The Last of Us season 3: everything we know so far about the hit HBO Max show's next chapter

The Last of Us season 3 is officially in the works at HBO. The incredibly popular TV adaptation was renewed for a third season in April 2025, so we'll be treated to another season of The Last of Us TV show sometime soon.

While we wait for it, there's plenty to keep you occupied. Below, I've covered what we know about The Last of Us' third season so far, including its likely cast and story specifics. I'll also offer my prediction on its launch date and discuss whether a fourth season will be needed to tell the full story depicted in The Last of Us Part II, aka the game on which seasons 2 and 3 are based.

Full spoilers follow for The Last of Us season 2 and the second entry in Naughty Dog's post-apocalyptic video game franchise, so proceed at your own risk.

The Last of Us season 3 release date: what we know

As of May 2025, The Last of Us season 3 doesn't have a confirmed release date. Considering the critically-acclaimed HBO TV Original's next season hasn't started filming yet, that isn't a huge shock.

However, I wouldn't be surprised if plenty of pre-production work has already been done. Script work, location scouting, lining up a filming schedule, and many other developmental details have likely been ongoing for months. If they have, I'd be amazed if principal photography doesn't begin in earnest before 2025 ends.

What would that mean for season 3's eventual launch? I think a mid-2027 release is most likely. Season 2 made its debut just over two years after its predecessor ended, so if the series maintains that development trajectory, a June or July 2027 arrival for season 3 isn't out of the question.

The Last of Us season 3 trailer: is there one?

No. As I said, principal photography hasn't started yet, and even when it gets underway, it'll be a long time before a trailer is released. Once one is, I'll update this section.

The Last of Us season 3 rumored cast

Big spoilers immediately follow for The Last of Us season 2.

Based on how last season ended, here are the actors (and the characters they portray) I expect to see again in The Last of Us season 3:

• Bella Ramsey as Ellie
• Gabriel Luna as Tommy
• Isabela Merced as Dina
• Young Mazino as Jesse
• Kaitlyn Dever as Abby
• Danny Ramirez as Manny
• Spencer Lord as Owen
• Tati Gabrielle as Nora
• Ariela Barer as Mel
• Rutina Wesley as Maria
• Jeffrey Wright as Isaac
• Catherine O'Hara as Gail
• Robert John Burke as Seth

You might be surprised to see Mazino, Lord, and Barer's names among that contingent. After all, their characters – Jess, Owen, and Mel – died in the season 2 finale.

However, with season 3's early episodes set to jump back in time (read more about this in the story section below), this trio won't have met their demise when the Max show's third season premieres. The same can be said of Gabrielle's Nora, who'll still be alive during the period to be revisited in season 3's opening chapters.

Unless Joel similarly returns in flashback sequences, we definitely won't see Pedro Pascal again. Joel met his end in The Last of Us season 2 episode 2, and, while Pascal reprised his role in last season's sixth episode, that entry depicted the five years between the end of season 1 and the start of season 2. So, don't bet on the fan-favorite actor returning as Joel once more.

There's also the potential for other surprising omissions. Speaking to Variety, O'Hara said she's been told her character, Gail, won't appear in season 3, as it's not likely to spend much time in Jackson, Wyoming, aka the town where Ellie and many of the show's characters live. If Gail doesn't appear, other supporting characters, including Seth and Maria, may not do so, either.

As for newcomers to the series, there are a couple of key characters in The Last of Us Part II who didn't appear in season 2. I won't spoil who they are, but given their importance to the story that'll be told in season 3, you can expect cast announcements about this pair to be made in due course.

The Last of Us season 3 story speculation

Full spoilers immediately follow for The Last of Us season 2 and The Last of Us Part II.

The Last of Us season 3 doesn't have a story synopsis yet. However, based on how its forebear ended – read my article explaining The Last of Us season 2's ending for more on what happened – and The Last of Us Part II's story, we have a good idea of how things will pan out.

As I mention in my ending explainer, season 3 will shift into reverse gear and head back in time 72 hours to the period before and during its predecessor's finale. That's because season 2's final episode ends with a scene starring Abby, which takes place three days prior to her single-handedly storming the Seattle theater where Ellie and company are holed up in the seventh episode.

