The Last of Us is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Players assume control of Joel (Troy Baker), escorting the young Ellie (Ashley Johnson) across a post-apocalyptic United States. The game's development was led by Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann, as game director and creative director, respectively. The game was officially announced on December 10, 2011, and was nominated for Most Anticipated Game at the 2012 Spike Video Game Awards. Following its previews at E3 2012, the game won five awards at the Game Critics Awards, including Best of Show, which it also won from several gaming publications.
The game was released for PlayStation 3 on June 14, 2013, and for PlayStation 4 as The Last of Us Remastered in July and August 2014. It received "universal acclaim", according to review aggregator Metacritic, based on 98 reviews. Within three weeks of its release, The Last of Us sold approximately 3.4 million copies, and seven million by July 2014, becoming one of the best-selling PlayStation 3 games. The game received six nominations at the Golden Joystick Awards, of which it won three, and seven nominations at Spike VGX, with Baker and Johnson winning Best Voice Actor and Best Voice Actress, respectively.
The Last of Us won Best Animated Video Game at the 41st Annie Awards, and Outstanding Achievement in Videogame Writing at the 66th Writers Guild of America Awards. It led the 17th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards with thirteen nominations and ten awards, including Game of the Year, received five nominations at the 3rd Annual New York Game Awards, of which it won the Big Apple Award for Best Game, and won four of its seven nominations at the SXSW Gaming Awards, including Game of the Year. At the 10th British Academy Video Games Awards, The Last of Us received ten nominations and won five awards: Best Game, Action & Adventure, Audio Achievement, Performer, and Story. At the 14th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards, it won Game of the Year, Best Design, and Best Narrative. It received nine nominations at the 12th Annual Game Audio Network Guild Awards, of which it won four: Audio of the Year, Sound Design of the Year, Best Audio Mix, and Best Dialogue.
The game appeared on several publications' year-end lists of the best games, including The A.V. Club, The Daily Telegraph, GamesRadar, GameTrailers, GameRevolution, Giant Bomb, Good Game, Hardcore Gamer, IGN, Kotaku, VG247, and VideoGamer.com. The Last of Us Remastered received nominations at The Game Awards 2014 and the 15th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards. The game was named among the best games of the 2010s by The Hollywood Reporter, Mashable, Metacritic, and VG247, and was added to the World Video Game Hall of Fame at the Strong National Museum of Play in May 2023. It is often ranked among the greatest video games ever made.
Accolades + Award Date Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result Game Critics Awards June 26, 2012 Best of Show The Last of Us Best Original Game The Last of Us Best Console Game The Last of Us Best Action/Adventure Game The Last of Us Best Sound The Last of Us Spike Video Game Awards December 7, 2012 Most Anticipated Game The Last of Us Golden Joystick Awards October 26, 2013 Best Newcomer The Last of Us Best Storytelling The Last of Us Studio of the Year Naughty Dog Game of the Year The Last of Us Best Visual Design The Last of Us Best Gaming Moment "Joel's loss" Spike VGX December 7, 2013 Studio of the Year Naughty Dog Best PlayStation Game The Last of Us Best Voice Actor Troy Baker as Joel Best Voice Actress Ashley Johnson as Ellie Game of the Year The Last of Us Best Action Adventure Game The Last of Us Best Soundtrack The Last of Us Annie Awards February 1, 2014 Best Animated Video Game The Last of Us Writers Guild of America Awards February 1, 2014 Outstanding Achievement in Videogame Writing Neil Druckmann D.I.C.E. Awards February 7, 2014 Game of the Year The Last of Us Adventure Game of the Year The Last of Us Outstanding Innovation in Gaming The Last of Us Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction The Last of Us Outstanding Achievement in Animation The Last of Us Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction The Last of Us Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design The Last of Us Outstanding Achievement in Story The Last of Us Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering The Last of Us Outstanding Character Performance Ashley Johnson as Ellie Troy Baker as Joel Online Game of the YearThe Last of Us Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay EngineeringThe Last of Us New York Game Awards February 11, 2014 Big Apple Award for Best Game The Last of Us Herman Melville Award for Best Writing in a Game The Last of Us Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game The Last of Us Statue of Liberty Award for Best World Salt Lake City Great White Way Award for Best Overall Acting Troy Baker as Joel SXSW Gaming Awards March 8, 2014 Game of the Year The Last of Us Excellence in Narrative The Last of Us Excellence in SFX The Last of Us Excellence in Musical Score The Last of Us Excellence in Gameplay The Last of Us Excellence in Animation The Last of Us Convergence Award The Last of Us British Academy Video Games Awards March 12, 2014 Best Game The Last of Us Action & Adventure The Last of Us Audio Achievement The Last of Us Performer Ashley Johnson as Ellie Troy Baker as Joel Artistic Achievement The Last of Us Game Design The Last of Us Multiplayer The Last of Us Music The Last of Us Story The Last of Us Game Developers Choice Awards March 19, 2014 Game of the Year The Last of Us Best Design The Last of Us Best Narrative The Last of Us Best Technology The Last of Us Best Visual Art The Last of Us Game Audio Network Guild Awards March 20, 2014 Audio of the Year The Last of Us Sound Design of the Year The Last of Us Best Audio Mix The Last of Us Best Dialogue The Last of Us Music of the Year The Last of Us Best Soundtrack Album The Last of Us Best Interactive Score The Last of Us Best Cinematic/Cut-Scene Audio The Last of Us Best Original Instrumental "Main Theme" The Game Awards December 5, 2014 Best Remaster The Last of Us Remastered Game Developers Choice Awards March 4, 2015 Best Technology The Last of Us Remastered data-sort-value="Podium 0" Golden Joystick Awards November 22, 2022 PlayStation Game of the Year The Last of Us Part I The Game Awards December 8, 2022 Innovation in Accessibility The Last of Us Part I Visual Effects Society Awards February 15, 2023 Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project Erick Pangilinan, Evan Wells, Eben Cook, Mary Jane Whiting British Academy Games Awards March 30, 2023 Technical Achievement The Last of Us Part I Clio Entertainment Awards November 9, 2023 Games: Audio / Visual The Last of Us Part I Launch Trailer data-sort-value="Podium 3" The Steam Awards January 2, 2024 Best Soundtrack Award The Last of Us Part I
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