First 'The Last of Us' season 2 trailer has landed — and it looks perfect

Pedro Pascal as Joel in "The Last of Us" season 2
(Image credit: Max/Twitter (X))

"The Last Of Us" season 1 has (rightly) earned a reputation as one of the very best video game adaptations that's ever made it to our screens. 

Max's version of the must-play PlayStation game turned out to be a must-watch drama regardless of whether you're a die-hard fan of the original title or not. And judging by the first "The Last Of Us" season 2 trailer that dropped today (on The Last Of Us day, no less), the team behind the show is about to bring us another stunning TV season. 

Look, if you've not yet played The Last Of Us Part II, I wouldn't want to rob you of experiencing that story before you see it play out, so I won't be giving you a rundown of what's to come in Max show's second season, either. Just know it's much darker and even more of an emotional rollercoaster than what we saw adapted in season 1.

The stakes are way higher, and there's infinitely more danger lurking around every corner. Judging by the overall vibe this new trailer's giving off — general melancholy tinged with terrifying set-pieces and just a palpable intensity of emotion — "The Last Of Us" season 2 looks, well, perfect. It looks like parts of the game literally sprung to life. Check it out below:

The Last of Us Season 2 | The Last of Us Day Official Teaser | Max - YouTube The Last of Us Season 2 | The Last of Us Day Official Teaser | Max - YouTube
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The teaser contains precious little dialogue; it relies instead on anyone who's played the game to fill in the gaps in the story. Joel's quizzed about "what he did," masses of infected are on the scene, there are ominous glimpses of the franchise's darker side, scenes of conflict, and quite a few tears get shed.

Throughout, we also get to see several new characters who will soon become key players in the story to come, including Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Jeffrey Wright as Isaac, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Spencer Lord, Danny Ramirez, Tati Gabrielle and Ariela Barer. Catherine O'Hara will also be a guest star in the new season.

What is 'The Last Of Us' season 2 about?

Look, if you want to go in completely blind, then don't read on. But if you want another hint at the story of "The Last Of Us" season 2, then here's the official description: “After five years of peace following the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie’s collective past catches up to them, drawing them into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.”

Sadly, while this trailer has me trying to plan how on earth I will grapple with this powerful story all over again, the one thing it's missing is a release date. At the time of writing, we still only know that "The Last Of Us" season 2 will land at some point in 2025. Hopefully, early in 2025. 

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Staff Writer, Streaming

Martin is a Streaming Writer at Tom’s Guide, covering all things movies and TV. If it’s in the theaters or available to stream somewhere, he’s probably watched it… especially if it has a dragon in it. Before joining the team, he was a Staff Writer at What To Watch where he wrote about a broad range of shows that stretched from "Doctor Who" and "The Witcher" to "Bridgerton" and "Love Island". When he’s not watching the next must-see movie or show, he’s probably still in front of a screen playing massive RPGs, reading, spending a fortune on TCGs, or watching the NFL.

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