The Last of Us Part II Remastered Review

Brand: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Released: January 19, 2024

Updated: 2 months ago

#2 for emotional impact #3 for voice acting #8 in Video Games

4.4

Overall review score

298

Review evidence points

Scored features

Expert reviews

Bottom Line

Choose it for No Return, polished combat, strong extras, and the best-looking version of Part II. Skip it if you only want major story changes, dislike grim violence, or already played it and don’t value roguelike replay.

Best for

Best for players who love The Last of Us Part II’s combat and want a replayable No Return mode, richer extras, faster loading, haptics, and the most complete version of the campaign.

Not for

Not for players expecting major new story content, a dramatic graphical remake, a relaxing tone, or a family-friendly game; returning story-only players may find the additions less essential.

Verdict

Reviewers frame The Last of Us Part II Remastered less as a dramatic visual overhaul and more as a strong special edition. The campaign’s brutal story, performances, combat, environments, and accessibility remain the foundation, while PS5 features such as faster loading, haptics, 3D audio, and smoother modes add polish. The clearest new reason to return is No Return, praised for turning the game’s tense stealth-combat into a replayable roguelike loop with characters, modifiers, bosses, and custom runs. The tradeoff is that visual gains are often described as modest, Lost Levels are short, and several reviewers still find the story exhausting, divisive, or unevenly paced.

Feature Scorecards

Very positive 4.5-5.0

27 (47%)
Positive 3.5-4.4

23 (40%)
Neutral 2.5-3.4

6 (10%)
Negative 1.5-2.4

2 (3%)

Pros

combat system

4.6

15 reviews strong consensus
combat system: 4.6, 15 reviews, strong consensus

Combat was one of the strongest areas overall, with reviewers praising its brutal feel, polish, resource pressure, and ability to shine in No Return despite a few dissenting takes.
remake/remaster quality

4.5

20 reviews moderate consensus
remake/remaster quality: 4.5, 20 reviews, moderate consensus

Remaster quality was generally praised as a definitive or worthwhile edition, though the visual upgrade was often called modest and content-focused.
graphics quality

4.4

20 reviews strong consensus
graphics quality: 4.4, 20 reviews, strong consensus

Graphics were widely praised as excellent or stunning, but reviewers often stressed that the jump over the PS4/PS5-patched version is modest.
load times

4.8

8 reviews strong consensus
load times: 4.8, 8 reviews, strong consensus

Load times were consistently praised as much faster and a clear quality-of-life upgrade.
haptic feedback integration

4.7

9 reviews strong consensus
haptic feedback integration: 4.7, 9 reviews, strong consensus

Haptic feedback integration was strongly praised for bows, weapons, bandaging, traversal, and added immersion, though one reviewer found extended use tiring.
replay value

4.4

16 reviews moderate consensus
replay value: 4.4, 16 reviews, moderate consensus

Replay value was one of the strongest remaster arguments, driven mainly by No Return, daily/custom runs, unlocks, and added extras.

Cons

family friendliness

1.5

1 review
family friendliness: 1.5, 1 review

Family friendliness scored low because one reviewer explicitly described the game as gritty, intense, and extremely violent.
puzzle design

2.0

1 review
puzzle design: 2.0, 1 review

Puzzle design was a weak point in one review, which complained that environmental puzzles were too few and underdeveloped.
map and navigation design

2.5

1 review
map and navigation design: 2.5, 1 review

Map and navigation design drew one notable complaint about unclear progression paths in naturalistic environments.
user interface design

2.5

1 review
user interface design: 2.5, 1 review

User interface design had one PC-specific criticism, where mouse-related UI elements could hurt frame rate.
pacing

2.9

7 reviews strong consensus
pacing: 2.9, 7 reviews, strong consensus

Pacing was the most consistent structural complaint, with multiple reviewers saying the campaign felt long, bloated, or uneven despite strong moments.
age appropriateness

3.0

1 review
age appropriateness: 3.0, 1 review

Age appropriateness was limited by the game’s mature themes, violence, and emotional weight, with one reviewer saying younger players may not appreciate it.

View all 58 feature scores

Compared With Category Average

Compared with other Video Games, this product is above average in economy and resource balance, stealth mechanics, AI behavior, near average in content variety, remake/remaster quality, below average in family friendliness, puzzle design, innovation.

Above average 0.4+ pts higher

36 (62%)
Same as average within 0.3 pts

12 (21%)
Below average 0.4+ pts lower

10 (17%)

Largest category differences

Attribute	This product	Category average	Difference
family friendliness	1.5	3.6	-2.1
economy and resource balance	5.0	3.3	+1.7
puzzle design	2.0	3.6	-1.6
stealth mechanics	4.7	3.3	+1.4
AI behavior	4.3	2.9	+1.4
platform-specific feature support	5.0	3.6	+1.4
facial animations	5.0	3.7	+1.3
aiming precision	4.5	3.2	+1.3

Consider This Instead

If you want better map and navigation design

Choose Ghost of Yōtei. It scores 4.8 vs 2.5 for map and navigation design, with a 4.4 overall score.

Compare

If you want better innovation

Choose The Alters. It scores 4.8 vs 3.0 for innovation, with a 4.2 overall score.

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If you want better family friendliness

Choose Donkey Kong Bananza. It scores 5.0 vs 1.5 for family friendliness, with a 4.5 overall score.

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If you want better bug frequency

Choose Resident Evil Requiem. It scores 5.0 vs 3.3 for bug frequency, with a 4.4 overall score.

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Call of Duty’s Zombie mode

Similar: Holdout mode action feel Holdout is compared to Call of Duty’s Zombie mode because it turns infected defense into over-the-top action.

God of War Ragnarok DLC

Better: story integration No Return is described as less story-driven than the recent God of War Ragnarok DLC.

God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla

Compared: roguelike mode structure and value The reviewer compares No Return with God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla, saying they serve different purposes.

FAQ

Is The Last of Us Part II Remastered worth the $10 upgrade?

Most reviewers say yes, mainly because No Return, faster loads, DualSense support, commentary, and Lost Levels make the package feel worthwhile. They generally agree the visual upgrade alone would not justify it.

What is the best new feature?

No Return is the standout. Reviewers repeatedly praise it for turning the game’s tense stealth and combat into a replayable roguelike mode with characters, modifiers, bosses, and daily or custom runs.

Are the graphics a major upgrade?

Reviewers still call the game beautiful, but many say the visual jump is modest because the PS4 version already looked excellent and had a PS5 60fps patch.

Does the remaster change the campaign story?

No. Reviewers describe the campaign as essentially the same story, with added commentary, Lost Levels, skins, speedrun options, and technical or controller improvements around it.

How is the PC version?

PC coverage is mostly positive about performance and visuals, especially compared with Part I’s troubled PC launch. A few reviewers still report stutter, texture or UI-related issues, so the port is not uniformly flawless.

Is it good for players who only care about story?

Newcomers still get the full acclaimed campaign, but returning story-only players may find less reason to revisit because the main scenario is unchanged and the biggest addition is combat-focused.