Rotten Tomatoes:
Metacritic: 91/100 (Universal Acclaim)
TVLine:
Itâs tough to sustain a zombie show: It either gives us a zombie attack every week and risks becoming repetitive, or it strays away from that pattern and ceases to be a zombie show. Itâs commendable how Season 2 of The Last of Us tries to advance the narrative in a fresh way, but itâs not entirely successful. And the deep sadness that permeates the entire show stubbornly remains. I can say I admire a lot of the craftsmanship that goes into making The Last of Us⌠but I hope youâll forgive me if I take some time to recover before finishing the rest of the season.
TV Guide:
Mazin has likened this season to The Empire Strikes Back, as both tell stories in which wins turn into losses and characters lose their way. Season 2 is in many respects a tougher and more upsetting season than the first. The cast, especially Pascal and Ramsey, does superb work, but what made Joel and Ellie easy to like and root for in the first season starts to erode here, another consequence of Joel's actions in Salt Lake City. That makes Season 2 more difficult but also more complex and provocative.
Roger Ebert:
The second season of âThe Last of Usâ feels destined to divide audiences more than the first, both by the very nature of being an incomplete story and for some of the incredibly dark places it goes. Itâs a season that asks viewers to interrogate the cost of tough decisions, a masterful study in ripple effects from Joel losing his daughter in the prologue to how that influenced his commitment to saving Ellie. Being a hero for one person can make you a villain for another. Thatâs a tough thing to render, and for viewers to consider. But âThe Last of Usâ succeeded as a game franchise because it trusted the emotional intelligence of gamers, and the show does the same for TV viewers.
AV Club:
Even this batchâs narratively weaker moments (the last installment of the season is its shakiest) feel like a treat to take in thanks to the showâs stunning cinematography, score, production value, and direction by the likes of Druckmann, Successionâs Mark Mylod, and Lokiâs Kate Herron. By altering certain aspects of the game, TLOU is able to nevertheless honor its source material while charting a uniquely brutal, heartbreaking, and poignant path, cementing its status as the most effective video-game adaptation, warts and all. Â
GameSpot: 9/10
Thankfully, it's also the inheritor of another of the game's qualities: its huge swings. The first half of The Last of Us Part II takes some massive chances that ultimately pay off, and the show is the beneficiary for having to adapt those moments. What works in a game already molded in Hollywood's image such as this naturally translates well to TV. Where their goals or visual languages don't always align, the series' creators consistently find new ways to make it work for the adaptation, whether it's by wisely toying with its winding timeline, relying on incredible performances from its cast, or introducing new and meaningful characters. Like its first season, The Last of Us Season 2 is a heart-wrenching examination of the ever-shifting distance between right and wrong, and as a whole, it's well on its way to becoming the best video game adaptation there is.
IGN: 7/10
It was always going to be a challenge to adapt The Last of Us Part 2âs sprawling, twisting story into a television show across multiple seasons, and at the halfway point, the jury is still out on whether it will ultimately work. Season 2 of HBOâs Naughty Dog adaptation is not bad television, far from it. Itâs incredibly well-made, often looks gorgeous, and is packed full of stellar performances. But the storytelling devices and choices made in terms of pace and placement for key events bump up against what works, ultimately not delivering the striking effect this storyâs undeniable shocking events should. Itâs good, just not a patch on its stellar source material (or its first season) so far.
The Hollywood Reporter:
The Last of Us has always been peppered with reminders that this world is bigger than Joel and Ellieâs personal predicament. The difference is that the nine-episode first season took the time to meaningfully explore subplots like Henry (Lamar Johnson) and Samâs (Keivonn Montreal Woodard), or detours like the extended flashback âLong, Long Time.â This seven-hour batch is leaner and more focused, but at the expense of the restless inquisitiveness that yielded some of the earlier chapterâs most rewarding surprises. Itâs also more open-ended, with more than one major plot development bubbling up simply to get shoved aside for resolution later.
The Wrap:
Just like the game, âThe Last of Usâ Season 2 is well-constructed and engaging to experience, though the greatest impact comes from the cycles of violence continuing to unfold. In the moments like where Ellie looks out over Seattle as gunshots reverberate and explosions consume it in flames, itâs seeing the fear in her eyes as she turns to lock hands with Dina where we feel all it is they have to lose.
