When is 'The Last of Us' Season 3 coming?

There's more post-apocalyptic pain and anguish where that came from.

Well, we endured and survived another brutal season of The Last of Us, with Season 2 wrapping up with the finale on Sunday.

But surely this isn't the end! Not with a cinematic cliffhanger like that.

While you're crawling back into reality after the throngs of violence that took place in Season 2, episode 7, let's look forward to when Season 3 will land on HBO Max.

Has The Last of Us been renewed for Season 3?

Big yes. On April 9, The Last of Us was renewed for a third season, ahead of its Season 2 debut.

"We approached Season 2 with the goal of creating something we could be proud of," creator, executive producer, writer, and director Craig Mazin said with the April announcement. "The end results have exceeded even our most ambitious goals, thanks to our continued collaboration with HBO and the impeccable work of our unparalleled cast and crew. We look forward to continuing the story of The Last of Us with Season 3!"

Considering we waited two years between the end of Season 1 on March 12, 2023 and the premiere of Season 2 on April 13, 2025, we might be looking at another lengthy wait between seasons.

What will Season 3 of The Last of Us be about?

Given the fact that The Last of Us Season 2 finale jumps back in time to Seattle Day 3 from Abby's (Kaitlyn Dever) perspective, we can expect that Season 3 will cover the same three-day period of Seattle shenanigans we've just seen from Ellie's (Bella Ramsey) point of view, leading up to the confrontation in the cinema. This mirrors Naughty Dog's time jump in The Last of Us Part II game.

In a perfect world, that could mean that scenes from Season 3 have already been shot, or it could be a faster production process, considering many of the Seattle street sets are already built. But there's nothing guaranteed, and Mazin and co-creator Neil Druckmann have plenty of ground to cover.

Who will star in Season 3 of The Last of Us?

No details about the cast of The Last of Us Season 3 have been announced, but considering that cliffhanger, we're thinking it's a fair bet to say Bella Ramsey, Kaitlyn Dever, Gabriel Luna, Young Mazino, and Isabela Merced will return.

Will Pedro Pascal return for Season 3 of The Last of Us?

With Joel Miller's (Pedro Pascal) brutal death in the second episode of Season 2, fans may have thought series and internet favourite Pascal would be absent from the show from then on. However, episode 6 proved to be one the most heartbreaking episodes of the season — a flashback episode starring Pascal in one of his best performances in The Last of Us.

Considering the games are plentiful with flashback material, there's a chance Pascal could make a cameo in Season 3 in another such instance, but no cast details have been announced for the upcoming season. Keep 'em crossed.