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The Last Of Us games take you on a cross-country journey through an apocalyptic United States. Though the series deservedly received the most praise for its storytelling, the use of location throughout both entries is just as impressive.
Memorable locations in gaming normally leave an impact by providing a setting for a gut-wrenching story beat or for containing a great segment of gameplay, and The Last of Us is no different. Being a Naughty Dog game, you can expect each setting to be rendered in stunning detail. From bombed out cities to quiet pre-apocalypse neighborhoods, here are some of the most iconic apocalyptic locales in The Last Of Us.
Updated on March 5, 2023, by Keitha Sims-Korba: While it's always been popular, The Last of Us now finds itself deeply embedded into the public consciousness. With the HBO show growing more popular by the day, and the release of The Last of Us Part 1 on PC in the coming weeks, we thought we would revisit some of the locations that make this series so special. We love the characters, of course, but we can't ignore the significant lifting that some of these iconic locations do for the story. So, once again, let's explore the best The Last of Us locations.
Warning: Some spoilers for the games and HBO series ahead.
15 The Skybridge - The Last Of Us Part 2
There is no horizon up here - only mist and fog. Part 2's Skybridge is an inventive, unique location that puts Abby through the wringer. Not because it's a challenging combat area - your enemies are few and far between - but because Abby is terrified of heights. And the Skybridge doesn't exactly feel up to code.
Built from the bones of modernity, the Skybridge is a rickety connection of massive cranes, metal bars, and wooden planks, held together with what feels like hope, connecting Seattle's skyscrapers. It's a much faster way to get around, as Lev points out. Yet, for both you and Abby, every step feels like it could be the last.
14 Ish's Community - The Last Of Us
There's no one living down here, only infected - and they don't make great hosts. So you'll wander through passageways with childlike chalk drawings, find classrooms and water purification, and pick up notes from someone called Ish, detailing the fall of his home.
Now, this is nothing but a catacomb - with hints of tragedy etched into every stone. The HBO interpretation of Ish's home is slight - picking up notes and reading them aloud wouldn't make for exciting TV. Instead, it offers a moment of respite for our protagonists, further fleshing out their motivations and elevating their character arcs.
13 Silver Lake - The Last Of Us
Navigating in a blizzard is never easy. Silver Lake, the location of David's cannibal community, is plagued by a fierce white-out from the moment Ellie escapes David's clutches.
The most memorable scene in Silver Lake happens at a steakhouse, where Ellie eludes and fights David as the building burns around them. It is one of the franchise's most visually striking and emotionally-hitting moments.
12 The Boston QZ - The Last Of Us
Things are not great in the Boston QZ. In the game, most of the QZ's goings happen in the background - it's all environmental and requires active engagement. This grey world is full of conflict and unease, setting the tone for what's to come.
The HBO show uses this bleak setting to its advantage, expanding on details hinted at but never fully shown. You're forced to watch the hanging executions of rule-breakers and see what an "honest" day's work is as you watch Joel drift through his life. Survival, but not life.
11 Lakeville Seattle Hospital - The Last Of Us Part 2
This is the last place you want to be. The hospital was ground zero for Seattle's share of the outbreak, its triage ward a testament to those who fell prey - literally - to the unstoppable effects of cordyceps. You'll find ancient patients wandering through the tube-like halls, the only shreds of their humanity remaining found in artifacts in the form of notes. They were like you once. But that time has long since passed.
Here you will also find the most deadly and horrifying creature in The Last of Us's history: the enormous Rat King, an amalgamation of several Infected that doesn't take kindly to Abby's presence, regardless of how honorable her intentions may be. There's no running or hiding from this one - you must fight. And you must win.
10 Santa Barbara - The Last Of Us Part 2
The final act of The Last Of Part 2 pits both Abby and Ellie against the 'Rattlers,' a group of hunters with no qualms about using slave labor. The Rattlers have settled themselves inside of Santa Barbara, California, with their main headquarters being a seaside resort that's been converted into a fortress.
Santa Barbara is distinct from nearly every other location in the series thanks to its coastal setting. The infected you encounter are sunburnt and covered in sand, and the Rattlers themselves wear beach gear under their body armor.
9 Pittsburgh Suburbs - The Last Of Us
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Much of The Last Of Us’s midgame is dedicated to Joel and Ellie’s escape from Pittsburgh after being ambushed by a group of marauders. Inside the city, the pair encounter Henry and Sam, two brothers caught in a similar ambush. Together the quartet of survivors are able to escape Pittsburgh, but making it to the suburbs isn’t the end of the fight.
You will remember the Suburbs section for its final battle with a well-guarded sniper. It’s a nail-biting and wildly fun asymmetrical encounter that likely ended more than a few Grounded runs. While the HBO adaptation doesn't take place in Pittsburgh, trading it for the more Midwestern Kansas City, it manages to feel just as nerve-wracking as in the game. Here, the chase is personal and motivated by a grief so consuming that it leads to characters ignoring obvious threats, culminating in the appearance of the iconic Bloater.
