The Last of Us Timeline, Explained

The popularity of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us has skyrocketed since the launch of its hit HBO show. The TV adaptation brought the powerful and emotional story of Joel and Ellie to a new audience while allowing fans to relive their journey through a new medium. The franchise shows no signs of letting up as the show's second season will begin filming soon, and a third game is likely on the way as well.

The games are set in a post-apocalyptic world and center on the relationship between Joel and Ellie, a 14-year-old girl who is immune to the virus. There are currently two games and a DLC that tell the story so far, but with flashbacks and intertwining narratives making the storyline a little more complex, it can be confusing to remember the events in order. To make things a little easier, here are all the key events of The Last of Us' games in chronological order.

Updated on July 22, 2024, by Michael Colwander:HBO's The Last of Us is gearing up for a thrilling second season, which makes it the perfect time to shore up The Last of Us timeline with more key moments shown in flashbacks during The Last of Us Part II.

2013: The Outbreak Begins

The virus that sets the stage for the events of The Last of Us is caused by a Cordyceps mutation that infects human brains. It mutates from South American crops and infects the first humans, turning them into "runners" in their early stage of infection. The Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA) takes control of the US in September in response to the virus reaching US soil, forming an oppressive military dictatorship.

September 27, 2013: The Outbreak Reaches Austin, Texas

In the early hours of the morning, FEDRA begins to quarantine the city of Austin. A single father, Joel, his daughter, Sarah, and his brother, Tommy, all try to evacuate before the city is shut down. Sadly, as they try to escape, Sarah is shot by a FEDRA officer and dies in her father's arms. The emotional ruin felt by Joel will play a key role in the later events of the games. As Joel and Tommy make it out of Austin, the prologue is complete, and the game jumps 20 years into the future. During this time, Tommy joins a group called the Fireflies, while Joel travels to Boston and links up with a woman named Tess as quarantine zone smugglers.

July 2033: The Events of the Last of Us: Left Behind Take Place

Ellie, who lives in the Boston quarantine zone, and her friend, Riley, sneak out to an abandoned shopping mall. Riley tells Ellie that she's leaving to join the Fireflies and wants to make their last time together a fun and memorable one. The two laugh and play and realize that they're more than friends. As they share a kiss, their music draws a horde of infected to them. They're both bitten and decide to wait it out together as they await their fate. While Riley turns, Ellie doesn't, and she realizes that she's immune to the virus.

Early August 2033, Day 1: Ellie Is Introduced to Joel and Tess, and Part I's Primary Timeline Begins

Joel and Tess agree to work with Marlene, the leader of the Fireflies. They are tasked with smuggling Ellie to the Massachusetts State House just outside the QZ, where more Fireflies will meet them. They don't know that she's immune, but agree to get her there in exchange for weapons.

Early August 2033, Day 2: Joel, Tess, and Ellie Leave the Quarantine Zone

As the group leaves the QZ, their path is blocked by a FEDRA guard. He scans the group to check for the virus, but Ellie attacks him before he can read her results. Joel kills the guard, before seeing Ellie's positive result flash on the scanner. He and Tess turn hostile, forcing Ellie to reveal that she's immune and that's why she's being taken to the Fireflies, as they hope to use her to find a cure. As they continue towards the State House, Tess is bitten but doesn't tell the others.

Early August 2033, Day 3: The Group Reaches the State House

When they arrive, the Fireflies at the State House have all been killed by FEDRA soldiers. As some soldiers return to check the area once more, Tess reveals she's infected and sacrifices herself to buy Joel and Ellie time to escape. She asks Joel to complete the mission and ensure Ellie makes it to the Fireflies. Joel decides that finding his brother in Jackson, Wyoming is his best bet. Although Tommy is no longer a part of the Fireflies, he does still have connections and might know where to go next.

