The Last of Us Part II Remastered remains one of the most ambitious narrative-driven games from Naughty Dog. The Remastered version preserves the original campaign while improving its technical presentation and adding several new ways to experience the game.

Originally released on PS4, the Remastered edition launched for PS5 in January 2024 and later arrived on PC in April 2025. The PS5 version offers improved visuals, faster loading, DualSense support and multiple graphical modes, while the PC version adds extensive graphics and display options.

Five years after the events of the first game, Ellie and Joel are living in Jackson, Wyoming. That relative stability does not last, however, and Ellie eventually embarks on a journey that takes her through a much darker chapter of her life.

The story also introduces Abby as a major playable character, creating a narrative structure that deliberately asks players to see the consequences of events from different perspectives.

Story

Storytelling is easily one of the strongest aspects of The Last of Us Part II.

The game explores themes such as grief, revenge, forgiveness, relationships and the consequences of violence. Rather than presenting a simple conflict between heroes and villains, Naughty Dog builds a story around characters with different motivations and perspectives.

Ellie’s journey is emotional and often difficult, while Abby’s perspective adds another layer to the overall narrative.

The structure can be divisive, particularly because the game changes perspective and revisits certain events from another point of view. However, that structure is an important part of how the story develops its themes.

The result is a campaign that stays with the player long after the credits.

Gameplay

The gameplay expands considerably on the foundations established by the first game.

Exploration, stealth, environmental interaction and combat work together to create encounters that feel more dynamic. The environments provide multiple ways to approach situations, while movement and positioning play an important role.

Ellie and Abby also have different abilities and gameplay characteristics, helping their sections feel distinct rather than simply repeating the same experience.

The game also puts considerable emphasis on exploration. Optional buildings, hidden areas, collectibles and environmental storytelling reward players who take their time.

Exploration

Seattle is one of the most impressive environments in the game.

Large areas give players opportunities to explore beyond the critical path, while smaller locations contain documents, collectibles and environmental details that help expand the world.

Jackson, Seattle and other locations all have their own atmosphere, and Naughty Dog uses environmental storytelling extremely effectively.

The Remastered version makes these environments even more impressive thanks to higher-resolution textures, improved shadows and greater visual detail.

Graphics

Even years after the original release, The Last of Us Part II remains visually impressive.

The Remastered version takes the presentation further on PS5 with improved texture resolution, increased level-of-detail distances, improved shadows and animation enhancements. It also offers native 4K in Fidelity Mode, an upscaled 4K Performance Mode and an unlocked frame-rate option for compatible VRR displays.

Character animations are particularly impressive. Facial expressions, body language and environmental details help make the cinematic moments feel remarkably natural.

On PC, the game also supports ultrawide and super-ultrawide displays, customizable graphics settings and technologies including DLSS and FSR.

Audio

The audio design is another major strength.

Environmental sounds make exploration more immersive, while the soundtrack complements the emotional tone of the story without constantly overwhelming the scenes.

The performances from the cast are also essential to the game’s impact. Dialogue, facial animation and subtle changes in character behavior work together extremely well.

The Remastered edition also includes additional accessibility options such as Descriptive Audio and Speech to Vibrations.

Performance

On PS5, the Remastered edition benefits from faster loading and improved visual performance compared with the original PS4 release.

The PC version provides substantially more configuration options, allowing players to adjust graphical settings according to their hardware. It also supports features such as uncapped frame rates, DirectStorage and multiple upscaling technologies.

The PC version has also received post-launch updates. A 2025 update introduced a Chronological Story mode and additional fixes and improvements.

No Return

One of the biggest additions in the Remastered edition is No Return, a roguelike survival mode built around randomized encounters.

Instead of following the main campaign, players choose characters and progress through different encounters, creating a more replayable experience.

The mode also features characters who were not playable in the original campaign, giving returning players another reason to explore the Remastered version.

For players who enjoy shorter gameplay sessions and repeated challenges, No Return adds significant value beyond the main story.

Lost Levels

The Remastered edition also includes Lost Levels, which provides an opportunity to explore early-development versions of three areas that were not included in the original game.

These sections are accompanied by developer commentary, giving players more insight into how the game was created.

It is a particularly interesting addition for players who enjoy learning about game development.

Guitar Free Play

The Guitar Free Play mode expands one of the game’s memorable musical features into its own experience.

Players can experiment with different instruments and locations while enjoying a more relaxed side of the game.

It is a relatively small addition compared with the main campaign and No Return, but it fits naturally into the game’s musical identity.

Replayability

The main campaign is a substantial single-player experience, but the Remastered version offers much more to do after finishing the story.

No Return provides repeatable gameplay, while Lost Levels, developer commentary, collectibles, Speedrun Mode and Guitar Free Play add additional reasons to return.

The 2025 Chronological Story update also provides an alternative way to experience the campaign for players who want to revisit the story from a different structural perspective.

Accessibility

Accessibility is one of the game’s strongest technical features.

The Remastered version includes a broad selection of accessibility options, with additions such as Descriptive Audio and Speech to Vibrations.

These options make the experience more adaptable to different players without compromising the core presentation.

Playtime

The main campaign is a lengthy single-player adventure, generally requiring around 20–30 hours depending on playstyle, exploration and difficulty.

Players who explore extensively, complete additional content and spend time with No Return can get considerably more value from the Remastered edition.