When Will The Last of Us Season 3 Come Out? It's Later Than You Think

With The Last of Us season 2 in the rearview mirror, Jackson County is further away than ever. Ellie (Bella Ramsey) is knee-deep in a revenge mission after Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) brutally executed Joel (Pedro Pascal) in front of her. After traveling to Seattle, she attempted to hunt down her W.L.F. rival and quickly realized that the situation was not quite as simple as she had originally expected. A simple mission for vengeance has evolved into something much greater, and it will likely take two more seasons before the story is officially concluded.

The show was primarily based on the video games The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II, which were released in 2013 and 2020, respectively. While there were some major deviations, including the critically acclaimed season 1, episode 3 diversion that completely changed the story of Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett), the show has remained fairly faithful to the game. As such, there is over half a game left to tell, as season 2 ended firmly in the middle of the story. Unfortunately, while many viewers may be eagerly anticipating the coming season, the wait for The Last of Us season 3 will be much longer than initially expected.

The Last of Us Season 2 Is Officially Over

The Season Had Only Seven Episodes

After Joel's brutal and untimely death early in the season, season 2 primarily focused on her mission to find and kill Abby. There were several significant twists, which largely focused on Ellie's relationship with her friends and family members. Dina (Isabela Merced)'s pregnancy, Ellie's knowledge that Joel killed the Fireflies, and Jessie's arrival in Seattle were all important twists that derailed the narrative completely. Yet, with Season 3 on the horizon, the show primarily shifted its focus to Abby's place in the vicious militant group, the W.L.F., and their relationship with their enemies, the Seraphites. Ellie stumbled into a full-scale war between them, and she quickly realized that she was outgunned.

The Last of Us season 2 ended with Abby finding Ellie's temporary headquarters in the final episode. Having presumably discovered the deaths of her friends, she shot and killed Jessie, and she appears poised to kill Ellie in the final shot. Rather than revealing Ellie's fate, however, the show cut to three days earlier, as Abby woke in a suite in the Seattle Seahawks stadium. The next season should primarily focus on Abby's story, given The Last of Us Part II's structure and the final scene in the finale. With the story unfinished, audiences will need to wait considerably longer to see the conclusion to Ellie's story. That could be disappointing after a seven-episode season, which was two episodes shorter than the debut season. Yet, the even more upsetting news pertains to when season 3 will finally arrive.

Season 3 Is Two Years Away

The Show Began in 2023

Despite Season 1's popularity, HBO did not prepare for a quick turnaround for Season 3. The season was confirmed on April 9, 2025, just four days before the sophomore season's April 13 release date, but that early renewal still left little time for the writing and filming process. Production has not yet begun for Season 3, as the seasons were not filmed back-to-back, despite their initial success. The initial expectation was that filming would begin in the summer; however, it will likely be a lengthy production process, and there will be ample post-production work to ensure that the visual effects are of the highest quality.

If the schedule follows the same path as season 2, it will be years before Abby and Ellie return to the small screen. Season 2 was announced on January 27, 2023, and production began on February 12, 2024. The year-long delay was substantial, but it was largely due to the industry-wide SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes of 2023. Still, even after filming began in earnest, it took months to conclude, as production only officially ended in August. If Season 3 follows a similar path, filming would not end until December 2025 or early 2026, and that is only if the cast arrives on set in Summer 2025. Isabela Merced (Dina) told Variety that the season may not begin production until 2026. Given that new piece of information, The Last of Us Season 3 is unlikely to debut until late 2026 or even 2027.

The Last Of Us Season 3's Delay Is A Mistake

The Show Could Easily Lose Momentum

Though The Last of Us remains fairly popular, delaying season 3 to 2026 or 2027 is a substantial risk. The show already experienced a significant ratings decline between Seasons 1 and 2. The Season 2 premiere saw a 13% rise in viewership from 4.7 million viewers to 5.3 million, but Joel's death significantly hindered audience retention. Per The Wrap, the season finale saw a 55% decline in viewership from the original finale, as it ended with a viewership of 3.7 million, compared to Season 1's 8.2 million. There is still a chance for viewership to grow, as many viewers may not have realized that episode 7 would be the finale after last season featured nine episodes. Regardless, it is a worrying sign for HBO, indicating that the studio needs to work diligently to ensure that its once-breakout series does not lose momentum.

A two-year delay risks increasing the loss of interest from audiences. The next season is poised to focus solely on Abby, who is already an immensely controversial character, given that she murdered one protagonist and was actively attempting to kill another in the season finale. With a substantial delay, an existing loss of interest, and a focus on a divisive character, The Last of Us season 3 could very well lose any momentum that season 2 retained. HBO could have mitigated the damage by filming both seasons back-to-back, especially after it elected to renew the show before Season 2 even premiered.

If Abby's story was effectively told, viewers could have been encouraged to return to the show. Instead, HBO took the risk of delaying production, and the show now risks losing the audience it cultivated. The Last of Us Season 2 has already been the subject of criticism, and a two-year delay means that it may never recover. While next season could very well save the show, if executed well, a 2027 release is a risk that HBO simply did not need to take.