Summer 2033: Joel and Ellie Meet New Friends

Joel and Ellie head to Lincoln to meet Bill, one of Joel's smuggling contacts, to get a car so they can continue their journey. They're later ambushed while driving through Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

They fight their way out before meeting Henry and his younger brother Sam. Ellie and Sam become close friends as the group tries to sneak their way out of the bandit-controlled city, with Ellie revealing to her new friend that her greatest fear is ending up alone. That night, having been bitten, Sam begins to turn and is shot and killed by Henry. Distraught, Henry then takes his own life too.

Fall 2033: Joel and Ellie Reach Jackson, Wyoming

Joel and Ellie eventually make it to Jackson and Tommy points them towards the University of Eastern Colorado. Joel wants to leave Ellie with Tommy, saying that she'll be safer with him. Her anger, disappointment, and feelings of being let down all culminate into one of the game's most powerful quotes. She tries to hold back tears as she says "Everyone I have cared for has either died or left me. Everyone except for you. So don't tell me I would be safer with somebody else, because the truth is I would just be more scared." After initially reacting with anger, Joel changes his mind and agrees to take Ellie to the Fireflies himself.

Late Fall 2033: Joel and Ellie Reach the University of Eastern Colorado

At the University, Joel and Ellie discover that the Fireflies have relocated to Salt Lake City. While trying to escape from a group of violent bandit survivors, Joel is severely wounded. Ellie manages to get him away to safety.

Winter 2033/2034: Ellie Cares for Joel and Meets David

Throughout the winter, Ellie looks after Joel as he recovers from his injuries. While out hunting, she meets two men, David and James, who offer to trade some of her food for antibiotics to help Joel. While James heads back to retrieve the medicine, David reveals that the bandits that Joel killed at the University were part of his group.

David captures Ellie and tries to make her join his cannibalistic group. She manages to kill James but is chased and cornered by David in a burning restaurant. Eventually, Ellie manages to kill David, but not before he nearly strangles her to death. Ellie is severely impacted by this haunting sequence of events; she doesn't stop hacking away at his corpse until Joel pulls her off his dead body and comforts her.

April 28, 2034: Joel and Ellie Reach Salt Lake City

While traveling through the sewers to reach the Fireflies' base at the hospital, Joel and Ellie are caught in a flood. Ellie can't swim and, despite being rescued by Joel, is unconscious. As Joel attempts CPR, he's also knocked unconscious by a Firefly, who brings them both to the hospital.

Joel awakes and is confronted by Marlene, who tells him that the process of operating on Ellie to make a vaccine will kill her. As he's being escorted out, Joel manages to overpower his guard and learn the way to the operating theater. After killing countless Firelfies on a bloody rampage, Joel eventually reaches Ellie as she's unconscious and ready for surgery. He kills the surgeon before taking Ellie and leaving the hospital. As he reaches the exit, he's confronted by Marlene, killing her while she pleads with him to change his mind.

Joel drives back to Jackson, telling Ellie that there were dozens more like her. Joel says that the Fireflies' quest for a cure was fruitless and that they've stopped looking. Once back at the settlement, Ellie expresses her survivor's guilt and asks Joel to swear to her that everything he said about the Fireflies was true. The Last of Us ends as he replies "I swear."

The Last of Us Part II Timeline

April 28, 2034: Abby's Father Is Murdered By Joel

Joel's actions during the end of The Last of Us remain the subject of debate, with players conflicted over whether Joel did the right thing or if they would be willing to do the same thing if they were in his shoes. The Last of Us Part II shows the other side of the coin.

While players almost immediately resent Abby Anderson for her actions early in the game, fans eventually learn that Abby was the daughter of the surgeon who was going to perform the fateful surgery on Ellie. Players get to witness a flashback sequence at the Salt Lake City Zoo where Abby is searching for her father, Dr. Jerry Anderson. Abby finds her highly likable father and helps save a zebra stuck in barbed wire before learning of Ellie's arrival.

Dr. Anderson and Marlene struggle to find a way to perform the surgery without killing Ellie before resigning themselves to the fact it's either Ellie or humanity. While Marlene and Dr. Anderson picked humanity, Joel picked Ellie, resulting in Dr. Anderson's death. This ultimately becomes the catalyst of The Last of Us Part II.

