How & Where to Watch The Last of Us in 2024: Watch Online From Anywhere
After several failed movies and years in development hell, The Last of Us is finally getting the adaptation fans have been waiting for. Keep reading to learn how and where to watch The Last of Us, no matter where in the world you are.
Written by Aleksander Hougen (Managing Editor)
Reviewed by Jackie Leavitt (Chief Editor)
Facts checked by Jasna Mishevska (Lead Fact-Checking Editor)
Last Updated: 2024-01-22T07:12:54+00:00
All our content is written fully by humans; we do not publish AI writing. Learn more here.
HBO’s Last of Us — based on the 2013 video game developed by Naughty Dog — has been one of the most heavily anticipated video game adaptations since it was first announced back in 2020. If you’re wondering where to watch The Last of Us, you’ve come to the right place, as we’ll walk you through what streaming platforms and regions it’s available in.
Key Takeaways: The Last of Us on Max
- The Last of Us, a TV adaptation of the acclaimed video game of the same name, is available for streaming on Max and local partners.
- If you’re not in a country covered by Max or a regional streaming service like Sky Atlantic, you’ll need a VPN to watch the TV series.
- ExpressVPN and NordVPN are the best VPNs for Max, owing to their great streaming capabilities and fast speeds.
Not available in your country?
Watch The Last of Us now on HBO Max and other streaming platforms.
Status checked 2024/04/11:
The TV series will have a limited run of nine episodes, with the first episode having premiered on Jan. 15, 2023. New episodes are released every Sunday or Monday depending on your time zone, until the finale airs on March 12.
If you want more info on the cast and characters appearing in the show, make sure you keep reading until the end. For now, let’s look at where you can stream the show.
Where to Watch The Last of Us
If you’re in a country covered by Max (formerly HBO Max), then watching The Last of Us online is easy. Simply sign up for an HBO account and start watching. However, if you’re located somewhere where Max isn’t offered, you’ll need to use a VPN to log in to your account.
Unfortunately, you’ll need a payment method from an accepted country in order to sign up (and pay for) an account. If that’s not something you have access to, there are some workarounds that let you register an account without a valid debit or credit card. Check out our guide on how to watch Max to learn how.
Which Streaming Services Have The Last of Us?
Besides Max, there are a few (mostly European) regional streaming services that have distribution deals with HBO and as such are ways to watch The Last of Us. These are:
- Sky Atlantic in the U.K. and Ireland
- Now TV in the U.K.
- Local Sky Platforms in Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland
- Disney+ Hotstar in India
- Neon in New Zealand
- Binge in Australia
- Crave in Canada
If you’re located in any of these areas and don’t already have a Max account, watching The Last of Us through the appropriate regional streaming platform will be the easiest option. You can also use a VPN to sign up for these services from elsewhere, but you’ll still need a local payment option.
How to Watch The Last of Us for Free
Unfortunately, there’s no free trial for Max. That means that the only way to watch the new adaptation without paying anything is by torrenting or resorting to illegal streaming sites.
How to Watch The Last of Us With a VPN
If you already have an Max subscription and want to watch The Last of Us online from abroad, you can follow these steps. We’re using ExpressVPN for these instructions, but any VPN capable of unblocking Max will do the trick.
- Sign Up for a VPN
Go to ExpressVPN’s website and click on the green button that says “get ExpressVPN.” Select the plan you want, enter your payment details and complete the purchase.
- Download & Install the VPN Client
Once signed up, you should be taken to the download page. Select the version for your device and download the installation file. Once downloaded, run the file and follow the instructions to install the VPN client.
- Connect to a VPN Server
Once you’ve installed the VPN client, you can launch it and log in to your account. Now, select a server in the appropriate country (whichever one you signed up for Max in) from the server list and click the big power button to connect.
- Log In to Max & Start Streaming
Open the Max app or website, search for The Last of Us and start watching. Enjoy!
The Best VPNs for Watching The Last of Us
For the best experience watching The Last of Us with a VPN, you’ll want one of the best VPNs for Max or the best VPNs for streaming. Fortunately, ExpressVPN and NordVPN top both of those lists, which makes things a bit simpler.
1. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for streaming overall, largely due to its lightning-fast speed and ability to unblock every major streaming platform out there with ease. This includes Max, but also others like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.
Although it’s not the cheapest VPN out there, ExpressVPN is well worth the money, not just for its streaming performance and speed but also its large feature set and excellent security and privacy. If it still seems too expensive to commit to right away, you can give it a spin risk-free with the 30-day money-back guarantee, or check out our ExpressVPN review for more details.
- Unlimited GB
- 8
- Yes
2. NordVPN
If you’d prefer a cheaper option, NordVPN is just as capable of unblocking Max as ExpressVPN, and at a lower cost. It offers great connection speeds on most of its servers, which is ideal for streaming. In fact, according to our tests, it’s even faster than ExpressVPN and is the fastest quality VPN on the market.
NordVPN can also access every major streaming service, including Max. However, unlike with ExpressVPN, you might have to bounce around a few different servers in order to get into Max, which is why it’s not our number one pick. Try NordVPN out without commitment by making use of the 30-day money-back guarantee. You can also read our full NordVPN review to learn more.
- *The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
- Unlimited GB
- 6
- Yes
- *The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
- Unlimited GB
- 6
- Yes
- *The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
- Unlimited GB
- 6
- Yes
Plot, Cast & Characters: The Last of Us
Based on the video game The Last of Us, this post-apocalyptic drama follows the unlikely duo of hardened survivor Joel Miller (played by Pedro Pascal) and a young girl named Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) as they tackle life in the Boston quarantine zone amid a worldwide fungal outbreak.
List of Cast and Characters for The Last of Us:
- Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller
- Bella Ramsey as Ellie
- Gabriel Luna as Tommy
- Anna Torv as Tess
- Nico Parker as Sarah
- John Hannah as Dr. Neuman
- Merle Dandridge as resistance leader Marlene
- Josh Brener as a talk show host
- Christopher Heyerdahl as Dr. Schoenheiss
- Murray Bartlett as Frank
- Nick Offerman as Bill
- Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen
- Lamar Johnson as Henry
- Keivonn Woodard as Sam
- Graham Greene as Marlon
- Elaine Miles as Florence
- Storm Reid as Riley Abel
- Scott Shepherd as David
- Troy Baker as James
- Jeffrey Pierce as Perry
- Ashley Johnson as Anna
- Rutina Wesley as Maria
The project is helmed and written by showrunners Craig Mazin (of Chernobyl acclaim) and Neil Druckmann (writer and creative director of The Last of Us video game and co-president of Naughty Dog).
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, the only way to watch The Last of Us online legally is through Max and a handful of local distributors. Although this places it out of reach of many people, you can still stream the show from anywhere, so long as you have a good streaming VPN like ExpressVPN or NordVPN.
Other shows you can watch on Max include Adventure Time, Fionna and Cake and Love and Death.
What did you think of our guide for where to watch The Last of Us? Did you manage to get access to Max and Joel and Ellie’s small-screen adventures? If you did, what do you think of the show? Let us know in the comments below, and as always, thank you for reading.
FAQ
You can watch The Last of Us on Max or on regional streaming platforms that have distribution deals with HBO like Sky Atlantic in the U.K. and Ireland or Disney+ Hotstar in India.
Yes, The Last of Us is available for streaming on Max in all countries where the service is available.
Although The Last of Us isn’t available on Hulu, you can add a subscription to HBO to your Hulu subscription for the same price as Max.
No. At the time of writing, you can neither rent nor purchase the first season of The Last of Us.