During Sony’s conference at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES®), HBO announced “The Last of Us” season 2 will debut in April 2025. The seven-episode season will air on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. The company also released a new trailer for the season.

The Last of Us Season 2: A Look Ahead

Season 2 of “The Last of Us” will take place five years after the end of season 1. This season will see Joel and Ellie facing conflicts not only with each other, but also with dangerous and unpredictable outside forces.

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey return as Joel Miller and Ellie Williams, alongside Gabriel Luna as Tommy Miller and Rutina Wesley as Maria. A host of actors join the cast this season to round out Ellie’s group: Isabela Merced as Dina and Young Mazino as Jesse. Additionally, Kaitlyn Dever takes on the important character of Abby Anderson. Dever is joined by Jeffrey Wright (Issac), Tati Gabrielle (Nora), Danny Ramirez (Manny), Spencer Lord (Owen), and Ariela Barer (Mel). Catherine O’Hara will also guest star.

Show runner and executive producer Craig Mazin works once again alongside Neil Druckmann for this season. The two are joined by executive producers Carolyn Strauss, Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O’Connor, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Evan Wells. Halley Gross, who co-wrote “The Last of Us Part II,” rounds out the team as writer/co-executive producer.

The Last of Us Part II

HBO’s “The Last of Us” is an adaptation of the Naughty Dog game series of the same name, which Druckmann co-wrote and directed. Season 1, which broke HBO records for most-watched series debut, followed the storyline of the first game. Similarly, season 2 is set to follow much of “The Last of Us Part II,” though HBO and the show runners have not yet revealed how closely or to what extent.

“The Last of Us Part II” released on PlayStation platforms in 2020 to critical acclaim. Since then, Sony has released a remastered version fit for the PS5 as well as a “Making Of” documentary. The game, which features roughly twenty-four plus hours of gameplay, covers a range of years and characters. HBO mastered the adaptation of Part I, can they do it again? Part II likely has and will introduce new challenges both narratively and visually in all areas of production. Watching how the creative team tackles those challenges, though, will most certainly be half the fun for game players who know the story well.

For those who are new to the franchise and don’t yet know the story… buckle in. If season 2 is anything like Part II, we’re all in for a wild ride.