Is The Last of Us season 2 over? Here's why it's only 7 episodes long

26 May 2025, 21:31 | Updated: 26 May 2025, 21:36

Is The Last of Us season 2 over? Episode 7 is the finale episode and there will be no episode 8. Picture: HBO

By Katie Louise Smith

Is The Last of Us season 2 episode 8 happening? Co-creator Craig Mazin ended the season at episode 7 for a very specific reason.

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Wondering when The Last of Us season 2 episode 8 comes out? Sadly, there won't be an episode 8. There are no more episodes of season 2, as episode 7 served as the big finale. So why was the season so short? Here's the reason...

Starring Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal (for like, 3 episodes – RIP Joel!), The Last of Us season 2 acts as the first instalment of the massive sprawling storyline from the second game.

The Last of Us: Part II's ambitious narrative involves two timelines (Ellie's story and Abby's story) happening at the same time, and the game abruptly switches between the two. Of course, that's far too much to pack into one season.

Co-creator Craig Mazin has already revealed that Part II's storyline will be told across two (or potentially even three) seasons, and now he's also explained why season 2 was two episodes shorter than season 1.

Read more: Is Ellie dead in The Last of Us season 2? Finale explained and who Abby shot revealed
Read more: Does Abby die in The Last of Us? Here's what happens in the game

Are there any more episodes of The Last of Us season 2?

The Last of Us season 3 will focus on Abby's storyline in the wake of her killing Joel. Picture: HBO

Why was The Last of Us season 2 so short?

Speaking to Deadline about season 2's episode count, co-creator Craig Mazin said: "The story material that we got from Part II of the game is way more than the story material that was in the first game, so part of what we had to do from the start was figure out how to tell that story across seasons."

"When you do that, you look for natural breakpoints, and as we laid it out, this season, the [natural] breakpoint felt like it came after seven episodes," he added.

Season 2 episode 7 ('Convergence') sees Ellie finally get closer to tracking down Abby. At the end of the episode, the two finally come face-to-face for the first time since Abby killed Joel in the lodge way back in episode 2.

However, we've yet to see any of Abby's storyline leading up to their confrontation so it makes sense to end the Ellie-centric season at that pivotal moment.

That doesn't mean we're getting less of the storyline though, as Mazin has confirmed that season 3 and likely 4 are on the cards. It does mean, however, that we're going to have to wait a long time to see the rest.

The Last of Us season 2's finale sees Abby and Ellie come face-to-face. Picture: HBO via YouTube

How many episodes will The Last of Us season 3 have?

While it hasn't been confirmed yet, Mazin has teased that already-renewed season 3 – which will now focus on Abby's side of the story – will be "significantly larger" then season 2.

"We don’t think that we’re going to be able to tell the story even within two seasons [2 and 3] because we’re taking our time and go down interesting pathways which we did a little bit in Season 1 too," Mazin said. "We feel like it’s almost assuredly going to be the case that — as long as people keep watching and we can keep making more television — Season 3 will be significantly larger."

"One thing is absolutely for sure, I don’t see how we could tell the story that remains after Season 2 is complete in one more season,” he added.