First Reviews: ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Stuns Critics: A Brutal, Beautiful Triumph
The second season of The Last of Us is coming to HBO on April 13, 2025. The story takes place twenty years after a deadly fungal infection has destroyed most of the world. People infected by the fungus turn into zombie-like creatures, and society has fallen apart.
Season 2 is based on the game The Last of Us Part II, which came out in 2020. It follows Joel and Ellie five years after the events of Season 1 and introduces a new character named Abby. She will be played by Kaitlyn Dever.
The review embargo for the season has been lifted and the first reviews are pouring in, so far they are overwhelmingly positive. The show currently holds an impressive 91% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 30+ reviews.
Critics praised The Last of Us Season 2 for staying true to the video games while telling a deep, emotional, and powerful story. They appreciated how the show explores what it means to survive in a broken world. The performances by Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, and Isabela Merced were all called strong and impactful. Many critics said the season proves once again that this is one of the best video game adaptations ever made.
Remaining faithful to the games, the HBO drama continues to be a powerful, emotional, and often brutal story about what it means to survive in impossible times.
Liz Shannon Miller Consequence
Understanding its subject on both an intellectual and emotional level, it’s a viscerally conflicted monster—and continues, in this second season, to be the finest video game adaptation ever.
Nick Schager The Daily Beast
Pedro Pascal is a force to be reckoned with in The Last of Us, and with Bella Ramsey and Isabela Merced matching him beat for beat, season 2 is a powerful, rousing triumph that cements this series as the best video game adaptation ever.
Josh Wilding ComicBookMovie.com
As a result, it’s no hyperbole to say that “The Last of Us” season 2 comes pretty darn close to feeling like a miracle.
Jeremy Mathai Slashfilm
Get ready for the tissues, because this season is going to be a tough one for fans of both the TV series and the video game respectively.
Jamie Broadnax Black Girl Nerds
If the first season of The Last of Us proved that this was the best video game adaptation ever, Season 2 reinforces that further while also creating one of 2025’s best seasons of TV.
Chase Hutchinson TheWrap
While rare, a few mixed reviews have made their way into the conversation. Some critics felt season 2 was too dark and violent, with too many torture and execution scenes. They missed the deep, emotional moments from season 1. Others said the show is still great but lacks depth in its story and side characters.
Frustrating, morally messy, and occasionally lovely, the second season…is bigger and broader than ever, exchanging heart-melting scenes grounded by Pascal and Ramsey for relentless torture and execution sequences.
Valerie Ettenhofer Inverse
It’s still the best video-game adaptation on TV. Yet to pretend that The Last of Us completely transcends its original medium would be to ignore the hole at the center of the show where insight and complexity and rich supporting characters should be.
Judy Berman TIME Magazine
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