It feels like Joel and Ellie have been part of our lives forever. Seriously, try to remember a time before "Clickers" were a thing or before every other game tried to copy that gritty, "sad dad" energy. It's tough. If you're scratching your head wondering when did tlou come out, you aren't alone. Between the original release, the remasters, the remakes, and that massive HBO show, the timeline is kind of a mess.
Let's cut through the noise. The very first time the world met Joel and Ellie was June 14, 2013.
👉 See also: The Masque of Clavicus Vile: Why This Trickster’s Gift is Rarely Worth the Price
It arrived at the tail end of the PlayStation 3’s life cycle. People thought the console was done, but Naughty Dog squeezed every last drop of power out of that hardware to give us a masterpiece. It wasn't just a game; it was a cultural shift.
The original release and the Remastered era
When the first The Last of Us dropped in June 2013, it was a massive deal. I remember the hype—the trailers with Gustavo Santaolalla's haunting guitar strings—but nobody really expected it to hit that hard. It sold over a million copies in its first week. That's wild for a new IP that wasn't a shooter like Call of Duty.
But Sony didn't stop there.
The PlayStation 4 launched just a few months later, and everyone wanted to see what those better graphics could do. So, on July 29, 2014, we got The Last of Us Remastered. It gave us 60 frames per second and included the Left Behind DLC, which had originally launched for the PS3 on February 14, 2014. If you were a gamer in the mid-2010s, this was basically the gold standard for what a "Remaster" should look like.
When did TLOU come out on other platforms?
For the longest time, the answer was "it didn't." It was a strict PlayStation exclusive. You wanted it? You bought a Sony box. That changed eventually, but it took a decade. Here is the breakdown of the major milestones:
✨ Don't miss: Why funny video game nicknames are the real meta of online gaming
- PS3 Original: June 14, 2013.
- PS4 Remastered: July 29, 2014.
- PS5 Remake (Part I): September 2, 2022.
- PC Version (Part I): March 28, 2023.
The PC launch was... let’s be honest, it was a bit of a train wreck at first. Shaders taking hours to build, crashes, weird eyebrow glitches—it was a mess. They've patched it since then, but it’s a reminder that even the biggest franchises can stumble when moving to Windows.
The sequel that divided everyone
We can't talk about when the series came out without mentioning the sequel. The Last of Us Part II had a rocky road to release. It was supposed to come out earlier, but then the pandemic hit, and then there were those massive story leaks that set the internet on fire.
The official release date for Part II was June 19, 2020.
It was a weird time to release a game about a global pandemic, honestly. Everyone was stuck at home, and suddenly we were playing this incredibly heavy, depressing (in a good way) story about revenge. Then, naturally, because Sony loves a refresh, we got The Last of Us Part II Remastered for the PS5 on January 19, 2024.
And for the PC crowd? You finally got your hands on Part II Remastered on April 3, 2025. It took five years, but the PC port was significantly more stable than the first game's disastrous debut.
Jumping to the small screen
The reason a lot of people are asking when did tlou come out right now isn't even because of the games. It's because of Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. The HBO adaptation changed everything. It proved that video game movies and shows don't have to suck.
The show premiered on January 15, 2023.
It was a Sunday night. I remember Twitter basically melting down. It brought in millions of viewers who had never picked up a controller in their lives. Suddenly, your grandma knew what a Firefly was. Following that massive success, Season 2 premiered on April 13, 2025, covering the events of the second game (or at least the start of them).
Why the dates actually matter
Understanding the release timeline helps explain why the game looks the way it does. The 2013 version was a miracle of engineering for its time. The 2022 "Part I" remake wasn't just a resolution bump; it was a complete ground-up rebuild to make the first game's tech match the second game's animations.
If you're looking to jump in today, you have choices. You can play the "Part I" remake on PS5 or PC for the best visual experience. Or, if you're feeling nostalgic (or frugal), the PS4 Remastered version still holds up surprisingly well and is usually dirt cheap.
Actionable Steps for Newcomers:
- Check your hardware: If you have a PS5, get The Last of Us Part I. Don't settle for the PS4 version unless you're on a budget.
- Watch the show first? Kinda. If you want to experience the story with zero spoilers, play the game first. The game’s pacing is better for the emotional beats.
- Don't skip Left Behind: Whether you play the original or the remake, the DLC is essential. It’s short—maybe three hours—but it recontextualizes Ellie’s entire character.
- PC players, beware specs: Even in 2026, the PC ports are demanding. Make sure your drivers are updated and you have plenty of VRAM before trying to run Part I or Part II at 4K.
The franchise has come a long way since that summer Friday in 2013. It’s gone from a "zombie game" to a prestige TV drama and a technical powerhouse. Whether you’re here for the gameplay or the tears, knowing the timeline helps you appreciate just how much Naughty Dog has iterated on this world over the last thirteen years.