If you’ve been hovering over the "wishlist" button on Steam for what feels like an eternity, I have some good news. The wait is basically done. After years of rumors and that one slightly messy PC port of the first game, we finally have the official word on when Ellie’s brutal revenge tour hits our rigs. The Last of Us Part II Remastered PC release date was April 3, 2025. Yeah, it’s already out.
If you’re reading this in 2026, you can go download it right now. But honestly, the journey to get this game onto Windows was a bit of a rollercoaster. Naughty Dog didn’t just throw a port together; they teamed up with the wizards at Nixxes and Iron Galaxy to make sure we didn't have a repeat of the Part I launch disaster. Remember those building-sized eyebrows and the constant crashing? Everyone wanted to avoid that this time around.
What changed with The Last of Us Part II Remastered PC release date?
When Sony finally dropped the news at The Game Awards in late 2024, the community sort of exploded. We knew it was coming, but having a concrete date like April 3 made it real. The "Remastered" tag isn't just marketing fluff either. Unlike the original PS4 version, this PC build includes the No Return roguelike mode, which is surprisingly addictive.
You've got characters like Lev, Mel, and even Tommy becoming playable in these high-stakes combat loops. It’s stressful. It’s fast. It’s exactly what the core gameplay needed for people who have already finished the story three times.
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Technical stuff you actually care about
PC gamers are a picky bunch, and for good reason. We want the frames. We want the ultra-wide support. Fortunately, the port delivered on most of those fronts.
- Upscaling: It launched with support for NVIDIA DLSS 3.0 and AMD FSR 3.1.
- Aspect Ratios: If you have one of those massive 32:9 monitors, the game actually supports it natively.
- DualSense: If you plug in a PS5 controller, you get the haptic triggers. Hearing the "click" of an empty chamber through the controller vibration is kind of haunting.
It wasn't a perfect launch, though. Some players reported stuttering in the "Downtown Seattle" section early on. Patch 1.1, which dropped about a week after the release, smoothed out most of those frame pacing issues. By the time Patch 1.6 rolled around in late 2025, the game was running like a dream even on mid-range hardware.
Why did it take so long to get here?
The gap between the PS5 Remastered launch (January 2024) and the PC version was about 15 months. Why? Strategy, mostly. Sony likes to time these things. They wanted the PC release to align somewhat with the buzz of The Last of Us Season 2 on HBO. It makes sense from a business perspective, even if it’s annoying for those of us who don't own a console.
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There was also the "Nixxes Factor." Sony has been buying up porting houses to ensure their "Gold Standard" games don't tarnish their reputation on PC. After the Part I debacle, they clearly decided that "done is better than fast" was the wrong motto. They chose "right is better than soon."
The PSN Account Controversy
We have to talk about the elephant in the room. You need a PlayStation Network account to play. Even for the single-player stuff. This rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, especially in countries where PSN isn't officially supported. It’s a weird hoop to jump through, but it’s the price of admission for Sony’s first-party titles these days. On the bright side, linking your account usually gets you some early unlocks, like Ellie's Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet jacket skin.
Is it worth playing in 2026?
Honestly? Yes. Even if you know the spoilers. The level of detail in the PC version—especially with the "Lost Levels" included—is staggering. These are unfinished sequences that Naughty Dog cut from the final game, but they’ve been polished up enough to be playable with developer commentary. It’s like a "Director’s Cut" for a movie, but you get to walk around in it.
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The lighting in the "Jackson" prologue alone is enough to justify a replay if you have a card that supports Ray Tracing. The way the light hits the snow is just... it's a lot.
What to do now
If you’re ready to dive in, here’s the play:
- Check your VRAM: This game is a memory hog. If you’re running 8GB of VRAM, you might need to dial back the textures to "High" instead of "Ultra" to avoid stuttering.
- SSD is Mandatory: Don't even try installing this on a mechanical hard drive. The streaming tech for the open-world Seattle sections will just give up.
- Mods: Check out Nexus Mods. The community has already released some incredible reshades and "unlimited ammo" trainers if you just want to treat it like a sandbox.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered on PC is the definitive way to play what is arguably the most divisive and technically impressive game of the last decade. Whether you love the story or hate it, you can't deny the craft.
Actionable Next Step: Head over to Steam or the Epic Games Store and check for the "Complete Edition" bundle. Since the game has been out for a while now, it often goes on sale during the seasonal events. Grab it when it hits that 30% off sweet spot.