Naughty Dog has a reputation. They’re the "prestige" studio. When people talk about The Last of Us, they usually focus on Joel and Ellie’s cross-country trek, the brutal combat, or that ending that launched a thousand Reddit debates. But honestly? Some of the best writing the studio has ever produced isn't in the main game. It’s tucked away in the only major piece of story-driven Last of Us DLC ever released: Left Behind.
It’s been over a decade since we first met Riley in that abandoned mall. Since then, we’ve seen a massive sequel, a controversial remake, and a hit HBO show. Yet, Left Behind remains a weirdly essential piece of the puzzle. It’s not just "extra content." It’s the connective tissue that explains who Ellie is and why she clings to Joel with such desperation. If you haven't played it—or if you only watched the TV version—you're missing the nuances of why this specific expansion changed how developers approach DLC.
What Last of Us DLC Actually Offers
Most people think of DLC as a way to get more guns or a few extra hours of "more of the same." Left Behind didn't do that. Instead, it split the narrative into two distinct timelines. One half follows Ellie in the present (during the "Winter" chapter of the main game) as she scavenges a Colorado mall to find medical supplies for a dying Joel. The other half is a flashback to her time at a FEDRA boarding school, sneaking out with her best friend Riley for one last night of fun.
The contrast is jarring. In the present, everything is blue, cold, and lonely. Ellie is a hunter. She’s terrified. In the past, the lighting is warm. She’s just a kid. She’s awkward. You spend twenty minutes just messing around with a Halloween mask or competing in a brick-throwing contest.
It was a bold move.
Imagine being a developer and telling your bosses that the big climax of your expensive expansion isn't a boss fight—it's a pretend game of The Turning at a broken arcade cabinet. But it worked. It worked because it grounded the violence of the main game in something human.
Why No More Single-Player DLC Happened
There’s a lot of noise online about why we never got more Last of Us DLC. Fans spent years begging for a Tommy-centric expansion or something showing Ish’s life in the sewers. Naughty Dog almost did it. There were rumors and light confirmation from Neil Druckmann that stories were kicked around, particularly regarding Anna (Ellie's mom).
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Ultimately, the studio shifted focus.
- The Scale of Part II: Developing the sequel took nearly seven years. It was an all-hands-on-deck situation.
- The Factions Fiasco: Naughty Dog spent years working on a standalone multiplayer game set in the TLOU universe. That project, which many hoped would include narrative "episodes," was eventually cancelled in late 2023.
- Resource Management: AAA development is expensive. Really expensive. Naughty Dog decided that if they were going to tell a new story, it needed to be a full-scale game, not a three-hour add-on.
It sucks for fans who want bite-sized stories. But it also protects the legacy of Left Behind. By not oversaturating the world with "The Adventures of Bill" or "Marlene’s Secret Diary," the existing story stays potent.
The HBO Effect and the 2026 Perspective
Looking at the Last of Us DLC in 2026 is interesting because of the TV show. Episode 7 of the first season was a direct adaptation of Left Behind. It brought Riley (played by Storm Reid) to a massive mainstream audience.
But there’s a nuance in the game that the show couldn't quite capture: the gameplay/narrative dissonance. In the game’s "present" segments, Ellie has to fight both Infected and human Hunters simultaneously. This was a new mechanic introduced in the DLC. You could throw a bottle to lead a Clicker toward a group of scavengers and let them kill each other while you hid.
It was a metaphor. Ellie was learning to use the world against itself.
The DLC proved that Ellie was capable of surviving without Joel long before the events of Part II. It recontextualized her character from a "package to be delivered" to a protagonist in her own right.
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The Missing Pieces: Grounded and Abandoned Territories
We should probably talk about the stuff that isn't story-driven. When people search for Last of Us DLC, they sometimes stumble upon the old PS3-era map packs. Abandoned Territories and Reclaimed Territories.
These were for the Factions multiplayer mode. Back in 2013, the idea of "Season Passes" was in its infancy. You’d buy a pack, get four maps, and maybe some new perks. It was a different era. Today, all that content is bundled into The Last of Us Remastered (PS4) and The Last of Us Part I (PS5/PC).
If you're playing the modern versions of the game, you don't even see a "DLC" menu. Left Behind is just there, baked into the main experience. It’s easy to forget it was once a separate $15 purchase that people debated the "value" of on forums.
The Reality of What's Next
So, is there more coming?
Short answer: No.
Longer answer: Naughty Dog is currently working on a new IP and, presumably, the early stages of The Last of Us Part III. There have been zero credible leaks suggesting a return to DLC for Part II. The "No Return" roguelike mode added to The Last of Us Part II Remastered is the closest we’ve gotten to an expansion in years, but that’s a mechanical update, not a narrative one.
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There is a lesson here for the industry. While other games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Elden Ring use massive DLCs to "fix" or "complete" their worlds, Naughty Dog used the Last of Us DLC to ask a question: Who was Ellie before the world ended?
How to Experience the Story Today
If you’re coming to this fresh, don’t play the DLC first.
I know some people suggest playing it chronologically, but that’s a mistake. The emotional weight of seeing Ellie fight for Joel in the mall only works if you’ve already spent twenty hours growing attached to them. The flashback scenes with Riley are more heartbreaking when you know what Ellie’s future holds.
- Play the main game until the "Fall" chapter ends.
- Stop once the screen fades to black after the ranch house/University scenes.
- Boot up Left Behind.
- Finish it, then go back to the main game's "Winter" chapter.
This "machete order" makes the narrative hit like a freight train. It bridges the gap between Ellie the child and Ellie the survivor.
Actionable Steps for the Ultimate TLOU Experience
- Check your version: If you have The Last of Us Part I on PS5 or PC, Left Behind is already included in the "Chapters" or "Main Menu" section. You don't need to buy anything extra.
- Find the Artifacts: Unlike the main game, the DLC relies heavily on environmental storytelling. Read the notes in the mall. They tell a secondary story about a crew of survivors that failed where Ellie succeeded.
- Engagement over Combat: In the flashback sequences, don't rush. Interact with every store. Put on the masks. Play the "No Pun Intended" joke book segments. The DLC’s value isn't in the kill count; it's in the silence between the chaos.
- Listen to the Podcast: If you want the "Expert" level of depth, listen to The Official Last of Us Podcast. The episode on Left Behind features Ashley Johnson and Neil Druckmann discussing the specific challenges of capturing the "first kiss" scene in a way that felt authentic for 2014.
The legacy of the Last of Us DLC isn't about the hours played. It's about the fact that ten years later, we're still talking about a shopping mall photo booth and a broken carousel. It proved that in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, the most terrifying thing isn't a monster—it's the fear of being left behind by the person you love.