Let's rewind six years to June 19, 2020. The Last of Us Part II was released to positive reviews and mixed fan reactions. While the video game's technical brilliance shines at all times, some felt very strongly about Joel's death taking place so early in the campaign in an "unceremonious" manner. Naturally, opinions were extremely divided.
But regardless of whether some fans think it is one of Naughty Dog's best works and others couldn't play past the opening hours, there's no denying that such an iconic franchise has room for more tales.
Over the past six years, Naughty Dog has been very quiet. While the studio has released a couple of remakes and remasters, its big live-service game, The Last of Us Online, was ultimately canceled. Moreover, the studio has now moved on to work on an original title in the form of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. As such, fans started to question whether there would ever be more projects set in the post-apocalyptic world, and all speculation was finally put to rest earlier this year.
On Sept. 28, 2026, Naughty Dog Studio Head Neil Druckmann confirmed that there are plenty more stories to come in The Last of Us franchise in a publication on the Naughty Dog blog:
"We have a couple of very exciting new projects in very early stages—so we can't say much about them at this point. I will tell you that both projects will expand the canon of The Last of Us beyond Part I and Part II. The world of The Last of Us means a great deal to us, and we wouldn't return to it unless we had something meaningful to say. We believe these stories are worth telling."
Druckmann also shared the same sentiment speaking with The Washington Post, stating, "We're not done with The Last of Us. There's a couple projects in the works that, when the time is right, I'm very excited to talk about." This prompts the question: What could be next for the future of the franchise? Could Naughty Dog try to pivot to the online formula once again, or could we see more standalone games? Well, here are some likely scenarios.
A direct sequel to The Last of Us Part II is likely, and spin-offs aren't out of the equation
Perhaps the most likely option is that we'll get a direct continuation of The Last of Us Part II, with Ellie as a protagonist. After all, the last game ended in a very heartbreaking way, with Ellie and Dina parting ways, despite the two raising the latter's baby, JJ. However, Naughty Dog has the chance to continue this story in the future.
The Last of Us Part III is unlikely to be released anytime soon, so it isn't far-fetched to assume there will be a time jump moving forward. If that were to be the case, players could meet both a more mature version of Ellie and a JJ who isn't a toddler anymore. There's a perfect scenario to replicate the magic of the first The Last of Us game, where Joel acted as a parental figure while Ellie was the optimistic yet rebellious teenager. Except this time, the roles would be swapped, and Ellie would be a parental figure to JJ.
There's also a possibility that The Last of Us Part III follows the story of Abby Anderson, who became the main character in the second half of The Last of Us Part II. After all, she and Lev managed to regroup the Fireflies at the end of Naughty Dog's latest title, so there are multiple ways in which their story could continue moving forward. Then again, it is possible that the "mainline" TLoU games will star Ellie, while other characters (such as Abby) could be the stars of their own spin-offs.
Speaking of which, Neil Druckmann has confirmed that he once planned a spin-off starring Joel's brother, Tommy. While the game never came to be, it isn't far-fetched to assume the studio could return to this idea moving forward. Moreover, there's also a possibility that we completely switch perspectives and follow a new group of survivors who haven't appeared yet in the franchise.
There are many questions about what could happen in The Last of Us franchise. Unfortunately, only one thing is completely certain: We won't be returning to the post-apocalyptic world anytime soon.
If Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet were to be released in 2027 and we assume the studio will switch directly to work on the next The Last of Us, there would be an extra three-year development cycle at the least. However, it's more likely that the next title will take four or five years to develop. As such, the earliest we could see the anticipated sequel would be 2031 or 2032. However, it's much more realistic to assume it could be released in 2035 if we factor in the rumored Uncharted game the studio is also working on.
But regardless of how long it takes, let's just hope the wait proves to be worth it.
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