[a] The series is set in a post-apocalyptic United States ravaged by cannibalistic humans infected by a mutated fungus in the genus Cordyceps.

It follows several survivors, including Joel, a smuggler who lost his daughter during the outbreak; Ellie, a young girl who is immune to the infection; and Abby, a soldier who becomes involved in a conflict between her militia and a religious cult.

The games use a third-person perspective in which the player fights against hostile humans and cannibalistic creatures with firearms, improvised weapons, and stealth.

[b] Twenty years after losing his daughter Sarah during the outbreak of the mutant Cordyceps fungus, Joel is tasked with escorting Ellie, a teenage girl who is immune to the infection, across a post-apocalyptic United States so the revolutionary group Fireflies can potentially create a cure.

Unwilling to let her die, Joel battles his way to the operating room, kills the lead surgeon, and carries the unconscious Ellie to safety.

[9] It is set three weeks before the events of the main game, following Ellie as she spends time with her best friend Riley in an abandoned mall in Boston.

[11] Four years after the events of the first game, Abby Anderson tracks down and kills Joel as revenge for murdering her father, the head Firefly surgeon.

[14] It is a remake of the first game, featuring revised gameplay, overhauled artificial intelligence, improved performance, and expanded accessibility options.

In the attraction, guests navigate the Pittsburgh Quarantine Zone alongside other survivors as well as Joel and Ellie, and encounter enemies from the game including infected, raiders, and hunters.

[26] In January 2025, Druckmann announced a physical experience allowing users to fight against the infected in Seattle during the events of Part II with virtual weapons, immersive video, audio, and scent technologies, first exhibited at the Consumer Electronics Show.

[34] Actress Maisie Williams expressed enthusiasm in playing Ellie, and was in talks with both Druckmann and Raimi to take the role,[35] while Kaitlyn Dever participated in a table read.

[42] Druckmann and Craig Mazin wrote and executive produced the series,[39] and both directed episodes; Ali Abbasi, Peter Hoar, Liza Johnson, Jeremy Webb, and Jasmila Žbanić also directed episodes,[43] while additional executive producers include Carolyn Strauss and Rose Lam, Naughty Dog president Evan Wells, and PlayStation Productions's Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan.

[97][103] While at university, Druckmann had an idea to merge the gameplay of Ico (2001) in a story set during a zombie apocalypse, like that of George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968), with a lead character similar to John Hartigan from Sin City (1991–2000).

[104] Druckmann views The Last of Us as a coming of age story, in which Ellie adapts to survival after spending time with Joel, as well as an exploration of how willing a father is to save his child.

[110] To promote pre-order sales, Naughty Dog collaborated with several retailers to provide special editions of the game with extra content.

In addition, they found some players were interested in the events that occurred between the Fall and Winter segments of the main game, in which Ellie cares for an injured Joel.

The shorter time frame of development for Left Behind gave the team an opportunity to trial mechanics and ideas they were unable to test on the main game.

[115] By August 2017, with the release of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, the entire 350-person team at Naughty Dog had shifted to develop Part II.

[117] Straley left Naughty Dog in 2017;[120][121] Anthony Newman and Kurt Margenau were selected to be co-game directors for Part II.

[125] The game missed its original projected release date of February 21, 2020, pushed to May for extra polishing,[126] and later to June 19 due to logistical problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

[136] According to Escayg, the team approached the remake as "a love letter to our fans, to the franchise, and to ourselves as developers";[137] they felt a responsibility to preserve its essence and quality.

He said it was "as big" as Naughty Dog's single-player games and would feature new characters and a new location in the United States,[144] suspected to be San Francisco based on the art.

[151] Druckmann later clarified the outline was for a "small story" focused on Tommy, rather than a full sequel to Part II; he felt it would eventually be released, possibly as a game or television series.

IGN's Colin Moriarty named it one of the first game's standout features,[181] and PlayStation Official Magazine's (OPM) David Meikleham wrote the pacing contributed to the story's impact.

[182] GameSpot's Tom Mc Shea found Left Behind's story insightful,[183] and GamesRadar's Henry Gilbert described it as "intermittently intense, tragic, humorous, and even poignant".

[184] For Part II, Game Informer's Andy McNamara felt the writers conveyed the themes "with careful nuance and unflinching emotion",[185] and Push Square's Sammy Barker particularly praised the use of flashback and overlapping stories;[186] conversely, GamesRadar+'s Alex Avard felt the narrative lost its momentum by attempting to finalize every story thread,[187] and Polygon's Maddy Myers and Kotaku's Riley MacLeod found the game repeatedly delivered its themes without allowing the player any agency in their decisions.

[209] The Verge's Andrew Webster compared the improved graphics of Part I to modern blockbusters,[210] and Siliconera's Josh Tolentino wrote it matched his memory of the original.

Game Informer's Helgeson appreciated the vulnerability during fights,[197] and IGN's Moriarty felt the crafting system assisted the combat, and the latter contributed to the narrative's emotional value by making enemies feel "human".

[183][213] GamesRadar+'s Avard felt Part II's new gameplay mechanics represented a level of care and authenticity demonstrative of Naughty Dog.

[231] The kiss shared by Ellie and Riley in Left Behind was described as a "breakthrough moment" and "a big deal" by Kotaku's Kirk Hamilton,[232] and "beautiful and natural and funny" by IGN's Keza MacDonald.