The Last of Us 3 might happen, but it's neither confirmed nor proved to be in production. Let's check out what The Last of Us Part 3 could look like, what the creator Neil Druckmann has said about a possible third game in the series and when it could release.
Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann mentioned a potential The Last of Us Part 3 in the Script Apart podcast a while ago in 2021.A possible story for a sequel to Part 2 has already been outlined by Druckmann and his co-author Halley Gross. But the director remained very tight-lipped about a possible third game in the series. According to him, it's not sure yet whether this story will actually be realized for a third part in the series.
The Last of Us 3 definitely seems to be on Druckmann's mind though. In an interview with Kinda Funny from early 2023, the TLOU co-creator commented on what's next for Naughty Dog, how to deal with the pressure following the successful HBO show – and what that means for The Last of Us 3.
The Last of Us 3: Series Creator Doesn't Want To Rule Out The Game
In the interview with Kinda Funny, Druckmann acknowledged the excitement around a potential third game, saying that he hears about it "all the time". But is this the next game Naughty Dog is working on?
He didn't commit to it, but very much leaves the possibility for TLOU Part 3 open.
At the end of every project we purposefully explore several different projects. Some of them might be a sequel, and then a bunch of new ideas. And then we feel like, where do our passions lie?
I know the fans really want The Last Of Us Part 3, I hear about it all the time. All I can say is that we're already into our next project, the decision has already been made. I can't say what it is, but that is the process we went through.
Previously, Druckmann said in an interview with Hollywood Reporter that "there's more story to tell". In a different interview, this time with Buzzfeed, he talked about Part 3 again. This time he stayed even more vague, saying that "it’s up to us whether we want to continue or not".
The possibility of getting The Last of Us 3 is still very much up in the air. We still hope (and kinda think) that it will happen. But first, Naughty Dog will finish work on The Last of Us multiplayer spin-off. They also seem to work on other projects at the moment, which you can read about below.
However, with a story idea not clearly formulated and other projects also in the works, we shouldn't expect the whole team to rush straight into the sequel. Obviously, Naughty Dog wants to give the game a little room to breathe. But The Last of Us 3 is a possibility for the future. Here's our take on what that could look like.
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When Could A The Last Of Us Part 3 Release?
There have been rumors about The Last of Us Part 3 being in development, but none of them can be confirmed. But even if The Last of Us Part 3 becomes reality, It will still take a while until we will finally see the game, though. Naughty Dog has some other titles in development (see more on that further below), and continuing the story after Part 2 would be extremely difficult.
Neil Druckmann revealed last year that it was trickier to find the emotional core of the story in Part 2 than in The Last of Us Part I due to the experiences and previous knowledge of the players. So it will be even more difficult to grab the fans emotionally and to bring innovations in The Last of Us Part 3.
The original Last of Us was released in 2013 and Part II was released 7 years later in 2020, so we imagine a third game would take around the same time. We think 2026 at the earliest for a release. We have to be patient a little longer. But it's still fun to speculate, so let's do that!
How The Story Could Continue In The Last of Us Part 3
Attention! You can expect spoilers about The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II in the following section.
In the second game, Ellie was looking for revenge for Joel's murder and had to handle her relationship with her girlfriend Dina. Those who played the game will know that a lot of things were left unanswered: Ellie left Abby alive, and Dina vanished after Ellie ignored her pleas to stay.
So there is plenty of room for a continuation with Ellie as the main character again, which would certainly be the wish of many players as well. And it's a sure-bet that Abby will be included again. There may even be a third main character, with a new personal story.
In The Last of Us Part 3, the story could come full circle. The Last of Us 2 was primarily about the conflict between Ellie and Abby and their respective struggles to come to terms with a personal loss. The Cordyceps pandemic, on the other hand, was rarely discussed.
This higher story strand will probably be concluded in Part 3. And the template already exists: Abby could take over her father's legacy and develop the vaccine, and Ellie carries the antibody. So Ellie could still complete what Joel once couldn't bring himself to do. This would also follow a certain order, which would be: love, revenge, redemption.... (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). Especially when Ellie and Abby have to cooperate. That offers a lot of potential for exciting conflicts! If you ask me, I hope that Naughty Dog will go for a happy ending.
Other Projects From Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog is a very busy studio, working on multiple projects at the same time. Here is a short overview of everything they are working on what they have been busy with recently:
- The Last of Us Standalone Multiplayer: The planned multiplayer for The Last of Us 2 will now be an independent successor to the Factions-mode from the first part. Naughty Dog has now confirmed this, but have only showed concept art so far. Everything else is just rumors: Factions 2 will supposedly be free-to-play and financed via microtransactions, but this hasn't been confirmed yet. The studio also wants to bring their expertise in storytelling into the multiplayer project, so we're excited to see what that will look like.
- Fantasy Game: One of the most persistent rumors regarding Naughty Dog is that the studio is working on a Fantasy-themed game. According to fans, this fantasy game was teased in the TLOU Part 1 remake. But again, this has just been rumors and leaks so far. Therefore, enjoy this with a healthy pinch of salt.