How many copies did The Last of Us sell? Sales and players
The Last of Us series sold more than 37 million copies by the end of 2022, Sony says.
The Last of Us games had sold more than 37 million copies by December 2022, Sony reported. The 2013 original reached 17 million on PS3 and PS4 by April 2018, and The Last of Us Part II passed 10 million in spring 2022, Naughty Dog said.
The Last of Us is hailed as one of the best story-driven single-player games ever made. It follows Joel, a smuggler, and Ellie, a girl immune to the infection that has ravaged the world, through a story of loss, hope and a world in ruin. So how many copies did it sell, and how much money did it make? Let’s dive in.
The Last of Us key statistics
- 37 million: series copies sold by December 2022.
- 17 million: copies of The Last of Us sold on PS3 and PS4 by April 2018.
- 10 million: copies of The Last of Us Part II sold by spring 2022.
- 4 million: Part II copies sold in its launch weekend, June 2020.
- 24,521: Part I’s most players online at once on Steam, March 2023.
The Last of Us sales
The Last of Us is one of the best-performing franchises around, with millions of copies sold and many more hours played.
The Last of Us series has sold more than 37 million copies
- The Last of Us sold 1.3 million copies in its first week in June 2013, and 3.4 million in three weeks, making it one of the fastest-selling games of 2013.
- It reached 17 million copies on PS3 and PS4 by April 2018, Polygon reported.
- By 2020, the franchise had passed $1 billion in revenue, according to the LinkedIn profile of former PlayStation director Michael Mumbauer, putting it among PlayStation’s billion-dollar franchises with God of War and Uncharted.
- The series passed 37 million copies by December 2022.
| By | Copies sold |
|---|---|
| June 2013, first week | The Last of Us: 1.3 million |
| July 2013, three weeks | The Last of Us: 3.4 million |
| April 2018 | The Last of Us: 17 million |
| June 2020, launch weekend | Part II: 4 million |
| Spring 2022 | Part II: more than 10 million |
| December 2022 | series: more than 37 million |
The excitement for The Last of Us has been huge since its 2013 debut, and the numbers keep climbing with each new release.
The Last of Us Part II was the fastest-selling PlayStation 4 exclusive
- Part II sold more than 4 million copies in its June 2020 launch weekend, beating God of War and Marvel’s Spider-Man, Sony said.
- It had the biggest launch weekend of any game released in 2020 up to that point.
- In the UK, its boxed launch sales were 76% higher than the original’s.
- It passed 10 million copies within two years.
The Last of Us players
The Last of Us Part I set its Steam record of 24,521 players in March 2023
| Year | The Last of Us Part I | The Last of Us Part II Remastered |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 24,521 | not yet on PC |
| 2024 | 5,294 | not yet on PC |
| 2025 | 11,518 | 18,345 |
| 2026 (to 30 October) | 6,435 | 6,178 |
Most players online at once on Steam each year, from Steam Charts. Part I’s record came at its March 2023 PC launch, and Part II Remastered set its record of 18,345 when it reached PC in April 2025.
Is The Last of Us dying? No. Both PC versions still draw about 6,000 players at once in 2026, and as a story-led single-player series, its big moments come with new releases rather than daily crowds.
- On Twitch, Part II peaked at 507,556 viewers at its June 2020 launch, and the original peaked at 123,311 three days earlier, according to Streams Charts.
The Last of Us awards
The Last of Us Part II won 7 awards at The Game Awards 2020
- Part II won 7 awards at The Game Awards 2020, including Game of the Year, a record for the show at the time.
- The Last of Us won 10 D.I.C.E. Awards in 2014, including Game of the Year.
- It also won Game of the Year at the 2014 Game Developers Choice Awards, among 3 wins there.
| Game | Award show | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| The Last of Us | D.I.C.E. Awards 2014 | 10 |
| The Last of Us | Game Developers Choice Awards 2014 | 3 |
| The Last of Us Part II | The Game Awards 2020 | 7 |
Most of these awards are for story, writing and performances, which shows how a great story can take an already strong game and make it legendary.