The Last of Us Part II is a 2020 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Set four years after The Last of Us (2013), the game focuses on two playable characters in a post-apocalyptic United States whose lives intertwine: Ellie, who sets out in revenge for a murder, and Abby, a soldier who becomes involved in a conflict between her militia and a religious cult. Following its announcement in December 2016, the game received several awards in anticipation of its release, as well as for its demonstration at E3 2018.
The game was released for the PlayStation 4 on June 19, 2020, and received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic. It had the biggest launch of 2020 and became the fastest-selling PlayStation 4 exclusive. It won 326 Game of the Year awards, which several outlets claimed broke the record set by The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015); it was later surpassed by Elden Ring (2022). It was awarded from several shows and publications, many of whom considered it among the best games of its generation and among the greatest video games ever made.
It won two awards at AbleGamers's inaugural Video Game Accessibility Awards: Second Channel, for providing several ways to access information; and Helping Hand, for the presentation of in-game hints. At the 38th Golden Joystick Awards, the game won all six awards for which it was nominated, including Ultimate Game of the Year. It led the nominees at the Game Awards 2020 with eleven nominations, of which it won seven, the most in the show's history to date, including Game of the Year. Following some concerns from viewers, host and producer Geoff Keighley clarified the awards were not rigged nor influenced by Naughty Dog; he said the game was popular with players and media alike as proven by its second-place ranking in the publicly-voted Player's Voice award.
The game received five nominations at the 10th Annual New York Game Awards, including Game of the Year; it lost all to Hades. The Last of Us Part II received twenty-four nominations at the NAVGTR Awards, the most in the show's history, and won eight, including Franchise Adventure Game, Lead Performance in a Drama for Johnson and Bailey, and Supporting Performance in a Drama for Baker. It received a record-breaking thirteen nominations at the 17th British Academy Games Awards, of which it won three, including Performer in a Leading Role for Bailey and the publicly-voted EE Game of the Year. The game led the 19th Annual Game Audio Network Guild Awards with fifteen nominations and eight wins, and received the most nominations at the 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards with eleven (winning two), the 21st Game Developers Choice Awards with six (winning one), and the inaugural Global Industry Game Awards with thirteen (winning three).
Accolades Award Date Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result British Academy Games Awards March 25, 2021 EE Game of the Year The Last of Us Part II Animation The Last of Us Part II Performer in a Leading Role Performer in a Supporting Role Best Game The Last of Us Part II Artistic Achievement The Last of Us Part II Audio Achievement The Last of Us Part II Game Beyond Entertainment The Last of Us Part II Game Design The Last of Us Part II Music Technical Achievement The Last of Us Part II Deutscher Computerspielpreis April 13, 2021 Best International Game The Last of Us Part II April 22, 2021 Outstanding Achievement in Animation Outstanding Achievement in Story Game of the Year Adventure Game of the Year Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction Outstanding Achievement in Game Design Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design Outstanding Achievement in Character Abby (portrayed by Laura Bailey; written by Neil Druckmann and Halley Gross; additional writing by Josh Scherr and Ryan James) Ellie (portrayed by Ashley Johnson; written by Neil Druckmann and Halley Gross; additional writing by Josh Scherr and Ryan James) Outstanding Technical Achievement Game Audio Network Guild Awards April 28, 2021 Audio of the Year The Last of Us Part II Sound Design of the Year The Last of Us Part II Dialogue of the Year The Last of Us Part II Creative and Technical Achievement in Sound Design The Last of Us Part II Best Ensemble Cast Performance The Last of Us Part II Excellence in Audio Accessibility The Last of Us Part II Best Game Audio Article or Publication The Last of Us Part II Sound Interview – A Sound Effect Best Audio Mix The Last of Us Part II Creative and Technical Achievement in Music The Last of Us Part II Best UI, Reward or Objective Sound Design The Last of Us Part II Best Game Foley The Last of Us Part II Best Voice Performance Best Non-Humanoid Performance The Last of Us Part II Best Cinematic Cutscene Audio The Last of Us Part II Best Physical Soundtrack Release The Last of Us Part II December 7, 2017 Most Anticipated Game The Last of Us Part II December 10, 2020 Game of the Year The Last of Us Part II Best Game Direction The Last of Us Part II Best Narrative Best Audio Design The Last of Us Part II Innovation in Accessibility The Last of Us Part II Best Action/Adventure The Last of Us Part II Best Performance Best Art Direction The Last of Us Part II Best Score and Music Player's Voice The Last of Us Part II Game Critics Awards July 2, 2018 Special Commendation for Graphics The Last of Us Part II Special Commendation for Sound The Last of Us Part II Game Developers Choice Awards July 21, 2021 Best Narrative The Last of Us Part II Game of the Year The Last of Us Part II Best Audio The Last of Us Part II Best Design The Last of Us Part II Best Technology The Last of Us Part II Best Visual Art The Last of Us Part II Innovation Award The Last of Us Part II GLAAD Media Awards April 8, 2021 Outstanding Video Game The Last of Us Part II Golden Joystick Awards November 17, 2017 Most Wanted Game The Last of Us Part II November 16, 2018 Most Wanted Game The Last of Us Part II November 24, 2020 Ultimate Game of the Year The Last of Us Part II PlayStation Game of the Year The Last of Us Part II Best Audio The Last of Us Part II Best Storytelling The Last of Us Part II Best Visual Design The Last of Us Part II Studio of the Year Naughty Dog Golden Reel Awards April 16, 2021 Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Computer Cinematic Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Computer Interactive Game Play Hollywood Music in Media Awards January 27, 2021 Outstanding Music Supervision — Video Game Original Score — Video Game Hugo Awards December 18, 2021 Best Video Game The Last of Us Part II Japan Game Awards October 2, 2021 Award for Excellence The Last of Us Part II New York Game Awards January 26, 2021 Big Apple Award for Best Game of the Year The Last of Us Part II Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game The Last of Us Part II Human Melville Award for Best Writing The Last of Us Part II Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game The Steam Awards January 3, 2026 Outstanding Story-Rich Game Award The Last of Us Part II Remastered SXSW Gaming Awards March 20, 2021 Excellence in Narrative The Last of Us Part II Video Game of the Year The Last of Us Part II Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award The Last of Us Part II Titanium Awards December 12, 2020 Game of the Year The Last of Us Part II Best Narrative Design The Last of Us Part II Best OST The Last of Us Part II Best Art The Last of Us Part II Visual Effects Society Awards April 6, 2021 Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project Webby Awards May 18, 2021 Best Adventure Game The Last of Us Part II Best User Experience The Last of Us Part II Best Technical Achievement The Last of Us Part II Best Adventure Game — People's Voice The Last of Us Part II Best Game Design — People's Voice The Last of Us Part II Best Music/Sound Design — People's Voice The Last of Us Part II Best User Experience — People's Voice The Last of Us Part II Best Technical Achievement — People's Voice The Last of Us Part II Best Game Design The Last of Us Part II Best Music/Sound Design The Last of Us Part II April 26, 2022 Video Ad Shortform "True Faith" Launch Spot (AKQA)
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