There’s a reason The Last of Us means so much to so many. It wasn’t just another prestige Sony title, and it sure as hell wasn’t just another zombie game. It was raw. It was devastating. It mattered. And after two emotionally punishing masterpieces, it’s time we let these characters — and this story — rest.
The second game gave us closure. Not neat, tied-up, sunshine-ending closure, but real closure. The kind that acknowledges pain and consequences, and the impossibility of moving on without scars. And that’s precisely why it’s time we stop asking for The Last of Us Part III.
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Minor spoilers for The Last of Us Part I and II.
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The story has already reached its emotional end
To continue now would only dilute its impact
Joel made a choice at the end of The Last of Us Part I — a selfish, human, and heartbreakingly real one. And Part II, brutal as it was, held him accountable. That’s what made it necessary. Deep down, everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before Joel paid for his actions, and we understood why it had to happen. The Last of Us Part II wasn’t just a sequel — it was a reckoning. It took the consequences of Joel’s actions and walked us through the grief, the guilt, and the cyclical violence it created.
But where do we go from there? Ellie has lost family and fragments of herself. Abby has found a semblance of peace, despite the loss of everyone she loved. Dina has moved on, and nothing could be worth reintroducing turmoil into her life. Tommy himself is a ghost of who he once was. To revisit these characters would not only reopen wounds but also cheapen their journey. These characters have already lived a lifetime of pain. Let them rest.
The Last of Us Part I
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The gameplay has peaked — now let’s move on
We’ve mastered the formula; it’s time to try something new
Let’s not pretend Naughty Dog doesn’t know how to reinvent gameplay. But even so, after Part II (and its remaster), the formula is polished to near-perfection — stealth, dodge, prone, craft, repeat. It works, and it works damn well, which is why the game was so highly-reviewed. The stealth gameplay in The Last of Us games rivals that of Metal Gear Solid at its prime, sure, but do we really want to see another iteration of the same thing again?
Even mechanically, a third Last of Us runs the risk of feeling safe, and Naughty Dog has never been about playing it safe. Uncharted 4 ended Nate’s story on a graceful, grown-up note. It’s time The Last of Us does the same for Ellie, Abby, Dina, and the rest. We don’t need another perfect crouch animation. We need bold new worlds, strong new characters, and stories, all of which Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet looks poised to give us.
The Last of Us Part II
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Don’t stifle innovation by demanding familiarity
New IPs deserve the same faith we once gave Joel and Ellie
There’s a contradiction in modern gaming — we lament the lack of new ideas, but cling desperately to what we know. The Last of Us was once a bold, unfamiliar IP — and look what it became: a global phenomenon that set new standards in cinematic games. So why not give Naughty Dog the room to craft something entirely new again?
If we keep asking for The Last of Us Part III, we’re contributing to the very cycle we criticize. Great studios become legacy-defining by taking risks, not doubling down. Whether it’s a new universe or a genre we’d never expect from them, we owe it to Naughty Dog — and ourselves — to embrace the unknown. That same spark that lit the world on fire with Joel and Ellie? It still burns.
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We don’t always need a trilogy
It’s best to let go when the time is right
Stories this heavy leave a mark. These characters feel real because they were real to us. Ellie, Joel, Abby — they’ve all paid a price. And if this truly were the end, it would be a fitting, if haunting, farewell. Not every narrative needs a trilogy. Some are meant to fade out with dignity, their echoes left lingering in our minds and hearts.
We’ll always have the games. We’ll have the HBO adaptation to revisit the story through a different lens. But let’s stop asking Naughty Dog to reopen old wounds just because we’re afraid of saying goodbye. Even Neil Druckmann himself has admitted there are no current plans for a third game. And maybe that’s for the best. If The Last of Us taught us anything, it’s that sometimes, the hardest thing — and the right thing — is to let go.
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Let their story rest — for their sake and ours
Letting go is hard, especially when a story means so much. But The Last of Us didn’t just end a tale. It closed a chapter on characters who’ve endured unimaginable loss, growth, and redemption. To continue their story now would be to rob it of the gravity that made it unforgettable.
It’s time to stop asking for more from people who’ve already given us everything. Ellie’s pain, Joel’s sacrifice, Abby’s survival — it all meant something because it ended. The greatest act of love we can show this franchise now? To let it rest in peace.
