The Last of Us Part 2 Multiplayer Lives On as PvP Mod Due Out Later This Year

Naughty Dog whitethorn person canceled its The Last of Us Part 2 multiplayer project, but Factions fans tin present astatine slightest person a caller PvP mode to look guardant to… if they're connected PC.

Modder Speclizer uploaded 25 minutes of aboriginal gameplay for a mod they're moving connected that volition fto players spell head-to-head arsenic Abby, Ellie, and perchance different characters from the PlayStation video crippled series. The video kicks disconnected with the quality that, aft starting improvement successful January 2026, it's expected to motorboat this September.

It's admittedly a spot unsmooth astir the edges successful its existent authorities but, truthful far, this The Last of Us Part 2 multiplayer mod seems to diagnostic a comparatively fleshed-out PvP mode. The earliest moments of the gameplay video are the astir telling, highlighting a matchmaking system, maps, and loadout selections. Is it precisely what Naughty Dog whitethorn person had planned for The Last of Us Online? Probably not, and it's lone coming to PC for now, but it mightiness conscionable assistance capable the spread successful players' hearts.

Those itching for a multiplayer rotation connected a classical post-apocalyptic communicative mightiness besides find immoderate hints of what's to travel connected Speclizer's X/Twitter account. In the months since improvement began, they've regularly posted updates connected their progress.

One June 13 video, for example, features footage of school, Seattle, and state presumption maps. A May update showed however their archetypal 1v1 lucifer played out. Other videos besides amusement that the modder has seemingly toyed with the thought of including different playable characters (like Dina) and costumes (like Ellie's spacesuit).

It's hard to accidental what volition extremity up successful the mod arsenic Speclizer continues chipping distant astatine it. For now, it astatine slightest looks similar The Last of Us fans looking to revisit Naughty Dog's critically acclaimed gameplay mightiness person thing to support them occupied this September.

The PlayStation workplace canceled its long-gestating multiplayer off-shoot successful precocious 2023, promising to displacement its absorption to single-player games going forward. Its past all-new story, The Last of Us Part 2, launched astir precisely six years agone successful June 2020. Its next, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, remains without a merchandise date.

"In ramping up to afloat production, the monolithic scope of our ambition became clear," Naughty Dog said astatine the clip of The Last of Us Online's cancelation. "To merchandise and enactment The Last of Us Online we’d person to enactment each our workplace resources down supporting station motorboat contented for years to come, severely impacting improvement connected aboriginal single-player games. So, we had 2 paths successful beforehand of us: go a solely unrecorded work games workplace oregon proceed to absorption connected single-player communicative games that person defined Naughty Dog’s heritage."

While Speclizer works to capable the void, we whitethorn ne'er cognize what the PlayStation workplace had planned for its improvement connected the multiplayer 'Factions' mode delivered with the archetypal The Last of Us. Former Sony Interactive Entertainment enforcement Shuhei Yoshida said past twelvemonth that the mentation of the crippled helium was alert of was "great." Vinit Agarwal, who astatine 1 clip served arsenic manager for The Last of Us Part 2's multiplayer spin-off, said earlier this twelvemonth that it was astir 80% implicit astatine the clip of its cancelation.

Michael Cripe is simply a freelance writer with IGN. He's champion known for his enactment astatine sites similar The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be definite to springiness him a travel connected Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).