More games released since The Last of Us came out than one might think. It's a classic, and it had a huge influence on the game industry with its cinematic story and engaging world. Naughty Dog is reportedly developing a remake, but just how many other titles have changed the gaming landscape since The Last of Us?
Not everyone is sold on the idea of a TLOU remake, and to be fair, the original isn't particularly old, originally released on the PlayStation 3 just eight years ago. Gaming as a whole has changed since then, most easily seen in the differences between the original game and The Last of Us Part II.
To give some perspective, Grand Theft Auto V was not yet out when The Last of Us launched. Fortnite's Battle Royale mode wasn't ready. Seven Call of Duty games, six Assassin’s Creed games, and ten Telltale games released between The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II, in addition to almost the entire Five Nights at Freddy’s series.
Gaming History Since The Last Of Us
This list only contains the major releases between The Last of Us' release on June 14, 2013 and The Last Of Us Part II on June 19, 2020:
- Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online
- Fortnite Battle Royale
- Call of Duty: Ghosts, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Call of Duty: WWII, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Warzone
- Titanfall, Titanfall 2, and Apex Legends
- Dark Souls II, Dark Souls III, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
- Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, Assassin’s Creed Rogue, Assassin’s Creed Unity, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Assassin’s Creed Origin, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Battlefield 4, Battlefield: Hardline, Battlefield One, Battlefield V
- Resident Evil Revelations 2, Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil 2 Remake, Resident Evil 3 Remake
- The Sims 4
- Five Nights at Freddy’s 1-4, Sister Location, and Help Wanted
- Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Telltale’s The Wolf Among Us, The Walking Dead Season 2, Tales from the Borderlands, Game of Thrones, Minecraft Story Mode Seasons 1 & 2, Batman Seasons 1 & 2, The Walking Dead: A New Frontier, Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Walking Dead: The Final Season
- Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy XV
- Kingdom Hearts 1.5, 2.5, 2.8, and III
- Far Cry 4, Far Cry Primal, Far Cry 5, Far Cry New Dawn
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, The Division, Ghost Recon Wildlands, The Division 2, Ghost Recon Breakpoint
- Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Phantom Pain
- Yakuza Kiwami, Yakuza Kiwami 2, Yakuza 0, Yakuza 6, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and Judgment
- Life is Strange, Life is Strange: Before the Storm, and Life is Strange 2
- Just Cause 3 and Just Cause 4
- Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal
- Watch Dogs and Watch Dogs 2
- Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Ori and the Blind Forest and Will of the Wisps
- Hyrule Warriors and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War
- The Evil Within and Evil Within 2
- Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and Borderlands 3
- Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider
- Hitman and Hitman 2
- Splatoon and Splatoon 2
- Shovel Knight
- P.T. (a.k.a. Silent Hills)
- Alien: Isolation
- Disney Infinity (released and was canceled)
- World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor
- Dragon Age Inquisition
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Dying Light
- Mortal Kombat X
- Rocket League
- Gone Home
- Smite
- Divinity: Original Sin and Original Sin II
- Persona 5
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and The Lost Legacy
- Forza Horizon 3 and Forza Horizon 4
- Overwatch
- Stardew Valley
- No Man’s Sky (and its important "Origins" update)
- XCOM 2
- Gears of War 4 and Gears 5
- Civilization VI
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Nier Automata
- Mass Effect Andromeda
- Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
- Undertale
- Destiny 2
- Cuphead
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- God of War
- Monster Hunter World
- Subnautica
- Payday 2
- Sea of Thieves
- Detroit: Become Human
- Marvel’s Spider-Man
- Metro Exodus
- Dead or Alive 6
- Street Fighter V
- Devil May Cry 5
- Outer Wilds
- Octopath Traveler
- Fire Emblem: Three Houses
- Control
- The Outer Worlds
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
The Last of Us may have left a big mark on the gaming industry, but so have several other games released since then. If The Last of Us' remake is going to improve the original, it’s going to have to get with the times.