The Last Of Us Part 2 free download released ahead of HBO show return

I cannot possibly relay how hyped I am for The Last of Us’ upcoming second season.

If you’ve played The Last of Us Part II, you’ll know that we’re in for a thrilling but challenging ride.

It’s certainly a game that deals with difficult subject matter, but if season two’s 92% ‘Certified Fresh’ score on Rotten Tomatoes is anything to go by, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have nailed adapting this source material.

If you have been sleeping under a rock, The Last of Us returns this coming Sunday 13 April on HBO, which translates to the early hours of Monday 14 April via Sky and NOW if you’re here in the UK.

Before that arrives though, The Last of Us Part II has received a welcomed new update - perfect for those who are hoping to squeeze their first playthrough in or revisit the story ahead of the show’s premiere.

You can view the latest trailer for season two below.

The bulk of the update landed in Patch 2.0.0 which added several new characters and maps to The Last of Us Part II’s fantastic roguelike mode No Return.

Bill and Marlene are now both playable in the mode, each having their own challenges and skins to unlock.

Bill will adopt a ‘smuggler’ playstyle, granting players access to a new custom pump shotgun from dead drops.

He’ll receive double rewards from dead drops too, but he cannot dodge melee attacks so close quarters combat is going to prove to be tricky.

Marlene, on the other hand, is a ‘risk taker’, introducing a custom assault rifle.

She can also access ‘all or nothing’ gambits and reroute her path once per run.

As for those new maps, there’s Overlook, School, Streets, and Nest.

These are all locations experienced during either Ellie or Abby’s Seattle journeys.

Patch 2.0.0 also provided a number of gameplay fixes, but inadvertently removed players’ holsters and unlocked upgrades in the main campaign.

Thankfully, Patch 2.0.1 has since dropped rectifying this.

“To ensure progress is restored, players should access save files created prior to April 3, 2025 at 10 am PT/1 pm ET to restore lost unlockables. Earned unlockables may still be lost if you continue to play from a save created after April 3, 2025 and before updating to patch 2.0.1,” the patch notes advise.

So do make sure your game is up to date to benefit from the latest additions and fixes.