Naughty Dog has surprised fans by releasing a free update for The Last of Us Part II that alters the story’s progression. This new Chronological Mode will be available on PlayStation 5 and PC, giving players a fresh way to revisit the game by experiencing events in the order they happened.
For anyone who’s already played the game, you know how emotionally intense and carefully structured the narrative is. The original release had you mostly playing as Ellie, building tension and feelings toward Abby before switching to Abby’s perspective later on. That storytelling approach made the game stand out back in 2020 and even inspired an HBO series.
Now, the new mode strips away that structure and lets you see the story more linearly, bouncing between Ellie and Abby’s points of view as events happen. Sounds kinda interesting, right? It could alter your perspective on certain moments.
The mode presents the story timeline in sequence rather than jumping between characters in the original order. You’ll witness how close Ellie and Abby come to encountering each other and see the impact of their actions unfold simultaneously. It’s a fresh perspective on a story many thought was already told perfectly.
If you’ve missed the game since the HBO show’s second season wrapped up, or if you recently picked up Part 2 Remastered on PC, this might be the perfect moment to go back in. Plus, The Last of Us Complete Collector’s Edition is launching soon on PS5, which adds to the hype.
That said, if you haven’t played The Last of Us Part 2 yet, it’s probably best to experience the story as originally intended to feel the emotional weight of the reveals. The narrative’s impact is crafted carefully, and jumping straight into Chronological Mode might lessen that.
For returning players, this update offers a new reason to reload the game. Besides the narrative shift, you can earn new trophies and unlock crossover skins featuring Joel as Nathan Drake and Tommy as Sam Drake from the Uncharted series. Those skins are usable in No Return mode, adding a neat bonus for completionists.
| Reward | Description |
|---|---|
| New Trophies | Awarded for completing the game in Chronological Mode |
| Joel as Nathan Drake | Uncharted crossover skin usable in No Return mode |
| Tommy as Sam Drake |
Naughty Dog mentioned it was no small feat to bring the game’s story into chronological order, which makes sense given how tightly woven the original narrative is. Is this update necessary? Probably not. But it’s cool to see the developers still putting effort into giving us new ways to experience their story-driven masterpiece.
Are you curious to try this new mode, or do you think the original story order is the only way to play?
