Dog visited Seattle to study buildings, plants, materials, and lighting to create realistic textures.
Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker returned as Ellie and Joel, while Laura Bailey played Abby. The actors recorded their performances at a studio in Los Angeles using performance capture, which records movement and voice at the same time. Gross said the writers aimed to create the most complex characters seen in games. She wanted to show Ellie’s strength and her doubts. The shift from Ellie to Abby as the main character was inspired by the change from Joel to Ellie in the first game, but Part II emphasized empathy more. Druckmann wanted players to dislike Abby early in the game but later understand her actions.
The developers used the PlayStation 4’s full power to make Part II, including more enemies and bigger environments than before. Druckmann said details had to stay consistent to keep the game feeling real. Better artificial intelligence (AI) allowed players to form deeper connections with characters. The game was originally planned as an open world with hubs but changed to a more linear style to better tell the story. Naughty Dog improved accessibility features from Uncharted 4 to help all players complete the story, working with experts and attending conferences.
Gustavo Santaolalla returned to compose the music, as he did for the first game, while Mac Quayle added combat music. The team used songs like "Future Days" by Pearl Jam and "Take On Me" by A-ha with permission. To make the Shamblers’ sounds, the team used actors and items like grapefruits for explosion noises. The dialogue team studied whistled languages like Sfryria and Silbo Gomero for the Seraphites’ sounds and hired actors to create three types of whistles.
According to a report by Kotaku’s Jason Schreier, the team worked 12-hour days during development, even after delays. Schreier said the process was slowed by many employees leaving after Uncharted 4, leaving few experienced workers. Some developers reportedly hoped the game would fail to show poor working conditions. Sony gave Naughty Dog two extra weeks to fix bugs. Druckmann admitted he struggled to balance work and employee well-being, saying the studio would seek outside help for future projects.
Release and promotion
The Last of Us Part II was announced at the PlayStation Experience event on December 3, 2016. At E3 2018, Druckmann stated that Naughty Dog would not share a release date until the game was "very close to release" to avoid disappointing fans. During Sony's State of Play presentation on September 24, 2019, Naughty Dog announced a release date of February 21, 2020. On October 25, Druckmann announced a delay to May 29, 2020, to "bring the entire game up to a level of polish we would call Naughty Dog quality." On April 2, 2020, Sony announced the game was nearly complete but had been indefinitely delayed due to logistical problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In late April, several videos leaked online, showing cutscenes, gameplay, and significant plot details. Druckmann tweeted that he was "heartbroken" for fans and for the team, who had devoted years to development. On April 27, Sony announced a release date of June 19, 2020.
The first trailer was released alongside the announcement, showcasing the return of Ellie and Joel. The second trailer, released in October 2017 as part of Paris Games Week, revealed Abby, Yara, and Lev. Dina and Jesse were first shown in a presentation at E3 2018. A trailer was featured in Sony's State of Play presentation in September 2019, which preceded additional marketing to celebrate Outbreak Week—the week in which the fictional outbreak occurred in the original game. A story trailer was released on May 6, followed by an animated commercial on June 3, and the final pre-launch trailer on June 10. Naughty Dog replaced and altered characters in the trailers to conceal story events; Druckmann cited the marketing of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001), which concealed its protagonist in trailers, as an influence.
Naughty Dog announced the special edition versions in September 2019. The game was featured in its own standalone State of Play presentation on May 27. From May 13 to June 3, Naughty Dog released a series of videos about the development. The game was banned in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, attributed to its depiction of LGBTQ characters not aligning with the countries' discriminatory practices against homosexuality. An update on August 13 added a permadeath mode, a new difficulty level, and gameplay modifiers. For The Last of Us Day in September 2020, Naughty Dog announced new merchandise for the game, including a vinyl soundtrack, board game, statues, and posters. A performance update was released on May 19, 2021, allowing gameplay at 60 frames per second on the PlayStation 5. A 120-minute documentary about the game's development, Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part II, was released on February 2, 2024.
In November 2023, following a PlayStation Store listing leak, Naughty Dog announced a remastered version of the game, titled The Last of Us Part II Remastered. It was released for the PlayStation 5 on January 19, 2024; existing owners can purchase the game digitally for US$10. A special edition version, including a SteelBook case, trading cards, patch, and pins, was made available in some regions. Remastered features visual improvements, faster loading times, DualSense integration, audio description, a speedrun-focused mode, and an audio commentary for cutscenes featuring Druckmann, Gross, Johnson, Baker, Bailey, and Woodward. Some journalists and players questioned whether the game needed a remaster within four years of its initial release, though others felt it was justified by the additions and price point.