2035: Joel And Ellie Celebrate Ellie's Birthday

After The Last of Us Part I, Ellie struggled to accept Joel's word about what happened in Salt Lake City. Many of The Last of Us Part II's flashbacks with Joel and Ellie reveal a story of those doubts rising higher and higher before Ellie eventually reaches the point where she has to know.

There is one flashback sequence that's much more wholesome and lighthearted. It depicts Joel taking Ellie to an abandoned museum. There, Ellie enjoys all the dinosaur exhibits as well as an outer space one. Ellie always dreamed of being an astronaut, so Joel gave her an astronaut-like experience.

This sequence shows one of the last lighthearted moments the two shared before their relationship started to unravel. It's also notable for revealing that Joel did teach Ellie how to swim. Ellie being unable to swim was key in The Last of Us Part I as it made her more vulnerable, further driving the player and Joel to want to protect her.

2035: Abby And Owen Explore The Seattle Aquarium

After the death of her father, Abby and her other former Fireflies joined the Washington Liberation Front (WLF) in Seattle. There, the Firefly remnants begin training for a new cause. Despite this, those who survived Joel's rampage still harbored the desire for revenge. They stuck close together, building up a clique reputation.

Owen, Abby's boyfriend from the Fireflies, discovers an old aquarium that would become the centerpiece of The Last of Us Part II. Owen shows this aquarium to Abby and the two explore what became of the family that used to live there. Afterward, Owen continues to use this aquarium as his home away from home.

2036: Ellie Learns the Truth About the Fireflies

One of the most significant flashback scenes in The Last of Us Part II is Ellie learning the truth. Ellie's suspicions of Joel bubbled over and led her to return to Salt Lake City to figure out what really happened at the hospital. When Joel finally admits the truth, Ellie is furious and essentially cuts contact with him. The two remain in Jackson, but their relationship is incredibly strained. This is significant as, during the present time, fans were still unaware that Ellie knew what Joel did. This led to theories that Ellie's pursuit of revenge would end upon this revelation and Ellie would come to sympathize with Abby. The fact that Ellie feverishly pursues Abby already knowing this is perhaps one of the most under-appreciated plot twists in gaming history.

December 2037 – February 2038: Abby Discovers Joel's Potential Location And Her Crew Travels To Jackson

After the death of her father, Abby passionately pursued leads of Joel's whereabouts. For years, they all led to dead ends. In 2037, her communication with former Fireflies who knew Tommy led her to his location in Wyoming. Abby believed that if Tommy was there, surely his brother Joel would be as well. Excited, Abby tells Owen and the pair begins to formulate a plan to travel to Jackson. It took a total of six weeks for Abby and her crew to reach Jackson, where they stayed in the Baldwin mansion.

March 1, 2038: Ellie and Joel Begin to Repair Their Damaged Relationship

Ellie and a new character, Dina, kiss at a dance. A man named Seth makes some homophobic remarks and Joel steps in to stand up for Ellie, who angrily retorts that she doesn't need his help. However, she later visits him at his house and the pair talk once more about what happened at the hospital. The conversation ends with Ellie saying "I don't think I can ever forgive you for that. But I would like to try." It's the first step towards fixing their broken relationship and coming to terms with the past. This festival is expanded upon in The Last of Us Part II Remastered's Lost Levels, which will likely carry over into Season 2 of the show. Later that night, Joel and Tommy are sent out on patrol after reports of a group of infected near the ski lodge just outside the town's fences.

March 2, 2038: Abby kills Joel

Abby's ex-boyfriend and close friend, Owen, tells her that the group isn't willing to attack such a fortified area. Abby decides to search for Joel alone but is chased by the horde of infected. Joel and Tommy find her at the ski lodge and save her. The three of them then seek refuge at the Baldwin Mansion. As they introduce themselves, Abby realizes that she's found her father's killer.