8 Bill’s Town - The Last Of Us
After escaping the military at the courthouse in Boston, Joel decides to cash in a favor with former acquaintance Bill. Humanity has declined to the point where anyone can simply consume control of an entire town, and that’s exactly what Bill does. It’s only a few minutes after arrival that Joel and Ellie discover one of Bill’s traps, which litter the town.
It’s not a completely unfounded call for Bill to be so well-defended since even though it’s his town, it is still infested with infected. The HBO series changes Bill's Town significantly - yes, it's still full of booby traps, but it's closer to a gated community than a town, and no infected wander its streets. Here, Bill and Frank live into old age in their strangely peaceful corner of the post-apocalypse. It's different, but it packs an emotional punch that no one is likely to soon forget.
7 Ellie And Dina’s Farm - The Last Of Us Part 2
After narrowly escaping Seattle and seemingly giving up on their revenge quest, Ellie and Dina retreat to a tiny home near Jackson to raise Dina’s newborn, JJ. It’s an almost storybook ending for Ellie, who is finally able to enjoy some peace on the small farm.
But it’s not meant to be. Ellie is too fixated on revenge against Abby and decides to pursue her to California. When Ellie returns, Dina and JJ are gone, and the farm has lost all of its warmth.
6 SoundView Stadium - The Last Of Us Part 2
What form could society take after a fungus zombie apocalypse? A potential answer comes in the form of SoundView Stadium, which serves as the headquarters for the Washington Liberation Front. The stadium has been fully converted into a settlement for the group, with working farms, an armory and apartments.
The few short minutes we get to spend within the stronghold is a fantastic bit of world-building for The Last Of Us universe. It’s a shame we don’t get to see how it is affected by the events of The Last Of Us Part 2.
5 The University of Eastern Colorado - The Last Of Us
The warm autumn tones of the Colorado University that Joel and Ellie believe the Fireflies occupy are deceptively welcoming. The pair believe that this is the end of their journey, as conveyed by their excited banter.
You will quickly realize that not all is well with the University. Infected still roam freely around the campus just like any other of the abandoned places the pair have visited. It’s not too long before Joel and Ellie discover the remains of the Firefly’s university garrison. While it's a more peaceful experience in the show - there are no Infected, and the human resistance they meet is minimal - the eerie calm, coupled with the warm color scheme, make the university as unsettling as its game counterpart.
4 Jackson - The Last Of Us Part 2
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The early hours of The Last Of Us Part 2 are spent in Jackson, Wyoming, one of the last beacons of civilization in the country. While the outside World is still grim, Jackson has regained access to power, water, and many of the other trappings of civilization. Joel and Ellie live in moderate comfort within the community up until Part 2’s brutal events.
Like Joel’s house at the beginning of the first game, Jackson’s coziness serves to juxtapose the unforgiving locales you'll visit later in the game. This is emphasized in the adaptation's interpretation of Jackson, which closely follows Part 2's lead - this is a community where life thrives and mere survival is insufficient. Jackson is a place worth returning to.
3 The Boston Mall - The Last Of Us: Left Behind
The Last Of Us’s Left Behind DLC gives us a glimpse at Ellie’s life before meeting Joel. You're introduced to Riley, a friend that Ellie thought had run away until she reemerges one night to get Ellie to explore a local abandoned mall.
While we only get a slice of the locations seen in The Last Of Us, Left Behind’s Boston Mall is fully fleshed out, with Riley and Ellie getting the opportunity to enjoy its arcade, carousel, and readily available water guns. Somehow, the HBO series managed to capture the glitz and awe of the mall perfectly, making us ache with nostalgia for places we can go right now.
2 Joel’s House - The Last Of Us
Though The Last Of Us is Joel and Ellie’s story, it began with Joel’s daughter Sarah. Before the Cordyceps invasion and the resulting apocalypse, Joel and Sarah lived a mostly quiet life in the suburbs of Texas. We get a small glimpse of that in the opening minutes of The Last Of Us, in which the game puts you in control of Sarah during the beginning of the apocalypse.
Joel and Sarah’s home sticks out because of how normal it is, from the haphazardly placed soccer trophies to the band posters and backyard fence. It shares this mundane reality with its appearance in the HBO adaptation - you see it in the bright, morning light and trick yourself into believing that everything will be okay. It’s a huge juxtaposition to what would come later in the series.
1 Saint Mary’s Hospital - The Last Of Us
Saint Mary’s hospital at first seems like a ray of hope after Joel and Ellie’s long cross-country journey. Those hopes are dashed shortly after meeting the Fireflies, who reveal that using Ellie’s immunity to create a vaccine would also kill her.
The ensuing battle between Joel and the Fireflies puts to rest any notion that the game might have a happy ending. Joel’s refusal to tell Ellie the truth about how they escaped from the hospital is the driving catalyst for the events of The Last of Us Part 2, which would explore multiple perspectives on the climactic scene.