What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Last of Us
Neil Druckmann · Series · 2023
If you loved The Last of Us, start with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin (Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird and Tom Waltz) — a book on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 films and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Last of Us across media.
What hooked you in The Last of Us is the way the world's collapse forces strangers to build profound, life-altering bonds.
Books on the same thread
The Road
Cormac McCarthy · Book · 2007
Shares 2 threads with The Last of Us: Moral ambiguity, Post-Apocalyptic Fiction.
Like The Last of Us, this story centers on the raw, desperate paternal bond required to protect a loved one against the backdrop of a cold, unforgiving wasteland.
Station Eleven
Emily St. John Mandel · Book · 2014
Shares 3 threads with The Last of Us: Survival, Loss, Hope.
You will appreciate how this narrative, much like The Last of Us, balances the grim reality of societal collapse with the fragile, enduring preservation of human culture and memory.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin
Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird and Tom Waltz · Book
Explores: Grief and loss, Last survivor, Urban decay.
If the grief-fueled journey of The Last of Us resonated with you, you will find a similar intensity in this lone survivor's quest for justice within urban ruins.
The Walking Dead
Robert Kirkman · Book · 2014
Shares a thread with The Last of Us: Survival.
This series mirrors the grueling survival dynamics of The Last of Us, emphasizing how moral decay and community pressure test the humanity of those left in a broken world.
Films on the same thread
The Road
Film · 2009
Shares a thread with The Last of Us: Survival.
This film captures the same harrowing paternal commitment found in The Last of Us, showing how two people cling to each other while navigating a desolate, ash-covered American landscape.
The Day After
Nicholas Meyer · Film · 1983
Shares 3 threads with The Last of Us: Survival, Post-Apocalyptic Fiction, Dystopian Drama.
Much like the emotional stakes in The Last of Us, this drama focuses on the human cost of a global catastrophe, grounding massive tragedy in intimate, personal character struggles.
Zombieland
Ruben Fleischer · Film · 2009
Shares 2 threads with The Last of Us: Survival, Found Family.
While lighter in tone than The Last of Us, this road trip narrative shares the same core appeal of an unlikely duo forming a found family while traversing zombies.
I Am Legend
Francis Lawrence · Film · 2007
Shares 3 threads with The Last of Us: Survival, Loss, Hope.
The profound isolation felt by the protagonist in this film echoes the solitary burden carried by Joel in The Last of Us as he navigates a world transformed by virus.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Truth
The Truth · Podcast · 2026
Shares a thread with The Last of Us: moral ambiguity.
If you enjoyed the moral ambiguity and character-driven storytelling of The Last of Us, these cinematic audio dramas provide that same focus on complex, high-stakes human dilemmas and experiences.
This American Life
This American Life · Podcast · 2026
Explores: The human condition, Personal narrative, Social observation.
Just as The Last of Us uses its setting to explore the human condition, this show captures raw personal narratives that reveal the deep feelings behind our social observations.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Last of Us about a journey across the United States?
Yes, the plot of The Last of Us follows Joel and Ellie as they traverse the United States. The journey begins after Joel is hired to smuggle the fourteen-year-old girl out of an oppressive quarantine zone twenty years after the destruction of modern civilization.
What is the premise of The Last of Us?
The Last of Us centers on a hardened survivor named Joel who is tasked with smuggling a young girl named Ellie out of a quarantine zone. Their mission evolves into a brutal and heartbreaking journey across the country where they must rely on each other to survive.
Who are the main characters in The Last of Us?
The main characters in The Last of Us are Joel, a hardened survivor, and Ellie, a 14-year-old girl. Joel is hired to smuggle Ellie out of a quarantine zone, leading them both on a dangerous journey through a world destroyed twenty years prior.
How long after civilization is destroyed does The Last of Us take place?
The Last of Us is set twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed. The story focuses on the mission of Joel and Ellie as they attempt to survive while traveling through the remains of the United States.