For fans of the apocalyptic HBO series, The Last of Us season 2 was nothing short of a roller coaster of emotions. Not only did its finale not hold back on the thrill factor, but it also increased our anticipation about The Last of Us season 3.
Starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in the lead roles of Joel Miller and Ellie, respectively, season 2 saw a galaxy of young and famous stars join the show alongside returning faces such as Gabriel Luna as Tommy.
The prominent younger cast includes Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Ariela Barer as Mel and Spencer Lord as Owen. Veteran actors such as Catherine O’Hara as Gail, Jeffrey Wright as Isaac Dixon and Joe Pantoliano as Eugene also joined the series in season 2.
Now, with season 2 ending on a cliffhanger, here is all about The Last of Us season 3 and what to expect.
Has The Last of Us been renewed for season 3?
Yes, The Last of Us season 3 has been announced already! In fact, HBO renewed the series for a third season on 9 April 2025, around five days before the premiere of season 2. But here’s a more exciting piece of news: It is possible that The Last of Us will get a season 4, too.
Back in June 2024, Craig Mazin, who co-created the show with Neil Druckmann, told Deadline about the scope for a fourth season.
“We don’t think that we’re going to be able to tell the story even within two seasons [2 and 3] because we’re taking our time and go down interesting pathways, which we did a little bit in season 1 too (sic),” Mazin said, and added: “We feel like it’s almost assuredly going to be the case that — as long as people keep watching and we can keep making more television — season 3 will be significantly larger. And indeed, the story may require season 4.”
What do we know about the plot of The Last of Us season 3, so far?
Though nothing has been officially stated, it is clear from the ending of season 2 that the third season will have its focus on Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby.
Season 2 of the HBO series stayed quite true to The Last of Us Part II, the video game on which it is based. It is also reflected in its cliffhanger ending and the subsequent time jump a few days into the past, just like the events of the game.
This means that season 3 will cover the period after Abby and her crew killed Joel in season 2 to the exact moment of the seventh episode when she confronts Ellie. Thus, cast members Tati Gabrielle, Ariela Barer and Spencer Lord, among other actors who play Abby’s crew, are expected to be at the centre of the action in The Last of Us season 3.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Mazin and Druckmann have not said how they are going to adapt the second part of The Last of Us Part II into season 3. However, they have dropped some hints.
“There’s no question that Abby is the hero of her story. Kaitlyn Dever is the hero of a story, always. If you have a Kaitlyn Dever, you use a Kaitlyn Dever. So I think where we go next, all I can say is it will always be centering somebody, whether it’s Ellie and Dina, or whether it’s Abby and Abby’s relationship with Owen or new relationships. If you played the game, you probably know what I’m talking about. But if you want to boil it down, everything is under the cloud or sunlight of Joel, what Joel did to Abby, and what Joel did for Ellie. That will never change,” Mazin said.
According to the report, he said that things can change in the writing process.
“All I can say is, we haven’t seen the last of Kaitlyn Dever and we haven’t seen the last of Bella Ramsey and we haven’t seen the last of Isabela Merced and we haven’t even seen the last of a lot of people who are currently dead in the story,” he said.
Do we know the release date of The Last of Us season 3?
There is no official release date for The Last of Us season 3.
Speaking to Variety in May 2025, Isabela Merced, who plays Dina in season 2 of the series, said that she doesn’t know when production on season 3 will start but thinks “it should be next year”.
As such, speculations around the release date of the third season of the HBO series range from late 2026 to early 2027.
(Hero and Featured images credit: IMDb)