Ellie and Dina are sent out on patrol to replace Joel and Tommy. They get caught in a snowstorm and have to seek refuge, but eventually reach the Baldwin Mansion not long after the others. Dina and Ellie split up to cover more angles. As Ellie enters, she witnesses Abby brutally beating Joel to death with a golf club as Tommy lies unconscious nearby. She's also knocked out, but both she and Tommy are spared as Abby and her group return to Seattle.

Spring 2038, Day 1: Tommy, Ellie, and Dina Reach Seattle

Tommy says he recognizes the WLF patches worn by some of Abby's crew. He realizes that they need to head to Seattle to enact their revenge. He heads off, leaving a note, and Ellie and Dina leave after him.

Tommy reaches Seatle and finds a group of WLF members at the Serevena Hotel. He tortures and kills one member, Nick, for information about Abby's whereabouts, before fleeing from reinforcements. Unfortunately for Tommy, Abby is elsewhere. That morning, she was ordered to lead an attack on the Seraphites' Island. The Seraphites are a religious cult who are at war with the WLF. Abby refuses and leaves the WLF base to find Owen, who's already been outcast by the WLF, at his hideout in a nearby aquarium.

Ellie and Dina spring a trap near an elementary school and Ellie is captured. Dina saves her and Ellie then kills another of Abby's friends, Jordan, as the two escape. Jordan was holding a letter that said that more WLF were holed up at a nearby TV station. When they find Leah, she's already dead — it looks like the Seraphites have gotten there first. As they flee, they pass an area of infection spores. Ellie's gas mask breaks in a fight and Dina realizes she's immune. When they finally reach a nearby theater to take shelter for the night, Dina reveals that she's pregnant.

As Abby searches for Owen, she's captured by a group of Seraphites. However, she's saved by two young Seraphites, Yara and Lev, who are fleeing from the group as Lev was an outcast due to his transgender identity. Yara's arm is smashed by the hammer of another Seraphite, but Lev's skills with a bow enable all three to escape to a trailer park. Abby leaves them behind and reaches Owen at the aquarium, where she realizes that she needs to go back and protect the young Seraphites that saved her.

Spring 2038, Day 2: The Hunt for Abby Continues

Abby brings Yara and Lev back to the aquarium, where Mel, Owen's pregnant girlfriend, has joined him. Mel requires medical supplies to amputate Yara's arm, so Abby and Lev head to a nearby WLF hospital to retrieve them. Abby is recognized as AWOL and is detained, but her friend, Nora, frees her and points her toward the medical equipment. Abby and Lev successfully return to the aquarium, where Mel is able to operate on Yara's arm.

Back in the theater, Ellie hears a WLF radio broadcast that states there's a trespasser in the nearby area of Hillcrest. She believes it's Tommy, so she leaves Dina to check. She finds out it's actually Jesse, a good friend, and Dina's ex-boyfriend. The pair return to the theater, where Ellie hears another transmission that points her toward the WLF hospital that Abby recently left.

Ellie fights her way through and confronts Nora. She tortures her and learns that Abby is at the aquarium, but kills her anyway as her thirst for violent vengeance continues to mount. She heads back to the theater to regroup with Jesse and Dina, before resting for the night.

Spring 2038 Day 3: Ellie and Abby Come Face to Face

In the morning, Lev heads back to the Seraphite Island as he's worried that his mother will be punished for his alleged sins. Abby and Yara go after him.

Meanwhile, Ellie and Jesse head out to the aquarium. They catch up to Tommy at the marina who's already taken out most of the WLF there. Manny, another of Abby's crew from Jackson, escapes but is being pursued by Tommy. He calls out for help and Jesse, hearing the call, suspects Tommy is involved and goes to help. Abby and Yara also hear the call and help Manny by overpowering Tommy and throwing him into the sea. Jesse pulls him out, but Tommy loses his rifle.

Abby and Yara continue onwards to the Seraphite Island, where the WLF has already launched an all-out assault. They find Lev distraught at their family home, having just killed his mother in self-defense after she attacked him when he wanted to talk. As the three try to leave the island, Yara is shot by a WLF soldier. As Lev tries to help his sister, he and Abby are approached by the WLF leader, Isaac, and several other soldiers. Abby tries to reason with Isaac, but as he goes to shoot her, Yara manages to shoot him in the back, buying them a brief second to escape.