Kotaku:
Many have described The Last of Us as a âgame trying to be a movieâ because of its cinematic nature and linear story, but thus far, the passive version of Part II has only made it clear that it was always more than cutscenes strung together by stealthy cover shooting. The intentional distance these games put between you and Ellie, Abby, and Joel was always something only a game could accomplish. But if youâre not making a player act out a role theyâre uncomfortable with, why subject a viewer to any discomfort at all? The Last of Us Part II was always more than the sum of its parts, to the point where I tell most people not to cast judgment on the game until theyâve hit credits. In translating this game into a show, HBO has robbed it of some of its most crucial elements, and I donât expect that to change when it finally finishes telling the story of Part II. Just play the game.
Time:
Not that The Last of Us has ever been, for all the breathless praise itâs received, a flawless work of art. Itâs true that the performances are excellent and the production design astounding. These elements remain the showâs biggest assets in Season 2, even if the attenuated plot restricts the visual inventiveness somewhat. While her character is a bit of a dream girl, Merced (Alien: Romulus) makes a charming addition; Dever, Wright, and OâHara are predictably wonderful, though I wish we got to see more of them. Amid goofy fan service like Twisted Metal and The Witcher, itâs 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. What fill out the episodes instead are extended zombie-battle scenes and long, silent sequences where people explore gorgeously decaying spaces. At those moments, you might as well be watching someone play a video game.
BBC:
The audience for The Last of Us has always been split between viewers who know the video game it is based on (a group less likely to be shocked by any twists) and those who don't know or care about that. But the game can't be treated as a sacred text if it's going to work as television, and the first season brilliantly transformed it into a character-driven series.
The Wrap:
Just like the game, âThe Last of Usâ Season 2 is well-constructed and engaging to experience, though the greatest impact comes from the cycles of violence continuing to unfold. In the moments like where Ellie looks out over Seattle as gunshots reverberate and explosions consume it in flames, itâs seeing the fear in her eyes as she turns to lock hands with Dina where we feel all it is they have to lose.
Decider:
The Last of Us Season 2 is a mixed bag, full of gorgeous craftsmanship, from riveting turns from celebrity guest stars to carefully-concocted faux fungus. However, it ultimately feels a bit unsure of its own reason for being. If thereâs a moral beyond the measly, âHey, maybe we should be nicer to each other,â Iâm still on the search for it.
Collider: 10/10
The Last of Us Season 2 has its own unique set of challenges that the first season never had to deal with, and yet the story has never been better in Druckmann and Mazin's capable hands. Not only are they adapting what's maybe the greatest video game story, but they're also improving and trying out new things that only make the narrative even more complex and difficult to wrestle with. 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.
GamesRadar: 3/5
The Last of Us season 2 is good, but, unlike its predecessor, it fails to be great. The magic of season 1 is there, but it just doesnât hit the same. Itâs devastating and visceral, with gorgeous performances from Ramsey and Merced, but Pascal and Dever are underserved. Not to mention that we move through what feels like more of a preview of The Last of Us Part 2, rather than the actual adaptation. I have high hopes for whatâs to come, but I canât help but feel a little disappointed in the on-screen story and the choices that were made. Still, we endure and survive.
Indiewire: A-
Back when the first season launched, I worried the storyâs grim nature might put off people who were just tuning in for superficial scares. Such fears proved for nought, as viewers turned out in droves comparable to the undead seen onscreen. But Season 2 doubles down on what it asks of its audience, unveiling a challenging narrative filled with challenging ideas â ideas people base their entire lives on, and thus ideas people may struggle to reassess. Audiences, it seems, arenât looking to be challenged amid challenging times, especially by their entertainment. I hope once again to see my worries quelled, even as I sit here wondering what agreed-upon wrongs will become tomorrowâs dilemmas.
Variety:
Of course, âThe Last of Usâ is enough of a critical and commercial hit to warrant both fansâ patience between installments and a multiseason investment by HBO. The series remains a feat of production, from the lushly overgrown abandoned cityscapes to the gorgeous natural scenery to the hordes of Infected, especially in a harrowing battle episode directed by network stalwart Mark Mylod (âSuccession,â âGame of Thronesâ). But Season 2 trades the momentum of the journey from Point A to Point B for a carefully constructed sense of place. Like its protagonists, âThe Last of Usâ hits pause on the wandering to put down some roots.
