'The Last of Us' secures early season 3 renewal at HBO

The Last of Us isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

HBO has officially renewed the hit series for a third season, even before Season 2 makes its highly anticipated debut on April 13, 2025.

Season 2, set to span seven episodes, will begin adapting the events from the 2020 video game sequel, The Last of Us Part II.

It will introduce several pivotal characters, including Abby (played by Kaitlyn Dever), Dina (Isabela Merced), and Jesse (Young Mazino).

Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have hinted that the story’s depth and complexity may require the narrative to stretch beyond a third season to fully capture the game’s emotional and intricate arcs.

While the first season faithfully adapted the critically acclaimed 2013 PlayStation game, the sequel’s sprawling story led the creators to plan from the start to divide it across multiple seasons.

In an interview with Variety about the seven-episode Season 2, Mazin said that he believes the series has "one or two more seasons" before it fully covers Part II.

“It’s getting harder to make, because every episode gets big,” he said. “You don’t want to wait four years for a 17-episode finish, or whatever it is.”

Set in a haunting post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a fungal pandemic that turns humans into zombies, The Last of Us originally premiered in 2023 to massive acclaim.

It quickly became one of HBO’s most highly-rated drama series, earning an impressive 24 Primetime Emmy Award nominations for its first season.

Returning to the series for Season 2 are Pedro Pascal (Joel) and Bella Ramsey (Ellie), along with Gabriel Luna (Tommy) and Rutina Wesley (Maria).

They will be joined by an exciting new slate of cast members, including Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, Young Mazino, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle, Spencer Lord, Danny Ramirez, Jeffrey Wright, Catherine O’Hara, Joe Pantoliano, Alanna Ubach, Ben Ahlers, Hettienne Park, Robert John Burke, and Noah Lamanna.

Fans can expect the show to maintain its emotional weight and blockbuster production value as it continues to explore love, loss, revenge, and survival in a broken world.

With its early Season 3 renewal, HBO is making it clear that Joel and Ellie’s journey is far from over — and the best may be yet to come.