‘The Last of Us’ Season 3 Gets Disappointing Release Date News

Fans eagerly awaiting The Last of Us Season 3 following that jaw-dropping Season 2 finale cliffhanger have a lengthy wait ahead of them.

Discussing the future of the Naughty Dog video game adaptation, HBO content CEO Casey Bloys revealed that Season 3 won’t return until 2027.

“The series is definitely planned for 2027,” Bloys told Variety, adding that it remains unclear whether Season 3 will be the final season. “Craig [Mazin] is still working it out whether it will be two more seasons or one more long season. It hasn’t been decided yet, and I’m following Craig’s lead on that.”

The long wait for Season 3, which mirrors the more than two years that passed between Seasons 1 and 2, comes amid a major behind-the-scenes shakeup. Earlier this month, both co-creator Neil Druckmann and executive producer and writer Halley Gross, who co-wrote The Last of Us Part II, departed the show. The duo announced their exits in separate statements on Wednesday, July 2 indicating they were leaving to instead focus on different projects.

Addressing Druckmann’s departure, Bloys told Variety that Druckmann has “given us a good blueprint with the show. And obviously Craig is a pro, so I think we’ll be in excellent shape. I’m not worried at all.”

Created by Mazin and Neil Druckmann, The Last of Us is based on the Naughty Dog video game series of the same name, which currently includes two installments. The first season of the HBO show tackled the events in The Last of Us Part I, while Season 2 began to cover the events that unfold in The Last of Us Part II. Mazin has indicated that he doesn’t plan to “go past the game,” meaning the show will wrap once the events of Part II are covered. Since the second game is so wide-sweeping, the story is being split across multiple seasons, though it remains unclear how many seasons it will take to cover the game’s content.

HBO’s Francesca Orsi previously told Deadline ahead of Season 2 that “it’s looking like four seasons. I wouldn’t want to confirm that, but it’s looking like this season and then two more seasons after this and we’re done.”

The upcoming third season is set to continue Part II’s storyline, but will reportedly shift the focus to Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby, with Season 2 lead Bella Ramsey, who portrays Ellie, having a reduced role. Further details for Season 3 haven’t been released at this time.

The Last of Us Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on HBO Max.