The Last of Us 2 goes free on PlayStation Now, and our minds are blown
Naughty Dog’s post-apocalypse goes free
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
In a move that’s genuinely quite surprising,Sonyhas addedThe Last of Us Part 2to its growing roster of titles available to download and play on thePlayStation Nowsubscription service.
If you’re a PlayStation Now subscriber, you can either download The Last of Us 2 directly to their console or play instantly via the cloud, provided you have a fast enough internet connection.
Other games joining The Last of Us 2 on October 5, 2021 include Amnesia Collection,Fallout 76andFinal Fantasy8 Remastered. This should give PS4 andPS5players plenty to play through this October, the spookiest of all the months.
If you’d like to subscribe to PlayStation Now in order to play The Last of Us 2 or the litany of other titles available on the service, simply head to the PlayStation Store on your console, where there will be a dedicated section for the subscription.
If you’ve never subscribed to PlayStation Now before, you’ll be eligible for a 7-day free trial, after which you’ll be billed on a monthly basis. Subscriptions to PlayStation Now are $9.99 / £8.99 per month, but do keep in mind that this does not include a subscription toPlayStation Plus.
One last thing to note is that while game streaming is available on PlayStation Now, image quality caps at 1080p, which means that you won’t be able to enjoy The Last of Us 2 at a4K resolutionunless you download the game to your console.
Analysis: is PS Now’s flex enough to take on Xbox Game Pass?
Microsoft’sXbox Game Passis arguably the biggest gaming subscription service on the block. And with itsXbox Game Pass Ultimateoption, probably the most consumer friendly, as it rolls bothXbox Live GoldandXbox Cloud Gaminginto one monthly payment.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
That said, PlayStation Now has certainly come a long way. Originally, a very limited number of games were available on the service, and they could only be streamed via the cloud. This meant for a very choppy gameplay experience for those who didn’t have the best internet connections.
However, PlayStation Now has been transformed into a very respectable service. And while there’s still no PS5 games available to play, there’s a huge library of PS2, PS3 and PS4 titles all ready to be downloaded or streamed instantly.
With big additions like The Last of Us 2, it looks like Sony could be growing more confident with releasing its highest profile titles onto PlayStation Now, and much earlier than we’re used to, though we’re sure Sony will never opt to launch its biggest titles on the service on day one as is the case with Game Pass.
The Last of Us 2 joins other high profile PS4 games available on the PlayStation Now service, such asGod of War, Nioh 2,Uncharted 4andBloodborne. Here’s hoping the release of one of the company’s most highly regarded titles onto PlayStation Now means we’re just that little bit closer to seeing PS5 titles go live on the service.
Rhys is TRG’s Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.
I reviewed the PS5 Pro and recommend these 7 enhanced games to try first
Lords of the Fallen is the latest game to get confirmed PS5 Pro enhancements and support
This super-cheap HP Victus 15 gaming laptop just dropped to its lowest price yet