While Abby is away, Ellie reaches the aquarium, where she finds Owen and Mel arguing. She attempts to use an interrogation technique taught to her by Joel, but Owen lunges at her before she can learn anything. She shoots him while Mel tries to stab her, but Ellie overpowers her, killing her with her own knife. Tommy and Jesse then rush in and help the emotional and remorseful Ellie back to the theater.

Abby and Lev return to the aquarium to find their friends dead on the floor. They find Ellie's dropped map next to their bodies and use it to track her back to the theater. They find Tommy in the reception area and force him to the floor as Jesse and Ellie burst into the room. Abby shoots at them, killing Jesse as Ellie ducks for cover.

There's a moment of chaos as Tommy tries to disarm Abby, but he's severely wounded and Abby chases Ellie further into the theater. She beats Ellie as Dina comes rushing at her with a knife. Lev shoots Dina in the shoulder and Abby beats her as well. She's about to kill her when Lev intervenes. Abby decides to leave them and says to Ellie "Don't ever let me see you again."

Early Summer 2039: Abby and Lev Head to California

Abby and Lev decide to follow up on a rumor that Owen heard about the Fireflies regrouping in California. The pair take Owen's boat and head there, learning that the rumor is true and that they need to reach Catalina Island. Unfortunately, they're captured by a powerful slaver group known as the Rattlers and are taken as prisoners to their camp in Santa Barbara.

Back in Jackson, Ellie and Dina live on a picturesque farm with Dina's newborn child, JJ. Ellie still struggles mentally with everything she's been through. One day in the summer, Tommy comes to visit. He says he's heard that a woman "built like an ox" and "traveling with a kid with scars across his face" was spotted in California. His leg is permanently damaged from the fight at the theater, so he can't go, but he convinces Ellie to finally get her revenge on Abby.

Summer 2039: Ellie Finds Abby and Lev

Three months later, Ellie reaches Santa Barbara, infiltrates the Rattlers' base, and frees the prisoners on the beach. Among them are Abby and Lev, who are weak after their imprisonment. Ellie frees them both and forces Abby to fight her. During the fight, Abby bites off two of Ellie's fingers. Despite this, Ellie overpowers the extremely weak Abby but stops strangling her as she remembers Joel and their final conversation about forgiveness. Abby and Lev leave on a boat, presumably headed for the Fireflies at Catalina Island, while Ellie returns home.

When Ellie gets back to the farm, it's completely empty and all of her things are packed up in her room. She unboxes her guitar, which Joel gave her, and tries to play it, but her missing fingers prevent her from doing so. At this moment, she realizes that her biggest fear, being alone, has come true.

Is The Last of Us Timeline Different In The Show?

There are several details that the HBO show changes from the games. The most obvious example is that the virus itself is spread very differently. Unlike the game, there are no airborne spores in badly infected areas. Instead, there is a terrifying network of Cordyceps tendrils that spread across the buildings and landscapes. Alongside this change, there are a few other, more subtle differences, with the timeline of the TV show being one of them.

Neil Druckmann explained that the TV show is set a decade earlier than the games. Therefore, in this version, the outbreak started in 2003 and the main story events with Ellie and Joel take place in 2023. This decision was made so it would line up with the year of the show's release to captivate audiences better and make it seem closer to home and more realistic for viewers.

No major plotlines were changed regarding the chronological order in which they took place, but there were some small adaptations. For example, in the games, Bill's partner Frank is already dead when Ellie and Joel reach Lincoln. However, in the TV show, Bill has also taken his own life before Joel and Ellie reach him, as he doesn't want to live without his partner. Overall though, the HBO version is a pretty faithful adaptation of the video game in terms of plotlines and does a brilliant job of expanding upon and bringing such a powerful and moving story to a new medium and a new audience.