New gameplay modes include Guitar Free Play, featuring playable characters Ellie, Joel, and Gustavo (modeled after Santaolalla) in several locations with unlockable guitars like Gustavo's banjo; Lost Levels, featuring three scrapped and incomplete gameplay sequences with an introduction by Druckmann and commentary by designers Pete Ellis and Banun Idris; and No Return, a roguelike survival mode featuring randomized combat encounters. No Return features twelve playable characters with unique traits and tracked challenges, which can be completed to unlock skins and gameplay modifications. Each run in No Return features five encounters and a boss fight. Encounters consist of four gameplay types, including fighting waves of enemies, capturing a guarded safe, and defending a friend. Upgrades, items, and weapons collected during runs are lost upon completion or failure. Remastered was updated in October 2024 to target higher resolutions and frame rates on the PlayStation 5 Pro.
At the Game Awards in December 2024, Naughty Dog announced the game's Windows version, developed in collaboration with Nixxes Software and Iron Galaxy; new content was added to the PlayStation 5 version in tandem with the Windows release on April 3, 2025. The Last of Us Complete—a bundle featuring The Last of Us Part I and Part II Remastered—was released digitally on April 10, 2025, followed by a physical collector's edition on July 10, featuring a SteelBook case, art prints, and a new print of the comic series The Last of Us: American Dreams. A July 2025 update added a chronological mode, intertwining Ellie and Abby's stories, as well as skins for Joel and Tommy based on Uncharted 4's Nathan and Sam Drake, respectively.
Reception
The Last of Us Part II received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to Metacritic. OpenCritic said the game is a masterpiece from Naughty Dog and described it as brutal, emotional, beautiful, and exciting. Ninety-five percent of critics recommended it. IGN's Jonathon Dornbush called it a masterpiece that matches its predecessor, noting improved gameplay and a detailed look at human strength and weakness. Game Informer's Andy McNamara said it is the best narrative game he has played and praised its unique storytelling. Kaity Kline of NPR wrote that the game made her think about small things in life she often takes for granted. GameSpot's Kallie Plagge called it beautiful and heartbreaking, saying the story and characters become more meaningful with time.
Game Informer's McNamara said the writers showed emotions with careful detail and strong feelings. Destructoid's Chris Carter and VG247's Kirk McKeand praised the use of small dialogue to highlight themes. Sammy Barker of Push Square liked the use of flashbacks and overlapping stories, and The Guardian's Keza MacDonald agreed, saying the story was emotionally powerful. However, GameRevolution's Michael Leri thought flashbacks made the game feel slow. Alex Avard of GamesRadar+ said the story lost energy when trying to wrap up all plotlines. USgamer's Kat Bailey found the second half of the game too long and criticized the conflict between the game's message against violence and the need for combat. Polygon's Maddy Myers and Kotaku's Riley MacLeod said the game repeated its themes without letting players make choices. Rob Zacny of Vice wrote the game had many story moments but not much meaningful content. Emanuel Maiberg of Vice compared the game's groups to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and said the comparison was not well done.
VG247's McKeand said every character is complex and human. Destructoid's Carter felt connected to the main characters, a feeling shared by IGN's Dornbush, who found Ellie's growth especially interesting. Andrew Webster of The Verge praised Ellie and Dina's relationship but noted some differences in Ellie's behavior during gameplay and cutscenes. GameSpot's Plagge said Abby's character made players care about her more than Ellie, though her story did not match her fighting skills. Kotaku's MacLeod and VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi liked the game's diverse characters. Oli Welsh of Eurogamer praised the representation of female and LGBT characters, calling it "a game about women," and Sam Brooks of The Spinoff called it a great example of inclusivity in gaming. NPR's Kline said the game made players care about all characters, not just the main ones. Push Square's Barker said supporting characters became memorable quickly, but Game Informer's McNamara felt their absence was upsetting. Some critics, like Yannick Le Fur of Jeuxvideo.com, said new characters were only used to move the story forward. Polygon's Myers and Vice's Zacny said characters did not learn from their mistakes.
Critics praised the actors' performances, especially Ashley Johnson, Troy Baker, and Laura Bailey. Eurogamer's Welsh said Johnson's portrayal of Ellie was standout because of her raw emotions. GamesRadar+'s Avard called Johnson's acting on par with award-winning performances and said Baker made Joel's character more complex. IGN's Dornbush said Johnson added depth to Ellie and praised Woodward's performance as Dina. VG247's McKeand said the actors made the story more powerful.
GamesRadar+'s Avard said the game's gameplay mechanics were introduced carefully, matching Naughty Dog's reputation. GameRevolution's Leri said the story and gameplay worked well together and made players care about characters. GameSpot's Plagge liked the intense combat and Ellie's smooth movements, and VentureBeat's Takahashi said combat was more varied than the first game. IGN's Dornbush said combat and puzzles were improved, with smarter enemies. GamesRadar+'s Avard said enemy AI was among the best in any game. VG247's McKeand said level design was better than other Naughty Dog games, and Game Informer's McNamara said it improved combat. The Verge's Webster liked the action but said some moments felt too much like a video game. Polygon's Myers said combat was too direct in showing the game's message about violence, and Kotaku's MacLeod said pacing sometimes felt slow. Critics praised the game's "unprecedented" accessibility options, with Polygon's Stephen Wilds calling them "an amazing gift" and The Spinoff's Brooks saying they set a new standard for the medium.
