How long is The Last of Us Part 2? How many hours to beat the sequel
Here's how long it will take to best the game in time for HBO's season 2 adaption.
The popularity of The Last of Us has only continued to skyrocket in recent years, with the HBO adaptation bringing the story of Joel and Ellie to new audiences.
Now, with season 2 of the TV show on the way, many people are curious about the video game sequel and how long it takes to beat.
Developed by creator Naughty Dog and director Neil Druckmann, The Last of Us Part 2 originally launched on PS4 in 2020 before being remastered on PS5 in 2024 and soon on the PC, in April this year.
We follow up five years after the events of the first game, with Ellie now serving as the main protagonist and journeying across the post-apocalyptic US on a mission of vengeance.
How the TV show will address all of this is yet to be seen. Either way, it will be extremely fascinating to see how they handle the events of the second game – for one, showrunner Craig Mazin suggested that the story will be told across multiple seasons. For anyone who has played the game, it's easy to understand why.
With the full story being likely years away before it's all revealed on-screen, The Last of Us Part 2 video game is sitting right there to answer all your questions.
How long will it take, though, and what do I need to know beforehand? Well, we've tried to answer all of this and more.
How many hours is The Last of Us Part 2?
The Last of Us Part 2 will take between 22 to 26 hours to complete when focusing solely on the main story, from our experience.
Another reference is the video game length compendium How Long To Beat, which states that the game will take 23 to 24 hours, with both numbers noted for the PS4 release and PS5 remaster.
Again, this assumes you're only working through all of The Last of Us Part 2's chapters and not exploring every nook and cranny, or backtracking for collectables.
If you're looking to nose around the new expansive environments and maybe grab a few collectables, then you'll need a few extra hours - with a total time of around 29 hours - while completionists will need to spend around 42 hours with Ellie and co to 100 per cent the game and receive the hard-earned Platinum trophy.
Again, these are estimates and the time will vary on your play style – you may find yourself getting lost in the impressive Extras section for some time, or end up taking a lot longer on the gruelling Grounded or Permadeath difficulties.
Taking at least an entire real-world day, The Last of Us Part 2 is rather lengthy for a linear narrative-driven game and nearly twice as long as its predecessor. The story is rather intense also, so you might want to spread this one out a bit.
It might be tempting to rush the game in time for the HBO adaption, but it's a game best experienced over a week rather than bursting through in a mad weekend, in our opinion.
Let's not forget all the extra modes that come with the remastered version, either. Three lost levels never made it into the original game, a roguelike mode called No Return, and even a mode to just mess about with the guitar.
Whatever way you play the game, you have plenty of time to do so, with The Last of Us season 2 returning in April 2025.
The Last of Us Part 2 is available across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows.
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Authors
Matt Poskitt is a freelance journalist who specialises in arts and culture – be that movies, TV, video games, tech or otherwise. Matt headed up the games and entertainment section at T3 (Future Publishing), alongside being found across The Guardian, CNET, PC Gamer Mag, GamesIndustry.biz, Insider, iNews, IGN, TechRadar, PC Gamer Mag, NME and many more.
