‘The Last Of Us’ fans celebrate five years of “masterpiece” sequel

The Last Of Us fans have taken to social media to celebrate the fifth anniversary of “masterpiece” sequel, The Last Of Us Part 2.

• READ MORE: ‘The Last Of Us Part 2 Remastered’ review: depressing, but worth it

The Last Of Us Part 2 was released on June 19, 2020 and was set four years after the events of the original game. However the sequel was initially met with mixed reviews from fans due to the early death of Joel, the beloved protagonist from the first game, and the introduction of his murderer Abby as a playable character.

Five years later, the game has gone on to sell more than 10million copies and fans have been praising the hit sequel on its fifth anniversary.

Taking to social media, developers Naughty Dog wrote: “Happy birthday, kiddo. The Last Of Us Part 2 was released five years ago today on June 19, 2020! A huge thank you to all the fans who have experienced Ellie and Abby’s pivotal journeys.”

The official PlayStation X account followed suit, with a clip of Ellie playing ‘Happy Birthday’ on acoustic guitar.

Happy 5th anniversary to The Last of Us Part II!

Let's celebrate with a song pic.twitter.com/TKM63SKpZi

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) June 19, 2025

“One of the best revenge stories ever,” wrote one fan. “Five years later and we’re still emotionally destroyed,” said another fan. “One of the best games ever made,” added a third. “It’s been five years and no game has yet to top this masterpiece in terms of story and gameplay,” said another fan.

However there are still plenty of fans who are annoyed about the sequel. A popular subreddit dedicated to the original game claims The Last Of Us Part 2 isn’t canon, while plenty of fans have taken to social media to air their grievances about the game. “Happy fifth to the worst story in gaming!,” wrote one gamer.

“Ah yes. Five years of watching Ellie suffer, Abby flex, Joel get golfballed into oblivion, and fans emotionally spiral while pretending this was still ‘fun.’ Thanks, Naughty Dog, for the gift that keeps on traumatising. Can we all agree that celebrating this like it’s a cherished childhood memory is a little wild,” added another.

The first part of HBO’s adaptation of The Last Of Us Part 2 aired earlier this year, with two more seasons to come. Despite a drop in viewership compared to the first season of The Last Of Us, the second season reportedly inspired millions of viewers to try out the game.

The second season of The Last Of Us also saw creator Neil Druckmann reignite the debate about a potential cure being made from Ellie’s blood.

In other news, indie-co-op game Peak has surprised everyone by selling a million copies in under a week.

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