The Last Of Us EPs Drop Terrifying Season 3 Hints: Here's Everything We Know So Far

The Last of Us Season 3 doesn't even have a premiere date yet, and we're already scared.

In our defense, the show's co-creators have hinted that two highly disturbing elements from The Last of Us Part II video game will show up when the HBO drama returns for its third round.

During a recent call with reporters, executive producers Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann were asked for quick Season 3 teases. "Rats, what should we talk about?" Mazin said, laughing, the wordplay likely pointing to the rat king infected, a conjoined clicker, stalker and bloater that is incredibly difficult to kill. The creature shows up in The Last of Us Part II video game.

Meanwhile, Druckmann pointed out a Seattle landmark that showed up in the Season 2 finale and that'll have greater significance in the future — particularly for Abby. "There's a certain crane that you're seeing in Episode 7 that's very telling," he said. (If you want a sneak peek from the game, go here.)

Season 2 came to a close with Ellie's fate uncertain after Abby confronted her at the theater. After Abby fired a gun, the screen went black. The next thing we knew, the action had rewound a few days... only the viewers now were seeing things from Abby's perspective. On-screen text informed us that we were watching Seattle Day 1 all over again. (Read a full finale recap here.)

It'll be a while before Ellie & Co. will be back. In the meantime, we'll continue to gather all the intel we can, including cast, trailers, photos and premiere info. Make sure to come back to this post often. And right now, scroll down to see everything we know (so far) about The Last of Us Season 3.

At the moment, HBO hasn't said anything about what will happen in Season. However, given that Season 2 ended with a switch to Abby's perspective, we're guessing that at least the beginning of the coming season will concern itself with Kaitlyn Dever's character and her experiences in The Last of Us Part II video game.

In a call with reporters, Mazin said of the Dina/Ellie relationship: "Where it's going should be fascinating, given the circumstances that we now all know: Dina is pregnant, and the two of them are committed to each other. That said, there is another side to this story that we have yet to really delve into. And there's no question that Abby is the hero of her story, Kaitlyn Dever is the hero of a story always, you know. I mean, if you have a Kaitlyn Dever, you use a Kaitlyn Dever. So, I think where we go next, all I can say is, it will always be centering somebody, whether it's Ellie and Dina, or whether it's Abby and Abby's relationship with Owen, or new relationships."

We don't yet know how closely Season 3 will follow — and potentially go beyond — the plot of The Last of Us Part II. Mazin has said that he doesn't think he and Druckmann will be able to complete the story in just one more season, indicating that a Season 4 may be necessary to do so. As of now, the drama is renewed only through Season 3.

The official Season 3 cast list hasn't been released, but there's a good chance that the returning cast will include Bella Ramsey, Isabela Merced, Kaitlyn Dever, Gabriel Luna, Danny Ramirez and Jeffrey Wright.

But what about Pedro Pascal, whose character, Joel, died in Season 2? Click here to see what Mazin and Druckmann have to say about Joel's presence in Season 3.

No word yet on which actors will join the Season 3 cast, but we'll update this post as soon as any names are announced.

HBO hasn't released a Season 3 premiere date yet, but we will update this post as soon as information becomes available. For context: Season 1 premiered in January 2023, and Season 2 premiered in April 2025.

We don't know yet how many episodes Season 3 will have; we'll let you know as soon as we find out. Season 1 consisted of nine episodes, and Season 2 consisted of seven.

There's no trailer right now. We'll update this post as soon as one becomes available.

The Last of Us Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming in their entirety on HBO Max.