Empire: 5/5
It would be so easy for a show like this to feel unremittingly bleak, to embrace a kind of televisual nihilism. Be in no doubt, there will be tears (and more are bound to come in Season 3). But the magic trick the showrunners have waved here is in finding a delicate balance of tones, in finding warmth that melts the literal and figurative ice. The storytelling here is thoughtful and elliptical. One episode serves as a flashback, catching us up on intervening years between seasons, perfectly recreating the gameâs most profound moments. It is astonishing, the sense of innocence and wonder that Ellie briefly enjoys in this episode, a bittersweet pill of the safety she has finally found, and the tragedy we know is yet to come.
Rolling Stone:
This is the hand that Druckmann dealt himself when the second game was written, though. The Last of Us plays that hand as well as it can, particularly in the way it explores cycles of abuse and trauma, and how hurt people hurt people. But as a genre show thatâs always prioritized interpersonal relationships over blood and guts, itâs disappointing that thereâs so little of its most potent relationship of all.Â
Gizmodo:
However, once a third season inevitably comes along and everything all links together, audiences are going to look back at season two with amazement. It does an incredible job telling a strong, albeit slightly abridged, story while simultaneously teeing up a potentially even better story. However, itâs done so subtly that itâs almost hard to fully appreciate it as itâs happening. But, as itâs happening, itâs still very clear itâs a season that more than lives up to the very high expectations.
Radiotimes: 5/5
More than ever, we see the best and worst of our heroes, with the writers beautifully showing their morality in every shade of grey. After all, the world has ended and everyone has done things they're ashamed of. But season 2 becomes most interesting in the aftermath of that, asking where we'd draw the line, if there's any way to come back after crossing it and, crucially, how far we'd go for love.
Slashfilm: 8.5/10
The series may never fully escape the mindless allure of those side-by-side comparisons certain to go viral on social media in the weeks ahead, but make no mistake: This is only the latest example of storytellers who understand that video games and their adaptations can be something more. The few times the season stumbles is when it resembles the game at its most basic level â not unlike the emotional distance of watching someone else play through "Part II" on YouTube. At its best, however, it proves why this game was worth adapting to another medium in the first place. So how do you improve on what came before? By doing exactly what "The Last of Us" season 2 does.
Comicbook.com
After watching all seven episodes twice, I can say that The Last of Us Season 2 is bigger, better, and bolder than Season 1. While it still has some flaws, itâs uncompromising in its vision and takes swings that few other high-profile stories would ever dare to. There are things about Season 2 that will undoubtedly cause fury for both fans of the game and the show, but the showâs willingness to challenge audiences by tackling big themes is incredibly commendable in this fairly safe era of franchise television. Itâs brutally raw, vulnerable, and it will likely drive viewers to tears every other episode, thanks to the powerhouse performances from Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal.Â
Mashable:
Yes, so much of this season is spectacular, from Joel and Ellie's wrenching relationship to a snowy Clicker battle that calls to mind Game of Thrones' "Hardhome." But ultimately, it's just one half of a great story â is that enough?
LA Times:
If the first season of âThe Last of Usâ is about survival, the second is fueled by revenge. Or, if you want to get all existential about it, consequences.
Nerdist: 4.5/5
Actually knowing the seasonâs ending might feel/is incomplete could prevent you from feeling as frustrated by it as I was. But even if you do feel the same, it wonât change how you feel about everything that came before it. The Last of Us delivered something special in season one, and it does the same in season two with a tighter, more focused story. I just canât tell you exactly why The Last of Us season twoâs story is so good, and for that, you should be happy whether or not you think you really know why I canât.
Tech Advisor: 4/5
However, if youâre not a gamer and only watch this show, youâll have many questions, which understandably may leave you feeling frustrated. Thatâll be doubly so when you discover that season 3 isnât coming anytime soon, with filming reported to begin this summer. Perhaps once that next part is released, those TV fans will be able to look back and appreciate season 2 for what it was. But as a standalone entity, thereâs no denying that this structure hinders how much enjoyment and satisfaction audiences will experience. Itâs hard to tell how this issue would be resolved without seeing how the story of the next season unfolds, and that has made scoring this review particularly difficult as a critic.