THE LAST OF US PART II REMASTERED: THE BILL ALWAYS COMES DUE

9.0 of 10 bananas. A brutal, beautiful revenge story with the best stealth combat Naughty Dog has built.

By the Alpha. PS5 disc listing. Updated Oct 13 2026.

Honest note: This is not a fresh hands-on playtest. I built this verdict from launch reviews, critic consensus, patch history, and what is known about the game today. If I put real hours in on stream, I will update the score and say so.

Platforms: The Amazon button is the PS5 Standard Edition (Sony Interactive Entertainment). At my check Amazon showed it in stock, sold by Amazon.com. The Remastered version is also on PC through Steam. The original 2020 release is on PS4, and Sony offered PS4 owners a paid upgrade to the Remastered version.

Sit with me a moment. Some games ask you to have fun. This one asks you to watch what anger does to a person, and then it hands you the controller and makes you carry it. I have seen grown silverbacks put the pad down after the first act and just sit in the dark. That is the point.

What It Wants To Be

Naughty Dog's 2020 sequel follows Ellie to Seattle on a hunt for revenge, and later puts you in the boots of Abby, the woman she is hunting. The 2024 Remastered release on PS5 brings sharper visuals and faster loading, plus No Return, a roguelike survival mode built on the main game's combat, a set of Lost Levels with developer commentary, and a guitar free play mode.

What Works

The combat is the best stealth action Naughty Dog has shipped. Prone, dodge, glass, rope, dogs that track your scent, and enemies who call each other by name all turn every encounter into a small, tense puzzle. The performances, led by Ashley Johnson and Laura Bailey, are stunning, and the world art is dense with stories nobody tells you out loud. No Return is a real addition. It turns the best part of the game into something you can replay for months.

What Breaks

Listen well. The structure split the troop in 2020 and it still does. The story asks you to switch sides at a point many players hated, and it runs long, with stretches that feel like punishment by design. The violence is heavy and close. If you came for the warm bond of the first game, this is a much colder road. The Remastered edition is also a hard sell for anyone who already finished the PS4 version and does not care about No Return.

Who Should Play

Play if you want a serious, adult story and some of the finest stealth combat on PlayStation, and you can handle grief and cruelty on screen. Skip if you want comfort, a short ride, or a hero to cheer for. Start with Part I if you have not played it. Spoiler warning for the troop: avoid the plot online before you finish.

Related: The Last of Us Part I, Days Gone, Resident Evil 4.

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