Deadline reports that HBO's The Last of Us has been renewed for season 3 just a few days ahead of the season 2 premiere this coming Sunday, April 13, 2025. The news doesn't come as a total shock, considering how often showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have talked about needing at least three, potentially four seasons, to tell the whole story of The Last of Us Part II.
Realistically, we won't know how plausible a fourth season will be until we reach the end of season 2, and see how far along into the story of The Last of Us Part II this season takes us. But if a fourth season is needed, HBO sounds likely to grant it, with the executive vice president of HBO programming and head of HBO drama series and films, Francesca Orsi, expressing every confidence in Mazin, Druckmann, and the entire creative team behind the series.
"It can't be overemphasized how proud HBO is for the outstanding achievement we believe the second season of The Last of Us is," Orsi said in a statement. "Craig, Neil, Carolyn [Strauss] and the entire executive producer team, cast and crew have delivered a masterful follow-up and we're thrilled to carry the power of Craig and Neil's storytelling into what we know will be an equally moving and extraordinary third season."
In a separate statement, Druckmann expressed his gratitude to fans for their positive reaction and credited Mazin with playing a huge role in the adaptation's success.
"To see The Last of Us brought to life so beautifully and faithfully has been a career highlight for me, and I am grateful for the fans' enthusiastic and overwhelming support. Much of that success is thanks to my partner in crime, Craig Mazin, our partnership with HBO, and our team at PlayStation Productions [...] We're thrilled to bring you more of The Last of Us!"
For his own part, Mazin added that season 2 has "exceeded even our most ambitious goals, thanks to our continued collaboration with HBO and the impeccable work of our unparalleled cast and crew."
Just because we're getting a third season, though, doesn't mean a fourth will follow. Mazin previously said in an interview that he will "flat out" not go beyond the plot of the games, and if that means only needing three seasons, then that's what it means. According to Mazin, only if a fourth season is needed will it happen.
