How to play The Last of Us on PS5, PS4 and PS3 – different versions explained

By Daniel Furn

Published: Wednesday, 11 January 2023 at 12:00 am

As a huge critical and commercial hit and one of PlayStation’s flagship franchises, it’s no wonder that The Last of Us is available on every console since the PS3.

With the series likely to have a whole new fanbase following the acclaimed TV show, it’s important that the decade-old game is playable and looking the part on next-gen devices.

However, the several re-releases and subtitles can get a bit confusing for newcomers and fans alike, but luckily we’re here to set the record straight on the many different versions.

So if you’re looking to play through the fan-favourite first game, here are the different versions available and their corresponding consoles.

How to play The Last of Us on PS5, PS4 and PS3

PS5: The Last of Us Part 1

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Key art for The Last of Us Part 1.
Naughty Dog

Somewhat controversially, it was announced that The Last of Us would be getting a full-priced re-release for the PS5 in 2022. However, rather than another light-touch remaster, this was a complete remake from the ground up designed to take advantage of the new hardware.

Titled The Last of Us: Part 1 – after The Last of Us: Part 2 was released in 2020 – the game features enhanced graphics with new animations, art direction and character models, revised gameplay with improved enemy AI and expanded accessibility options including audio description. PS5 features such as 3D audio and the DualSense‘s haptic feedback and adaptive features were also implemented.

The Last of Us: Part 1 also includes the Left Behind expansion, but the Factions multiplayer mode was omitted as it will be receiving a standalone sequel game instead.

We were suitably impressed in our five-star review, stating that “from the character models to the level of detail in the environments, everything feels significantly richer than it did back in the day.”

The Last of Us: Part 1 will also be the first game in the franchise to get a PC release! However for now the PS5 version is the best way to play the game, and is starting to get a price drop:

PS4: The Last of Us Remastered

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The original PS3 version released to universal acclaim in 2013, just before the launch of a new generation of consoles. And then, Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic hit got a PS4 version in 2014 titled The Last of Us Remastered.

As you’d expect from the title, The Last of Us: Remastered takes the original game and improves on the graphics and rendering capabilities, using the power of the PS4 to increase frame rates and draw distance. A photo mode and audio commentary were also added, as well as implementing DualShock 4’s touchpad, light bar and speaker into gameplay.

The Last of Us Remastered includes the Factions multiplayer mode, which still has running servers unlike the PS3 version. The Last of Us Remastered included all previously released DLC at that point, including multiplayer maps and Left Behind.

As a PS4 game, The Last of Us Remastered is playable on PlayStation 4 consoles to this day. And given that the ‘Part 1’ remake didn’t make it onto PS4, The Last of Us Remastered is still the best version on that generation of hardware.

Interestingly, The Last of Us Remastered is also playable on PS5 through backwards capacity, and is included in the PS Plus Collection. Playing this 2014 remaster is a bit cheaper than playing the 2022 remake, but remember that you won’t get the most up-to-date graphics if you opt for ‘Remastered’ instead of ‘Part 1’.

PS3: The Last of Us

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The console may be reaching old-school status now, but The Last of Us first arrived towards the end of the PS3’s life cycle in 2013.

Simply titled The Last of Us at this point, the game was developer Naughty Dog’s first new IP following the hit Uncharted series, and was released to huge critical and commercial success – often cited as one of the best games of all time and the benchmark for cinematic storytelling in video games.

DLC was later released for the game: single-player expansion Left Behind and content for the game’s Factions multiplayer mode.

Despite running on technology that is two generations old, The Last of Us remains one of the best-looking games on the PS3 and still looks pretty good to this day. While this version of the game won’t run on later consoles and the multiplayer servers were shut down a few years ago, the story is well worth a play if you still have your PS3 kicking about.