After weeks of uncertainty, Sony finally set the date: on April 27, 2020, Hermen Hulst, head of PlayStation Studios, confirmed on the PlayStation Blog that The Last of Us Part II would arrive on PlayStation 4 on June 19, 2020. In the same announcement, Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima got a July 17 date.
Naughty Dog’s game had come down a path full of changes. Announced in December 2016, it was given a February 21, 2020 date in September 2019. In October, Neil Druckmann delayed the release to May 29, to bring the whole game to the level of polish the studio calls “Naughty Dog quality”. On April 2, 2020, Sony said the game was nearly ready but delayed indefinitely due to logistics problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the April 27 note, Hulst justified the new date by the improvement in the global distribution outlook and congratulated both teams for reaching the home stretch under those circumstances. The announcement came right after an enormous leak: at the end of April, several videos with scenes, gameplay and important story details appeared on the internet. Druckmann said he was “devastated” for the fans and for the team, who had devoted years to the project. For those who wanted to come to the game without spoilers, the set date was the best possible news, because it shortened the time of exposure to that material.
What came next
The Last of Us Part II was released on June 19, 2020 and sold more than four million copies in its opening weekend, the fastest-selling PS4 exclusive to that point. Critics praised its gameplay, sound, score, performances and visuals, and the game racked up 326 game of the year awards, according to sites that track these honors. In 2021, an update unlocked 60 frames per second on PS5. The Last of Us Part II Remastered followed for PS5 in January 2024, and the PC version in April 2025.
Where to buy
Source: PlayStation Blog.
Max Xavier
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