The Last of Us Season 2 recently concluded with a gripping finale, showcasing a tense confrontation between Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) and Abby (portrayed by Kaitlyn Dever). However, the outcome was far from what Ellie had anticipated, leading to another surge of brutal violence as the season wrapped up. The fate of Ellie remains uncertain by the end of Season 2, leaving viewers questioning if this marks the conclusion of The Last of Us series on HBO.
**Spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 7, now streaming on MAX**
In Episode 7 of The Last of Us Season 2, Abby manages to locate Ellie, Tommy (Gabriel Luna), Jesse (Young Mazino), and Dina (Isabela Merced) at the theater where they had sought shelter. Amid the chaos, Abby captures Tommy, fatally injures Jesse, and aims her firearm at Ellie. Despite Ellie’s desperate plea and explanation regarding the unintended deaths of Abby’s friends Mel (Ariela Barer) and Owen (Spencer Lord), Abby remains resentful for sparing Ellie before. From Abby’s perspective, Ellie has squandered her second opportunity at redemption.
Abby pulls the trigger on her gun and the screen cuts to black. It’s unclear if Ellie has been shot or not.
The concluding moments of The Last of Us Season 2 deliver a surprising revelation through a flashback sequence. The viewers are transported back to Abby waking up within the W.L.F. headquarters. Her comrade, Manny (Danny Ramirez), informs her about their leader Isaac’s (Jeffrey Wright) request for her presence. As she navigates through the building and steps outside, the audience witnesses the transformation of a colossal stadium into the W.L.F.’s new stronghold. Previously a venue for NFL games, the stadium now features flourishing gardens, with Abby’s living quarters situated in what was once a VIP suite.
A chyron reveals that we have gone back to Seattle: Day One. The Last of Us is now going to show us Abby’s side of this sordid story.
So will there be a Last of Us Season 3? When does TLOU come back? And what will The Last of Us Season 3 be about? Here’s everything you need to know about the future of The Last of Us on HBO…
Yes, HBO is making The Last of Us Season 3. The news broke all the way back on April 9, 2025, which was a few days before the second season even premiered.
Full seasons of The Last of Us typically take about two years to make. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey were cast as Joel and Ellie in early 2021 and The Last of Us Season 1 premiered in January 2023. The Last of Us Season 2 was announced two weeks after the show’s debut. It’s been a little over two years since then.
Logic would suggest that the earliest we’ll see The Last of Us Season 3 would be 2027. That said, earlier seasons were delayed by both COVID and the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Filming on The Last of Us Season 2 started in February 2024. If production on the new season can start later this year, we might get The Last of Us Season 3 in late 2026.
We already have a pretty good sense of what The Last of Us Season 3 will be about. Season 2’s final flashback to Abby’s Seattle: Day One indicates that we’ll follow her version of events over these bloody three days in Season 3.
That lines up with what creators and showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have teased. Mazin told Variety this year that they always planned on splitting the events of The Last of Us II into more than one season. “It feels like we’ve got one or two more seasons,” Mazin said.
During a recent press conference, Mazin and Druckmann teased more about the third season.
“There is another side to this story that we have yet to really delve into,” Craig Mazin said during the press conference. “There’s no question that Abby is the hero of her story. Kaitlyn Dever is the hero of a story always, you know? I mean, if you have Kaitlyn Dever, you use a Kaitlyn Dever.”
The showrunners also teased that they will provide answers to several questions fans might have. “What is going on? How did that war start? How did the Seraphites start? Who is the prophet? What happened to her? What does Isaac want? What’s happening at the end of Episode 7? What is this explosion? What is all of it?” Mazin said. “And all of that will become clear.“
While Mazin and Druckmann were loathe to spill too much about their plans, they did confirm that we will be seeing Kaitlyn Dever, Bella Ramsey, and Isabela Merced return to the show.
“We haven even seen the last of a lot of people who are currently dead in the story,” Mazin said.
When moderator Mallory Rubin asked the showrunners for one final Season 3 nugget, Mazin said, “Rats! What should we talk about?”
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