'The Last of Us' season 2 release date revealed — here's when it's coming to HBO and Max

Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller in The Last of Us season 2

(Image credit: Max)

"The Last of Us" season 2 has been many people's most anticipated show of the year. And HBO ramped the anticipation up to 10 when they revealed a release window back in January.

But now HBO has cranked it up to 11 because we have an official release date that's hopefully set in stone. HBO just announced that "The Last of Us" season 2 will premiere on HBO and Max on Sunday, April 13 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

The Last Of Us Season 2 | April 2025 | Max - YouTube

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Of course, things can still change between now and then, but we're confident this release date will stick. April 13 is now less than two months away and HBO desperately wants this show to make it under the wire for the next Primetime Emmy Awards, which only accepts TV shows that air by the end of May.

Everything you need to know about 'The Last of Us' season 2

Kaitlyn Dever in The Last of Us — (Image credit: Max)

Season 2 adds a couple of new wrinkles to the world Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann crafted in season 1. For starters, we are jumping five years into the future after the events of season 1. This falls in line with what happens in the video game "The Last of Us: Part II," but notably our actors have not aged five years in real life. I don't think it will ultimately be an issue, but time jumps have not always gone smoothly for HBO in the past.

We are also getting a host of new characters. We do have some familiar faces — Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Gabriel Luna as Tommy, and Rutina Wesley as Maria. But season 2 introduces Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny, Jeffrey Wright as Isaac and Catherine O’Hara in a still undisclosed role.

One of those news characters in particular will play a major role in what could become one of the biggest moments in television history, but I'm not spoiling that for you here. If you want to be spoiled about this iconic moment from "The Last of Us: Part II," check out our own Rory Mellon's thoughts about what to possibly expect this season.

"The Last of Us" season 2 will consist of seven episodes, running weekly on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT starting on April 13. If you haven't seen the first season yet, you can stream it now on Max.

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Malcolm McMillan is a Streaming Editor for Tom's Guide, covering all the latest in streaming TV shows and movies. That means news, analysis, recommendations, reviews and more for just about anything you can watch, including sports! If it can be seen on a screen, he can write about it.

Before writing for Tom's Guide, Malcolm worked as a fantasy football analyst writing for several sites and also had a brief stint working for Microsoft selling laptops, Xbox products and even the ill-fated Windows phone. He is passionate about video games and sports, though both cause him to yell at the TV frequently. He proudly sports many tattoos, including an Arsenal tattoo, in honor of the team that causes him to yell at the TV the most.