Many critics said the graphics were among the best for PlayStation 4 games. Kotaku's MacLeod said Seattle's environment was beautiful and inspiring, and Push Square's Barker said the art team was among the best in the industry. The Guardian's MacDonald called the graphics detailed and amazing. IGN's Dornbush said the world told extra stories. GameRevolution's Leri said environments were more realistic than the first game and praised technical details like frame rate and lighting. Destructoid's Carter said small facial expressions made characters feel more human. Game Informer's McNamara said characters looked realistic. VentureBeat's Takahashi praised improvements to Naughty Dog's engine. Vice's Zacny said Seattle looked too similar to locations in the first game, and The Washington Post's Christopher Byrd questioned if the detail was worth the effort made by the developers.
Push Square's Barker said the sound design was amazing, calling 3D audio a technical achievement. Vice's Zacny said the audio made settings feel more real than the visuals sometimes did. IGN's Dornbush said the sounds added realism and praised the music by Santaolalla. Game Informer's McNamara said the music created tension. Hardcore Gamer's Kevin Dunsmore said the music blended into the world smoothly. Eurogamer's Welsh praised the score for mixing banjo and electronic sounds.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered received "universal acclaim" from Metacritic, and 90% of critics recommended it, according to OpenCritic. Video Games Chronicle's Jordan Middler called it the best way to play one of the best games ever made.
Sales
During its release weekend, The Last of Us Part II sold more than four million copies worldwide, becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation 4 exclusive game. It sold more copies than Marvel's Spider-Man (3.3 million) and God of War (3.1 million) in the same time period. It had the largest launch for both physical and digital sales in 2020. On the PlayStation Store, it was the most-downloaded PlayStation 4 game in North America and Europe in June 2020. In July 2020, it ranked fifth in North America and tenth in Europe. By November 2020, it was eighth in North America and seventh in Europe. For the entire year of 2020, it ranked sixth in North America and eighth in Europe. In the United States, it was the best-selling game in June 2020 and the third-best-selling game of the year within two weeks. It had the highest first-month sales of any game in 2020. By August 2020, it became the third-highest-grossing PlayStation game in the United States, behind Marvel's Spider-Man and God of War. Overall, it was the sixth-best-selling game of 2020 in the United States, the third-best-selling game for PlayStation consoles, and the best-selling PlayStation 4-only game. By June 2022, the game had sold more than ten million copies worldwide.
In the United Kingdom, The Last of Us Part II became the fastest-selling physical PlayStation 4 game, selling more copies than the previous record holder, Uncharted 4, by at least 1 percent, and selling 76 percent more than The Last of Us. It was the eighth-best-selling game of 2020 in the UK, with 543,218 copies sold, and the seventh-best-selling physical game. A price discount in February 2021 caused the game to return to the UK physical sales chart in third place, showing a 3,992 percent increase in sales. In Japan, The Last of Us Part II sold the most copies during its first week, with an estimated 178,696 physical copies sold. In Germany, it sold more than 200,000 copies in June 2020 and over 500,000 copies by December 2020. In Australia, it was the eighth-best-selling game of 2020 and the third-best-selling physical game. The remastered version of the game debuted at third place on the UK physical sales chart in its first week and second place in January 2021, selling more than 150 percent more copies than the original version's launch.
Legacy
Critics agreed that The Last of Us Part II was one of the best games from the eighth generation of video game consoles and a strong final title before the ninth generation. A review by Microsoft, a competitor of Sony, shared in a court document during the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit in 2021, stated that the game "showed what is possible for future console generations." Many media outlets ranked it as one of the greatest video games ever made, with some praising its writing as exceptional.
The Last of Us Part II is being adapted into multiple seasons of the television series The Last of Us. The second season, which began in April 2025, follows the events of Jackson and Ellie’s three days in Seattle. The third season is expected to focus on Abby’s perspective, and the show’s creator, Craig Mazin, suggested the story might need a fourth season. Actors Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, and Gabriel Luna return as Joel, Ellie, and Tommy. The second season introduces new actors, including Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Young Mazino as Jesse, Isabela Merced as Dina, and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac, who previously appeared in the game. The third season will include Michelle Mao and Kyriana Kratter as Yara and Lev.
In April 2021, Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley wrote an outline for a story set after Part II, but they noted it was not actively being developed. Druckmann later explained the outline focused on Tommy and was not a full sequel to Part II. He suggested it might eventually be released as a game or television series. In 2023, Druckmann confirmed he had an idea for a third main game in the series that shares similar themes to the first two. In March 2025, he warned that fans should not expect more games, as the television series "could be it." A year later, Druckmann mentioned that "few stops remain on the road ahead," which some fans interpreted as a possible hint about a sequel.