For those who haven't played The Last of Us Part II, Abby is not only the deuteragonist of that story, but also a player-controlled character for around half of the game's total playtime. Events centered around Abby are integral to telling Part II's full story.

What does that mean for The Last of Us season 3? It'll be Abby-centric, with its opening chapters likely showing us what Abby was up to before Ellie and Dina arrive in Seattle, and then where Abby is during this three-day period.

Part II does this, so there's no reason to suspect HBO's live-action retelling won't take a similar storytelling approach. That being, showing Abby's side of the Seattle-based story, which runs parallel to Ellie and Dina's, before season 2 episode 7's shocking penultimate scene brings them together.

As for what Abby's side of the story entails, I won't spoil anything significant here. But, considering there are a lot of unanswered questions – not to mention narrative gaps that need filling in regarding Abby, her friends, the Seraphites, and the Washington Liberation Front – from season 2, its follow-up has some heavy lifting to do from a narrative standpoint.

Thankfully, it sounds like there'll be more time to cover all of the above. Interviewed by Collider in May, co-showrunner and executive producer Craig Mazin said: "I think there’s a decent chance that season 3 will be longer than season 2, just because the manner of that narrative and the opportunities it affords us are a little different."

Of course, that could mean one of the best Max shows' third season only has one more entry (eight) than its predecessor did (seven). Some fans were a little frustrated that season 2 was shorter than the show's debut outing, so an installment with more chapters should appease them. Season 2 included plenty of brand-new material that wasn't seen in the games, too, so season 3 could be approached in the same way and, by proxy, have a higher episode count.

Where can I watch The Last of Us' first two seasons?

Depending on where you live, The Last of Us' first two seasons are available to stream on different platforms.

In the US, you can watch it on the cable network HBO as well as Max, aka one of the world's best streaming services. Those of you who aren't subscribed to the streamer should read our Max price guide to see how much it costs to sign up and our Max free trial article to learn if you can try it before you buy.

Meanwhile, UK audiences can catch it on Sky Atlantic and Now TV. Australian viewers can also tune into Max to watch both seasons, but if you're not signed up to Warner Bros. Discovery's super streamer, you can also catch it on Foxtel.

Will The Last of Us end with its third season?

It's not been officially confirmed yet, but The Last of Us season 3 isn't expected to be the final installment.

The Last of Us seasons 2 and 3 were supposed to tell the full story depicted in The Last of Us Part II. But, speaking in February, HBO TV chief Francesca Orsi indicated that HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us could run for four seasons.

In the same Collider article I linked to in this guide's plot section, Mazin also remarked that "there’s no way to complete this narrative in a third season. Hopefully, we’ll earn our keep enough to come back and finish it in a fourth". It sounds like another season could be in the offing after the show's third entry, then.

But how will Mazin and company stretch out The Last of Us Part II's story across three seasons Initially, I suspected that, if The Last of Us Part II's story was wrapped up in season 3, a fourth and final season might include plot elements that Naughty Dog may have been considering for The Last of Us Part III.

Right now, a third entry in Naughty Dog's incredibly popular video game franchise hasn't been announced. Naughty Dog president Neil Druckmann has also said fans shouldn't "bet on there being more" – i.e. the continuation of Ellie's story in another game – anytime soon.

Druckmann and his inner circle are the only ones who know if more than a story concept was ever devised for Part III. Nonetheless, if a third game isn't going to be made, there's no reason why its plot elements can't be fleshed out and depicted in HBO's TV adaptation instead.

That said, speaking on episode 457 of the Sacred Symbols podcast, Druckmann indicated that, if a fourth season is greenlit, it'll simply wrap up the story told in Part II. The potential inclusion of brand-new material set during events of that game (and, by proxy, its TV adaptation) aside, then, don't expect a possible fourth season to contain post-Part II narrative beats.

For more Max TV show-based coverage, check out our guides on House of the Dragon season 3, Peacemaker season 2, Creature Commandos season 2, and The White Lotus season 4.