The Last of Us is back for season 2 – here’s how to watch episode 1 in the UK

Few video game adaptations have managed to break the curse, but The Last of Us did just that when its first season premiered in 2023. Rather than falling into the usual pitfalls of shallow storytelling and clumsy pacing, HBO’s adaptation captured the hearts of critics, general viewers and fans alike.

The first season garnered 24 Emmy nominations and won eight awards, including Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Nick Offerman. Now, the post-apocalyptic series is back for its highly anticipated second season, with Kaitlyn Dever joining the cast as Abby.

The show premiered this morning, and the seven-episode season sees Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey reprising their roles as Joel and Ellie, adapting at least a portion of The Last of Us Part II. Here’s everything we know about The Last of Us season 2, including where to watch it in the UK.       

When does ‘The Last of Us’ season 2 come out?

The Last of Us season 2 premiered on Sunday 13 April 2025 in the US. In the UK, it debuted on Monday 14 April at 2am. The episode was broadcast simultaneously on Sky Atlantic and Now, in line with its HBO release.

If you didn’t stay up late, don’t worry – it’s available to stream now on catch-up, and a prime-time repeat will take place at 9pm on Sky Atlantic.

What is ‘The Last of Us’ season 2 about?

The Last of Us season 2 follows the events of the second game in the franchise, but it won’t cover all of it. In fact, the TV adaptation of The Last of Us: Part II will stretch out over multiple seasons – which makes sense given the game’s scope. “We don’t think that we’re going to be able to tell the story even within two seasons [2 and 3] because we’re taking our time and going down interesting pathways which we did a little bit in season 1 too,” Craig Mazin told Deadline last year. “We feel like it’s almost assuredly going to be the case that — as long as people keep watching and we can keep making more television — season 3 will be significantly larger. And indeed, the story may require season 4”.

The official synopsis for The Last of Us season 2 states: “After five years of peace following the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie’s collective past catches up to them, drawing them into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind”.

Mazin and Neil Druckmann, the game’s creator, say they’ve found a natural ending point to break the game up into multiple seasons. While we won’t go into detail (no game spoilers here), some fans speculate that season 2 will end at the theatre, with Ellie coming face to face with Abby.

In the full-length trailer for The Last of Us season 2, we get a proper look at some major new characters in action. Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby is seen fighting off infected and standing among the Washington Liberation Front. Isabela Merced’s Dina – Ellie’s love interest – is introduced; Young Mazino’s Jesse appears in some scenes and Jeffrey Wright’s Isaac is shown leading the WLF. Catherine O’Hara also makes a brief appearance, but her role remains a mystery, though she’s likely a new character made for the show.

How to catch up on ‘The Last of Us’ season 1 in the UK

The Last of Us is available to stream on Sky and Now TV here in the UK. If you’re not already a Sky customer, you can get yourself a Sky Stream box (£15 per month, Sky.com), which comes with a Sky TV entertainment package and a free subscription to Netflix’s standard plan with ads, as well as a free subscription to Discovery+ (the home of Eurosport).

If you don’t want to buy the Sky Stream box, but still want to watch The Last of Us, you can stream it on the Sky-owned Now streaming service (formerly Now TV). You’ll need an entertainment membership to watch the show (£9.99 per month, Nowtv.com).

You can also buy the entire season 1 boxset on Apple TV+ (£21.99, Apple.com) and Amazon Prime Video (£21.99, Amazon.co.uk).

How many episodes of ‘The Last of Us’ season 2 are there?

The Last of Us season 2 has seven episodes in total. That’s slightly shorter than the length of season 1.

The first episode of The Last of Us, titled Future Days was broadcast on Monday 14 April 2025 in the UK. That title is significant for anyone who’s played the game, but we won’t give any spoilers.

The episode synopsis reads: “After five years of peace, Joel and Ellie's collective past catches up with them, drawing them into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.”

Here’s the full release schedule for The Last of Us in the UK:

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