The Last of Us was an instant hit when it released back in 2013 on PlayStation 3, spawning a tie-in comic series and a downloadable expansion within just a few months. With a remaster, remake, sequel, and television series, the series became increasingly complex over the years. To help you make sense of it all, this The Last of Us Timeline includes all The Last of Us media in chronological order.
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The Last of Us revolves around different characters, putting the player in the shoes of Joel, Ellie, and later Abby. However, when looking at the The Last of Us Series as a whole, we figure Ellie is the character that ties everything together. That’s why we use her age as a reference to put all the pieces of the series together.
The Last of Us HBO Series follows roughly the same story as the first video game, but takes place in a different year. While the video games start with Outbreak Day in 2013 (the year the first game was originally released) and then skips twenty years to 2033, the HBO Series start with Outbreak Day in 2003 and then skips twenty years to 2023 (the year the series premiered). Although that seems to be just a mere detail (society as we know it ended long ago, so there is no technological advancement in neither media), it means the series do not take place in the same canon as the video games. It is at this time unknown if future seasons will adapt The Last of Us Part II or take a different route.
Outbreak Day (September 2013 in the video games, 2003 in the HBO Series)
In september 2013 (or 2003 in the HBO Series), years before Ellie was even born, the Cordyceps virus breaks out, infecting large parts of the population and causing huge chaos across the country. During the outbreak, Joel, his daughter Sarah and his brother Tommy try to flee from the infected.
Ellie at 13 years old (2032 in the video games, 2022 in the HBO Series)
At 13 years old, the orphan Ellie is struggling to find her place in the post-apocalyptic world of The Last of Us. While moving from one orphanage to another, she mets Riley, a girl just a little bit older showing her the ropes in life.
Ellie at 14 years old (2033-2034 in the video games, 2023 in the HBO Series)
The friendship between Ellie and Riley evolves into more, but eventually the two are caught up by destiny. This leads to Ellie meeting Joel, a mid-aged man who lost his own daughter at the beginning of the apocalypse and is ever still struggling with the hard life in the world of The Last of Us. A simple job to escort Ellie from one place to another, leads to a special relationship between the two.
Ellie between 15 and 19 years old (2034-2039 in the video games)
The following years, Ellie and Joel manage to lead a relatively normal and quiet life in Jackson. During this period, Ellie and Joel still undertake missions together, but are also leading their own lifes and slowly drift apart.
Ellie at 19 years old and older (2039 and onwards in the video games)
When Ellie is 19 years old, her and Joel’s dark past catch up with them, changing their lives forever. The events that follow, take her to Seattle. At the same time, Abby is trying to cope with her past.
This The Last of Us Timeline has been composed with as much care as possible. Nevertheless, an error may have crept into our chronological order. Are you an even bigger The Last of Us fan than we are? Please contact us and tell us what we did wrong!
