HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us video game has been incredibly popular and critically acclaimed ever since it first aired in January 2023. In fact, the show has been such a hit that it helped drive an increase in sales in the UK for The Last of Us Part 1 on PS5 by 238% and the PS4 remaster by 322%. It’s safe to say that Joel and Ellie’s emotional and action-packed apocalypse adventures are resonating with people.
A second season of the show has already been confirmed and it’s expected to cover the events in 2020’s The Last of Us Part 2. If you’re a new fan who was introduced to The Last of Us universe and are interested to experience its video game roots, here are all the ways to play them.
The Last of Us Part 1 (PS5/PC)
The Last of Us Part 1’s story is what the HBO show adapts from. Here, you’ll follow Joel and Ellie’s journey through the zombie-infested United States. This is a fully fledged remake of the original The Last of Us, which was released on PS3 back in 2013.
The graphics were rebuilt from the ground up to be even more realistic — the Clickers look even more ferocious and the environments look even more beautiful than ever before. The gameplay has also been revamped to make it feel like The Last of Us Part 2. Joel feels much smoother to control and the haptic feedback from the DualSense controllers adds another layer of gameplay immersion.
However, one of the biggest additions to the Last of Us Part 1 over the original PS3 version is its accessibility options. Players can adjust various settings such as being able to hold down buttons instead of repeatedly tapping them to perform certain actions. There are also features like auto pickup for items and high-contrast mode so you more easily see said items. These features are reason alone for even veterans to pick up the game again and also open up the experience to more people than ever before.
The Last of Us Part 1 is the definitive way to experience Joel and Ellie’s first adventure. It’s currently available on PS5 and is coming to PC on March 28, 2023.
The definitive version of the game that started it all, The Last of Us Part 1 completely rebuilds the experience with new visuals and features for PS5 and PC.
The Last of Us Remastered (PS4)
The Last of Us Remastered was released in 2014 as an upgraded version for PS4. It features upgraded visuals from the original PS3 game, but the visual fidelity is not nearly as big of a leap as those seen in The Last of Us Part 1. This remaster also doesn’t have the excellent accessibility features that Part 1 does.
However, this remaster will serve just fine if you’re only concerned with playing the game for its story — or if you only have access to a PS4. The remaster is also much cheaper. It can be found at roughly $20 at retailers compared to the hefty $70 price tag that Part 1 fetches for.
Additionally, The Last of Us Remastered is available to play for members in the Premium tier of the PlayStation Plus subscription service on both PS4 and PS5.
If you don't have access to a PS5 or PC (or are on a budget), The Last of Us Remastered is still a great way to experience the original game.
The Last of Us (PS3)
If you’re looking for the most original and authentic experience of The Last of Us, the PS3 version is still available to play. However, given that the console is over 15 years old at this point, chances are that you don’t have one readily available.
Unfortunately, this version is also not available to play via the PlayStation Plus subscription either. The only way to purchase it digitally is through the PlayStation Network Store on your PS3 console or obtain a physical disc copy. Playing the PS3 version should really only be a last resort if you don’t have access to either the PS4 remaster or Part 1 versions.
If you still have your old PS3 kicking around and don't plan on upgrading, the original version of The Last of Us is still available (though physical copies aren't easy to find on the cheap).
The Last of Us Part 2 (PS4)
HBO’s second season of “The Last of Us” will presumably cover the events that occur in The Last of Us Part 2 game. This game takes place five years after the events of the first. It follows Ellie as she sets out on a revenge journey for a loved one’s murder, and Abby, a girl who becomes intertwined with a religious cult.
The Last of Us Part 2 has improved gameplay mechanics over the first game on PS3, such as Ellie being able to lie prone under cars and creating silencers for her guns. The animations and controls are also much smoother, which helped the developers make the Part 1 remake feel more modern than the original as a result.
Part 2’s fantastic suite of accessibility options was the baseline for PlayStation’s first-party exclusive titles later as well, including The Last of Us Part 1, God of War Ragnarok and Horizon Forbidden West.
The Last of Us Part 2 is available on PS4 and can be played on PS5 (complete with a number of visual and performance upgrades) via backward compatibility.
The sequel to The Last of Us goes bigger in every way, with multiple playable characters and an emotional, divisive story.
The Last of Us Multiplayer Game (TBA)
There’s not much information known about the upcoming stand-alone multiplayer game set in The Last of Us universe, but Naughty Dog hinted that it would be revealing more about it later this year. However, Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann explained that the multiplayer game will feature a story that is just as big as any of the single-player ones the studio has told in the past. The game will have a new cast of characters as well. It’s unknown when it will be released, but hopefully it’ll be in 2023 or 2024.
