Premiere Date, Cast, Trailer, and More

The Last of Us Season 2 may be over, but HBO is already looking ahead to the future of the renewed series, gearing up for Season 3 of the post-apocalyptic series based on the popular video games.

While viewers saw Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) journey together come to a heartbreaking conclusion earlier in Season 2, Ellie’s story continued as she sought revenge for his death. But after some seriously shocking revelations at the end of Season 2, what could possibly be next? Some exciting details about the show’s future have already been revealed. Scroll down for a closer look at what’s to come and stay tuned for more details as The Last of Us Season 3 takes shape at HBO.

When will The Last of Us Season 3 premiere?

No premiere date has been announced by HBO, but we’re going to stay hopeful that Season 3 won’t take as long as Season 2, considering there are no ongoing strikes or other delays in the way of filming currently. As fans will recall, Season 1 debuted in January 2023, and Season 2 finally arrived in April 2025, more than two years after Season 1 concluded on March 12, 2023. Stay tuned for updates as they become available.

What will The Last of Us Season 3 be about?

As viewers who tuned into Season 2 will remember, Ellie’s fate was left uncertain after Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) surprised her at the theater in Seattle where she, Dina (Isabela Merced), Tommy (Gabriel Luna), and Jesse (Young Mazino) had taken shelter. Abby had [Spoiler] shot Jesse dead and turned the gun toward Ellie as she retaliated for her friends’ own deaths.

In the final minutes of Season 2, a perspective shift was teased, hinting that viewers would see missing parts of the story from Abby’s side, and series creator Neil Druckmann teased as much during an FYC panel, according to The Hollywood Reporter, as he told fans, “I can’t believe that they let us structure the series in this way. Meaning like we just ended Season 2, and Season 3 is going to be starring — spoiler alert — Kaitlyn.”

In other words, the action will shift focus from Ellie to Abby, which is the show’s biggest change yet after Season 1, which followed Ellie’s journey with Joel until Season 2’s fateful death of the father figure. “I was sure that they wouldn’t let us do this when we started adapting this, but they’ve leaned into what makes, I believe, the story special,” Druckmann continued regarding HBO’s willingness to lean into big changes. “And allowed us not only the time but the creative freedom to be able to take these swings, and I think the audience really appreciates that.”

No official logline has been released for Season 3 yet, but stay tuned for additional details.

HBO

What has been said about The Last of Us Season 3?

Upon the show’s renewal, HBO’s executive vice president of programming, Francesca Orsi said, “It can’t be overemphasized how proud HBO is for the outstanding achievement we believe the second season of The Last of Us is. Craig, Neil, Carolyn, and the entire executive producer team, cast, and crew have delivered a masterful follow-up, and we’re thrilled to carry the power of Craig and Neil’s storytelling into what we know will be an equally moving and extraordinary third season.”

Series co-creator, executive producer, writer, and director Craig Mazin said, “We approached Season 2 with the goal of creating something we could be proud of. 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!”

Neil Druckmann, fellow creator, executive producer, writer, and director, added, “To see The Last of Us brought to life so beautifully and faithfully has been a career highlight for me, and I am grateful for the fans’ enthusiastic and overwhelming support. Much of that success is thanks to my partner in crime, Craig Mazin, our partnership with HBO, and our team at PlayStation Productions. On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog, our cast, and crew, thank you so much for allowing us this opportunity. We’re thrilled to bring you more of The Last of Us !”

Who stars in The Last of Us Season 3?

As mentioned above, Dever will be back as Abby, but no other official casting confirmations or information have been announced at this time. Still, we anticipate the possible returns of Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Rutina Wesley as Maria, Merced as Dina, Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny, and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac. As viewers saw in Season 2, Pascal, Mazino, Barer, Gabrielle, and Lord’s characters all died before the finale was through. Whether they’ll be back or not depends on how certain storylines play out. But stay tuned to find out.

The Last of Us, Season 3 Premiere, TBA