If you have been hoping for a swift follow-up to The Last of Us Part II, the latest reports suggest the wait is going to be a significant one. Between Naughty Dog’s packed development slate, Neil Druckmann’s departure from the HBO series to focus on games, and no official announcement in sight, The Last of Us Part 3 remains one of gaming’s most anticipated unknowns. Here is everything confirmed, everything rumoured, and a realistic look at when Part 3 could actually arrive.
The Last of Us Part 3 Current Status — Overview
| Detail | Current Status |
| Official announcement | Not confirmed |
| Confirmed next Naughty Dog game | Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet |
| Rumoured second project | New Uncharted game (unverified leak) |
| Story concept for Part 3 | Confirmed to exist by Druckmann |
| Earliest realistic window | Late 2020s to early 2030s |
| Expected platform | PS6 era |
Is The Last of Us Part 3 in Development?
Naughty Dog has not officially confirmed The Last of Us Part 3 as an active project. However, the situation is more nuanced than a flat no. Neil Druckmann has publicly acknowledged that a strong story concept and outline exists for a third game, describing it as a comparable scale to previous entries and referencing what he called “a few stops that remain on the road ahead.” Fans have interpreted these comments as quiet confirmation that Part 3 is at least planned, even if full production has not started.
The studio’s confirmed and publicly announced priority is Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, a brand-new IP directed and written by Druckmann. It has been in development since around 2020 and remains Naughty Dog’s primary focus heading into 2027.
A recent report from insider source Alir, who gained credibility following a couple of accurate PlayStation leaks, claims Naughty Dog is also working on a new Uncharted game. This is supported by social media activity from some Naughty Dog developers, though it remains unconfirmed. Critically, this report makes no mention of The Last of Us Part 3 being in active production right now.
However, it is worth noting that Naughty Dog appears to be operating as a two-team studio, meaning a secondary project could run in parallel with Intergalactic rather than purely after it. Some industry insiders suggest Part 3 may already be in very early or pre-production stages quietly alongside the studio’s main work. None of this is confirmed, but it does mean the timeline could be shorter than a fully sequential development model suggests.
When Could The Last of Us Part 3 Release?
Working through the known timeline honestly, here is how the projected schedule looks:
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet — expected mid-2027 at the earliest, with some reports suggesting it could push later given the scope of building a new IP from scratch.
New Uncharted game — if the leak proves accurate and this is a secondary project running in parallel, it may not add as much time to the overall wait as a fully sequential model would suggest.
The Last of Us Part 3 — the most realistic window, assuming some degree of parallel development and a direct follow-on from Intergalactic, places Part 3 somewhere between 2029 and 2032. A more pessimistic sequential timeline, where every project follows the last with no overlap, pushes this closer to the mid-2030s. Most industry and fan speculation currently centres on the late 2020s to early 2030s as the realistic range.
What is broadly agreed upon is that The Last of Us Part 3 will not release on PS5. Any release on PS6 would most likely come mid-generation, similar to how The Last of Us Part II launched on PS4 with a later PS5 upgrade.
What Neil Druckmann Has Said
Druckmann’s most significant public move came in July 2025, when he stepped back from creative involvement in the HBO television series to focus entirely on Naughty Dog. In his statement, he confirmed he was leaving ahead of Season 3 production to concentrate on writing and directing the studio’s next game, which is understood to be Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
However, Druckmann has not been entirely silent on The Last of Us franchise’s future. His comments about remaining story to tell and the existence of a Part 3 concept have kept speculation alive. The departure from HBO was framed not as a retreat from storytelling but as a commitment to bringing that storytelling back to games. He remains an executive producer on the show but holds no creative day-to-day role in Season 3.
The HBO Series and What It Means for the Games
While the game’s future remains in the distance, The Last of Us franchise continues actively through HBO. Season 3 is confirmed and targeting a 2027 release, with filming and pre-production ramping up in early 2026. Craig Mazin leads the show going forward.
Season 3 will shift perspective to Abby’s story, taking the narrative back to Seattle Day One and showing events from The Last of Us Part II through her eyes. Mazin has indicated Season 3 will likely be longer than Season 2, and has openly discussed the possibility of a fourth season to fully complete the story.
The confirmed and new cast for Season 3 includes:
| Character | Actor | Status |
| Ellie | Bella Ramsey | Returning |
| Abby | Kaitlyn Dever | Returning |
| Dina | Isabela Merced | Returning, promoted to series regular |
| Tommy | Gabriel Luna | Expected to return |
| Isaac | Jeffrey Wright | Expected to return |
| Jerry (Abby’s father) | Patrick Wilson | New addition |
| Hanley (WLF soldier) | Jason Ritter | New addition |
| Yara | Michelle Mao | New addition |
| Lev | Kyriana Kratter | New addition |
| Manny | Jorge Lendeborg Jr. | Recast (replacing Danny Ramirez) |
Ariela Barer and Tati Gabrielle have also been promoted to series regulars, signalling expanded roles for their characters in Season 3.
The Realistic Takeaway
The honest answer to when The Last of Us Part 3 will arrive is that no one outside Naughty Dog knows, and the studio has not made any public commitment. What is clear is that the franchise remains very much alive, a story concept exists, and Druckmann has signalled genuine intent to return to it.
The most optimistic scenario places Part 3 in development now in an early pre-production capacity, with a potential release in the late 2020s to early 2030s if Naughty Dog’s two-team structure allows for parallel progress. The more cautious scenario, where projects follow each other sequentially, pushes the window into the early-to-mid 2030s.
In the meantime, the HBO series with Season 3 arriving in 2027 keeps the world of The Last of Us very much present for fans, delivering the next chapter of Ellie and Abby’s story while the games side of the franchise takes its time getting there.
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