How Many Chapters Are In The Last Of Us?

The Last Of Us is most famous for its exciting, emotional, and heart-wrenching story that follows Joel and Ellie as they embark on a journey across a post-apocalyptic United States. The story unfolds over a total of 12 chapters in The Last Of Us that are split across four seasons; Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring, in that order. If you’re looking for a full list of chapters in The Last Of Us and want to discover how many collectibles are in each, just keep on reading.

All The Last Of Us Chapters In Order

The 12 chapters in The Last Of Us all vary in length and are divided into smaller sections. While most of them see you play as Joel, you may be required to play as other characters too.

A majority of the game’s chapters also have collectables for you to find, including artefacts, comics, Firefly pendants – all of which you can find here with our Firefly pendant location guide – and training manuals that are used to upgrade Joel and his gear.

We’ve listed all of chapters inThe Last Of Us below with details of their subsections and information on how many collectables are available in each. We’ve tried to avoid spoilers, but there still may be some on this page:

Hometown

Hometown is the first chapter in The Last Of Us and it is set in 2013 as the mutated Cordyceps fungus breaks out and ravages the United States. The chapter, which is one of the shortest within the game, follows Joel as he attempts to evacuate his family to safety and flee the chaos and death in Austin, Texas.

The first chapter has only one section; Prologue.

The Quarantine Zone

The second chapter of The Last Of Us is set 20 years after the prologue, long after civilisation has fallen under the Cordyceps pandemic. The chapter is set in one of the USA’s many quarantine zones and follows Joel as he sneaks out with partner Tess to hunt down black-market dealer Robert to recover a stolen weapons cache.

The Quarantine Zone chapter is split into the following section:

• 20 Years Later
• Beyond The Wall
• The Slums
• The Cargo

The Outskirts

The third chapter in The Last Of Us – The Outskirts – follows Joel as he escapes the quarantine zone and makes his way through Boston to the Massachusetts State House following his deal to smuggle teenage girl Ellie with the leader of the Fireflies, a rebel militia fighting against quarantine zone authorities.

The Outskirts features four main sections, including:

• Outside
• Downtown
• The Museum
• The Capitol Building

Bill’s Town

Bill’s Town is the fourth main chapter in The Last Of Us and sees Joel travel to Lincoln, Massachusetts, in search of Bill, an old friend that owes Joel a favour and may help them find Joel’s brother and former Firefly Tommy who may be able to locate the remaining Fireflies. The chapter includes a section where you’ll be able to explore the centre of Lincoln and enjoy several endearing moments with Ellie.

There are four sections in Bill’s Town:

• The Woods
• Safehouse
• Graveyard
• High School Escape

Pittsburgh

The fifth chapter in The Last Of Us is titled Pittsburgh and follows Joel and Ellie who, after obtaining a working car with Bill’s help, travel to Pittsburgh where they are ambushed. The pair must survive the assault and make their way through the hostile city and escape.

Pittsburgh comes with four main sections:

• Alone And Forsaken
• Hotel Lobby
• Financial District
• Escape The City

The Suburbs

The Suburbs is the sixth chapter of The Last Of Us and it sees Joel, Ellie, and their new acquaintances as they make their way through outer Pittsburgh and the city’s sewers, which have been taken over by Hunters and the Infected.

This chapter is shorter than most others in the game, featuring only two main sections:

• The Sewers
• Suburbs

Tommy’s Dam

The seventh chapter in The Last Of Us is titled Tommy’s Dam and is set several months after The Suburbs. This chapter follows Joel and Ellie as they make their way through Wyoming to Joel’s brother’s dam in the hopes he may know where the remaining Fireflies are.

Tommy’s Dam is another short chapter, and it features only two sections:

• Hydroelectric Dam
• Ranch House

The University

The University is the eighth chapter in The Last Of Us, where Joel and Ellie search the University of Eastern Colorado for the Science Building, where they believe the remaining Fireflies can be found.

Like the previous few chapters, there are a total of two sections in The University:

• Go Big Horns
• Science Building

Lakeside Resort

The ninth chapter of The Last Of Us is Lakeside Resort, and it follows Joel and Ellie as they survive and recover from the aftermath of the attack at the University of Eastern Colorado, all while facing a new threat.

The Lakeside Resort includes two sections:

• The Hunt
• Cabin Resort

Bus Depot

Bus Depot is the tenth chapter of The Last Of Us and it takes place in the Spring of 2034 in Salt Lake City, Utah. In it, Joel and Ellie make their way to St. Mary’s Hospital, where they hope to meet the remaining Fireflies and end their long trek across the United States.

There are a total of two sections in the Bus Depot chapter:

• Highway Exit
• Underground Tunnel

The Firefly Lab

The Firefly Lab is the eleventh and penultimate chapter in The Last Of Us. Set in St. Mary’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, the chapter follows Joel as he rushes through the hostile hospital in a race against death.

There is only one section in The Firefly Lab chapter; The Hospital.

Jackson

The final chapter in The Last Of Us is titled Jackson and it follows Joel as he returns home to Tommy’s dam and reunites with his brother, bringing his tough, life-changing journey to an end.

There is only one section in the Jackson chapter; Epilogue.

The Last Of Us: Left Behind

Left Behind is the only DLC available for The Last Of Us, and it is split into two narratives; the first follows Ellie during her time with an injured Joel between The University and Lakeside Resort chapters, and the second is a flashback of Ellie’s time before meeting Joel.

There are a total of six sections in Left Behind that switches between the two narratives. The sections include:

• Back In A Flash
• Mallrats
• So Close
• Fun And Games
• The Enemy Of My Enemy
• Escape From Liberty Gardens

How Long Is The Last Of Us?

The Last Of Us isn’t a particularly long game and the story can be completed within around 15 hours. If you’re looking to find all collectables and grab all trophies, your playthrough can take just over 20 hours depending on your skill, experience, and familiarity with the game.

If you’ve found our guide helpful, make sure to check out our The Last Of Us Part 2 chapter guide to discover how long the game’s sequel is.