The Last of Us Series Could Be at the End of the Road

The Last of Us first captivated audiences successful 2013 astatine the process extremity of the PlayStation 3’s beingness rhythm and inactive remains 1 of the top games successful history. Part II, its PS4 sequel successful 2020, proved to beryllium overmuch much polarizing, yet is inactive beloved by many. Both games person been updated and remastered for newer hardware, with developer Naughty Dog adjacent releasing a full-on remake of The Last of Us Part I successful 2022 built for the PlayStation 5.

The newest re-release, however, is definite to rise fans’ eyebrows. On April 10th, 2025, Naughty and Sony released The Last of Us Complete, a compilation of the PS5 versions of the archetypal 2 games. If this re-release is expected to encompass the “complete” series, does that mean Naughty Dog is done with The Last of Us? The reply isn’t truthful chopped and dry.

The Last of Us Complete connected PS5

Includes the definitive versions of Part I and Part II

Sony has been re-releasing The Last of Us arsenic overmuch arsenic Bethesda enjoys repackaging Skyrim, truthful what precisely does the caller The Last of Us Complete postulation entail? Purchasers person the PlayStation 5 remake of The Last of Us Part I and The Last of Us Part II Remastered, which dropped connected the PS5 successful January 2024. Naughty Dog workplace caput Neil Druckmann described them arsenic “the definitive ways to play each of these games,” successful the PlayStation blog post announcing the Complete edition.

The Part I remake includes updated and enhanced quality models and environments, much dynamic force AI, haptic feedback, 3D audio, further accessibility options, and more. Part II Remastered features noticeable updates speech from amended visuals, similar developer commentary for cutscenes, Lost Levels (where players tin research chopped environments), and the roguelike No Return mode.

For $110, $10 much than the integer version, fans tin get The Last of Us Complete: Collector’s Edition connected disc exclusively via PS Direct. It features stunning minimalist container creation and a big of goodies fans volition surely enjoy. Unfortunately, arsenic of this writing, it appears to beryllium sold out.

Collector's Edition items:

• Steelbook lawsuit lodging PS5 discs for The Last of Us Part I and The Last of Us Part II Remastered
• The Last of Us: American Dreams issues 1-4, featuring caller screen art
• Four lithographic creation prints
• A Thank You missive from Neil Druckmann

Will There Be a Part III?

Naughty Dog has been unclear astir the aboriginal of the series

While some The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II archer implicit stories, that doesn’t mean there’s not country for more. Part II built disconnected the relationships from the archetypal crippled and introduced a caller playable quality with her ain affectional arc; it’s not unreasonable to deliberation a Part III could bash the aforesaid and proceed 1 of PlayStation’s champion series. However, don’t stake connected it arsenic Neil Druckmann has been cagey astatine champion astir a imaginable Part III and pessimistic astatine worst.

“I deliberation there’s much communicative to tell,” Druckmann told The Hollywood Reporter successful 2023 up of the HBO show’s premiere. In the Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part II documentary that released a twelvemonth later, Druckmann again stoked the flames of anticipation for a imaginable Part III, saying, “I bash person that conception that to maine is arsenic breathtaking arsenic [Part I], arsenic breathtaking arsenic [Part II], is its ain thing, and yet has this throughline for each three. So it does consciousness similar there's astir apt 1 much section to this story” (via IGN).

Unfortunately, successful March 2025, earlier the HBO show’s 2nd play released, Druckmann seemed to determination acold h2o connected immoderate anticipation for a Part III successful a speech with Variety.

Ideas for originative stories are nebulous, and possibly a conception that funny Druckmann and the developers astatine Naughty Dog aft Part II released nary longer seemed worthy pursuing a fewer years later. Or possibly Druckmann is lying done his teeth similar a seasoned Marvel actor. Either way, if the workplace was ever to marque The Last of Us Part III, don’t stake connected it coming retired anytime soon; Naughty Dog’s adjacent crippled and franchise has already been announced, and it’s a fewer years away.

Naughty Dog’s Current Project

Get acceptable to caput to outer space

Naughty Dog’s adjacent crippled volition beryllium its archetypal caller IP since The Last of Us successful 2013 and archetypal non-TLOU oregon Uncharted crippled successful implicit 20 years. Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet puts you successful the relation of a space-faring bounty huntsman who ends up stranded connected a distant satellite portion hunting her quarry.

It was revealed during The Game Awards 2024 with a cinematic trailer that shows disconnected a retro sci-fi vibe, a snippet of the Trent Reznor- and Atticus Ross-composed score, and members of its formed Tati Gabrielle, Kumail Nanjiani, and Tony Dalton.

In an announcement station connected the PlayStation Blog, Neil Druckmann wrote that Intergalactic is “shaping up to beryllium our wildest, astir originative communicative yet” and that it began accumulation successful 2020 aft The Last of Us Part II shipped. However, Naughty Dogs fans shouldn’t expect to beryllium playing it immoderate clip soon. On a ResetEra forum successful March 2025, Bloomberg newsman Jason Schreier wrote that, “Neither of [The Witcher IV oregon Intergalactic] volition beryllium retired adjacent year.”

If Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet releases successful 2026, it would driblet astir the extremity of the existent console cycle, similar some The Last of Us games. Any aboriginal and it could perchance beryllium a PlayStation 6 exclusive, putting the workplace successful information of not releasing immoderate caller games for the PS5.

What could person been the studio’s flagship PlayStation 5 crippled was canceled successful 2023. The Last of Us Online was meant to beryllium a multiplayer crippled acceptable successful the satellite of The Last of Us (think of the archetypal game’s Factions mode), but Naughty Dog “made the incredibly hard determination to halt improvement connected that game,” according to a December 2023 post connected its website.

Ultimately, the workplace chose to eschew the unrecorded work exemplary and wholly absorption connected the single-player games up of them.

Naughty Dog Releases During the PS5 Era

• Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (PS5 and PC 2022)
• The Last of Us Part 1 (PS5 2022, PC 2023)
• The Last of Us Part II Remastered (PS5 2024, PC 2025)
• The Last of Us Complete (PS5 2025)

The Last of Us Will Live On, No Matter What

Video crippled improvement is simply a analyzable process, and conscionable due to the fact that Naughty Dog whitethorn not person plans for The Last of Us Part III astatine the moment, that doesn’t mean the workplace won’t ever revisit the franchise. Regardless, the franchise volition unrecorded connected successful 1 mode oregon another.

The Last of Us adaptation is presently airing connected HBO and is gree nlit for a 3rd play to presumably decorativeness adapting the events of the 2nd game. Once that wraps, I’ll personally person a hard clip reasoning the franchise is implicit for good, but we’ll person to hold and spot what Naughty Dog, Neil Druckmann, and Sony person cooking for the years ahead.