The release window for HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2 has been confirmed, as JB Perrette, the CEO and president of global streaming at Warner Bros. Discovery, shared that the show is set to return in the second quarter of 2025. Attending the Wells Fargo TMT Summit (via Deadline), Perrette provided updates on HBO’s upcoming programming, detailing how The Last of Us fits into the network’s schedule.
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“Our biggest tentpoles started to come back in rotation this summer withย House of The Dragonย 2, then we goย The White Lotusย which will come in the first quarter in February,” Perrette said. “Then we go intoย The Last Of Usย Season 2 in the second quarter, then we have a newย Game of Thronesย series [A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms], smaller scale series, that will come in over the summer.”
This lines up with what has previously been said about the Last of Us Season 2 release window. In November, HBO CEO Casey Bloys revealed the season was targeting a spring 2025 premiere. The second quarter of the year spans from April-June, so The Last of Us will likely return in one of those months. An exact release date has not been announced yet.
[Related: The Last of Us Season 2 Just Answered Its Biggest Question About Adapting the Game]
While The Last of Us Season 2 won’t come out for another handful of months, HBO has already started the marketing campaign. Back in September, it commemorated “The Last of Us Day” by releasing the first Season 2 trailer, offering viewers a tease of the drama and heartbreak they can expect when Joel and Ellie’s story continues. Notably, that initial trailer only reiterated 2025 as the release window, and now fans have a more specific time frame to circle on their calendars.
The Last of Us Season 2 not premiering until the spring makes sense given HBO’s schedule. The network has a busy 2025 planned with several high-profile series airing. Similar to how a movie studio will split up their major releases to give each one time to shine, HBO doesn’t want to have their shows be in direct competition with each other. The Last of Us Season 1 was universally acclaimed, securing 24 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series. Undoubtedly, expectations will be very high for the second season, and HBO is hoping to replicate Season 1’s success. Letting The Last of Us dominate the zeitgeist in the spring before passing the baton to a Game of Thrones spinoff in the summer is a sound business decision.
The only thing left to find out is the release date. Interestingly, The Last of Us Part II video game was released on June 19, 2020, which falls into the second quarter window HBO is eyeing. It’s possible the network will celebrate the game’s fifth anniversary by having The Last of Us Season 2 premiere in June 2025. However, that could push it too close against A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which is targeting the summer. With that in mind, it might be more plausible for The Last of Us to be slotted in April or May, giving more separation between HBO’s tentpoles. But since the release window is fast approaching, an official release date for The Last of Us will likely be announced soon.
