After 'The Last of Us's Controversial Season 2, HBO Reveals How Long We'll Have to Wait for Season 3

The last few weeks have been rocky for The Last of Us fans after learning that both Neil Druckmann and Halley Gross had departed the series, but now the Emmy-winning has just taken a major step forward. HBO has officially confirmed that The Last of Us Season 3 will return in 2027, leaving another full two-year gap between seasons. This news comes on the heels of a controversial Season 2, which saw its Rotten Tomatoes audience score dip by nearly 50%. After earning a “certified fresh” 96% from critics and an 86% from audiences for Season 1, Season 2 earned another “certified fresh” 91%, but its audience score landed at a “rotten” 37%. The Last of Us Season 2 was subject to heavy review bombing as Bella Ramsey stepped into a larger spotlight.

Fans of The Last of Us games knew what to expect heading into Season 2, but newcomers were caught off guard in Episode 2 when the show kills off Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal). This came as a shock on a similar level to Game of Thrones killing off Ned Stark in the first season, another death that book-readers were ready for, but newcomers were not. Pascal did return via flashbacks in Season 2’s penultimate episode, but the damage was already done at this point. Fans had already turned on the show for the larger role it had given to Bella Ramsey, despite the introduction of fan-favorite Dina, played by Isabela Merced. The introduction of Abby was also a heavy talking point during Season 2, one that’s only going to get louder moving into Season 3.

‘The Last of Us’ Season 3 Will Focus on Abby

The Last of Us Season 1 focused on Joel, and Season 2 thrust Ellie into the limelight. Season 3 will shine a light on Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), a member of the WLF (Washington Liberation Front) who killed Joel in an act of revenge. Joel killed Abby’s father at the end of The Last of Us Season 1, which sent her down a path that led her back to him in Jackson. Although Joel saved her from a pack of infected, this wasn’t enough to change her mind about killing him.

The Last of Us Season 3 will premiere in 2027. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of the series, and watch the first two seasons of The Last of Us on HBO Max.