The Last of Us: Naughty Dog's Survival Action Classic
The origins of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us (2013), its stealth and crafting gameplay, why it's a classic, Part II, the HBO series, and how to play.
The Last of Us is an action-adventure game made by American developer Naughty Dog and released by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 3 on June 14, 2013. Set in an America where civilization has collapsed after the spread of a mutated Cordyceps fungus, it tells the story of smuggler Joel crossing the continent with Ellie, a girl who is immune to the infection.
In this post, we look in turn at the idea the game started from, how it actually plays, and why many people still rank it among the greatest games. We also cover how the series continued through Part II, the remake, and the HBO series, and how to start today.
At a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Release | June 14, 2013 (PlayStation 3) |
| Developer | Naughty Dog (published by Sony Computer Entertainment) |
| Platforms | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 (Remastered), PlayStation 5 and Windows (remake Part I) |
| Genre | Third-person action-adventure (survival, stealth) |
Origins
Naughty Dog began developing this game after releasing Uncharted 2 in 2009. For the first time in the company's history, it split into two teams: one made Uncharted 3, and the other took on the new project. The game director was Bruce Straley, and the creative director was Neil Druckmann.
The starting point was an idea Druckmann had in college: blending the approach of Ico, a game in which a boy and a girl move together, into a zombie apocalypse story, with a rough protagonist who must protect a young girl. Druckmann described the game as a coming-of-age story in which Ellie learns how to survive while spending time with Joel, and as a story that asks how far a father will go to protect his child.
The premise of the Infected was inspired by a segment of the BBC nature documentary Planet Earth about the Cordyceps fungus that controls insects. The developers took something that actually happens only to insects and applied it to humans, imagining what the world would be like if the fungus evolved to infect people.
The relationship between Joel and Ellie was at the center of development, and every other element was built around it. Troy Baker provided the voice and motion capture for Joel, and Ashley Johnson for Ellie, and both actors also gave input on shaping their characters. The music was composed by Gustavo Santaolalla, known for his restrained compositions. The game was first revealed at the Spike Video Game Awards in December 2011 and was originally scheduled for release on May 7, 2013, but was pushed back to June 14 to allow more time for polish.
Gameplay
For most of the game, the player controls Joel, following the story through collapsed cities and buildings, forests, and sewers. In the winter section you control Ellie directly, and in the prologue you briefly control Joel's daughter, Sarah. Your enemies are hostile groups of survivors and monsters infected by the fungus.
There are guns, including rifles, shotguns, a bow, and pistols, but ammo is always scarce. So you often need to pick up melee weapons like lead pipes and baseball bats, and throw bottles or bricks to distract enemies. You can craft items like medkits, shivs, and Molotov cocktails from materials you find, and upgrade weapons at workbenches. The structure that makes you agonize over whether to use a material for a medkit or a Molotov creates tension.
Instead of fighting head-on, you can sneak up and take enemies out or bypass them entirely. Using Listen Mode lets you see the outlines of enemies behind walls by sound. Human enemies take cover or call for allies when they spot the player, and seize openings when the player runs out of ammo or is fighting other enemies. Companions like Ellie throw objects to stun enemies or point out the locations of enemies you can't see.
There are also many sections without combat. In these, the two characters' conversations continue, and you solve simple puzzles, such as putting Ellie, who can't swim, on a wooden pallet to get her across water. Notes, maps, and comic books left here and there gradually tell the stories of the people who lived in the collapsed world. Separately, there was also an online multiplayer mode, Factions, in which up to eight players competed.
Why It's a Classic
First, the relationship between the characters stands firmly at the center of the story. Joel and Ellie, who at first see each other as a burden, grow closer through the seasons, and this builds up quietly through dialogue and action. Some critics called the two the best characters in any PlayStation 3 game, and the actors' performances won several awards. The choice Joel makes in the final scene is still a frequently discussed topic.
Second, combat doesn't feel separate from the story. Because resources are scarce and enemies react like people, each fight feels heavy. Many critics noted that the game's violence was designed not for thrills but to leave you uncomfortable.
Third, the sound and visual direction. The clicking sound made by the Infected Clickers was something the team worked hard on from early in development, and Santaolalla's quiet music creates both tension and rest. Scenes like flooded Pittsburgh were drawn with reference to real disaster photos.
Its reviews and records back this up. It received universal acclaim on Metacritic and won many awards, including Game of the Year, at the British Academy Games Awards, the D.I.C.E. Awards, the Game Developers Choice Awards, and more. It sold 1.3 million copies in its first seven days and 3.4 million in three weeks, and by April 2018 the original and the Remastered version had sold a combined 17 million copies. In May 2023, it was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame at The Strong museum.
Series and Influence
In February 2014, Left Behind, additional content about Ellie and her friend Riley, was released. In July of the same year, a Remastered version for PlayStation 4 came out, and on September 2, 2022, The Last of Us Part I, a remake built from the ground up for PlayStation 5, was released. The Windows version of Part I came out on March 28, 2023.
The sequel, The Last of Us Part II, was released for PlayStation 4 on June 19, 2020. Set four years after the first game, it covers the stories of both Ellie and a new character, Abby, and won more than 320 Game of the Year awards. Its Remastered version came out for PlayStation 5 in January 2024 and for Windows in April 2025. Sales for the series as a whole exceeded 37 million copies as of December 2022.
The series has expanded beyond games as well. The HBO series created by Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin premiered on January 15, 2023, with Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey playing Joel and Ellie. It became the first live-action adaptation of a video game to be nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series; season 2 aired in April 2025, and season 3 has been greenlit.
Its influence on the industry is also significant. The developers of God of War (2018) and A Plague Tale: Innocence said this game influenced their character-driven storytelling. It's still frequently cited as a work that showed how story and gameplay can create emotion together.
How to Play It Today
If you're playing the first game for the first time now, The Last of Us Part I for PlayStation 5 or Windows is the easiest choice. The visuals and controls have been refined, accessibility options have been greatly expanded, and Left Behind is included too. In April 2025, The Last of Us Complete, which bundles Part I and Part II Remastered, was also released digitally.
The natural order is the first game, then Left Behind, then Part II. Part II picks up directly from the ending of the first game, so you need to finish the first game before starting it for its meaning to come through properly. If combat feels daunting, starting on a lower difficulty is no problem for enjoying the story.
If you watched the TV series first, it's also fun to compare how the same scenes are portrayed differently in the game. That said, the game offers a different experience from the series in that it makes you become Joel yourself and feel the weight of his choices.