The Last of Us 2 time jump explained: How many years pass between games?
Ellie and Joel's post-apocalyptic story takes place in the not-so-distant future. But exactly how much time has passed between The Last of Us Part 1 and 2?
Settled in Jackson since the events of the first game, The Last of Us Part 2 follows Ellie and Joel navigating the complexities of their shifting relationship as the weight of Joel’s betrayal grows between them.
When their past returns with a vengeance, both Ellie and Joel must grapple with the fact that "every path has its price".
Developed by Naughty Dog, and written by Neil Druckmann and Halley Gross, the 2020 sequel was met with critical acclaim, numerous awards, as well as fan backlash.
Recently, the post-apocalyptic action-adventure horror game has been remastered for PS5, released for PC, and will be adapted for TV in April 2025.
But exactly how much time has passed between The Last of Us 1 and 2? Read on to find out.
The Last of Us 2 time jump explained: How many years pass between games?
In the video game version of The Last of Us Part 2, four years have passed since the end of the first game.
The Last of Us 2 starts in early spring 2038, almost 25 years after the initial outbreak.
Since the end of the first game, Ellie and Joel have moved to Jackson, a mountainside commune in Wyoming and one of the few safe havens in the post-apocalyptic landscape.
Players who miss the younger Ellie and Joel will get to play as them again in occasional flashbacks, but they are aged up for the bulk of the game.
Shorter time jumps occur throughout the playthrough, meaning the game roughly ends in 2040.
How old are Ellie and Joel in The Last of Us 2 game?
Ellie is 19 years old at the start of The Last of Us 2 game.
Joel is 57 when The Last of Us 2 begins. In the PS5 remaster of The Last of Us, Joel’s date of birth can be found on an ID card: 26th September 1981.
In the years between games, Ellie and Joel’s father-daughter dynamic has strained. Between Ellie’s growing independence, Joel’s lies, and the weight of their collective trauma, the duo aren't as close as when players left them.
This age jump impacts gameplay as well as the story. While Ellie is now more physically capable, and can fend off enemies more easily, Joel is approaching his 60s and beginning to feel the effects of age.
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Has the TLOU time jump changed for TV?
Yes, The Last of Us season 2 jumps ahead five years on TV instead of four.
First-look photos of the season reveal a banner behind Joel in the season 2 premiere, which reads "Happy New Year 2029".
In the game, the fungal outbreak occurs in late 2013. In the TV adaptation, the outbreak takes place in 2003. This means that the main action of the TV series’s first season is set in 2023, and ends in 2024.
On the show, Pedro Pascal’s Joel is also four years older than his gameplay counterpart, making Joel 61 years old in The Last of Us season 2.
Season 2 of The Last of Us, which adapts the events of The Last of Us Part 2, will begin airing in the UK on Monday 14th April 2025.
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