Where The Last of Us Takes Place, Explained

The Last of Us Part 1 and Part 2 aren’t short on drama or fatalities. But where do these games take you? Here’s an explainer for where The Last of Us takes place.

Where The Last of Us Takes Place, Explained

The games take place in North America, in a world that’s been decimated by a fungal plague. Technically, the infected aren’t zombies, but it’s a zombie apocalypse in everything but name. And while both games are set in the US, it’s generally assumed that the plague has infected the entire world.

Where Does The Last of Us Part 1 Take Place?

The Last of Us Part 1 sees protagonist Joel escorting infection-immune Ellie across America with the aim of getting her to the Fireflies. They’re a group that thinks they can use her immunity to create a cure or vaccine for the fungal plague. Here’s where their journey takes them.

Austin (Texas) – Before meeting Ellie, Joel lives with his daughter Sara in the suburbs of Austin, Texas. But when the outbreak hits, he, Sarah, and brother Tommy flee, getting caught up in the chaos in town.

Boston (Massachusetts) – Now a smuggler and all around shady guy, Joel lives in the Boston safe zone with his romantic partner and partner in crime, Tess. It’s a chunk of the city that’s been fenced up and mostly kept free of infected. There, he meets Marlene, leader of the Fireflies, who tasks him with taking Ellie to another group of Fireflies. They sneak out of the city, but Tess is bitten and sacrifices herself to save the pair. If you play the Left Behind DLC, you also get to explore Boston’s Liberty Gardens Mall as Ellie.

Lincoln (Massachusetts) – Joel seeks out survivalist friend Bill, someone whom he’s traded with in the past and who ultimately helps him get a car. Up to this point, most of the locations are what you’d expect from a post-apocalyptic landscape – lots of empty buildings and more than a handful of zombies.

Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) – On their way to Tommy, the pair hit a bandit ambush, totaling their car. They eventually escape through the sewers and head to Jackson. There’s a time jump, and while the game doesn’t specify how they travel, they’re without transport when we rejoin them.

Jackson (Wyoming) – Joel and Ellie find Joel’s brother, Tommy, in Jackson. Jackson’s settlement has a real Western feel in the sequel, but here, we don’t get to see inside it. Instead, the pair find Tommy’s brother at a dam, and while he’s no longer a Firefly, he points the pair toward a possible Firefly location. They leave on a horse Tommy gives them.

University of Eastern Colorado (Colorado) – Joel and Ellie arrive at this massive university campus to find the fireflies gone. They’re attacked by bandits, and while they kill several, Joel falls on a piece of rebar and is badly injured.

The Colorado Mountain Plaza (Colorado) – Featured in the Left Behind DLC, Ellie holes up in a house in Colorado while searching a nearby mall for supplies. Joel is still badly injured, in and out of consciousness.

Silver Lake (Colorado) – This is a mountain resort where, hunting for food, Ellie gets captured by a group of cannibals.

Saint Mary’s Hospital (Salt Lake City, Utah) – Finally, Joel and Ellie reach this abandoned hospital, which is temporarily taken over by the Fireflies. It doesn’t end well.

Jackson (Wyoming) – The game ends with the pair heading home to Jackson, with the settlement in view, but the game ends before they go inside.

Where Does The Last of Us Part 2 Take Place?

The sequel is less of a road trip, but there are a few regions that players get to visit.

Jackson (Wyoming) – The game begins with both Joel and Ellie living in Wyoming, though they’re not close after the events of the last game. The settlement looks appropriately rustic, but it’s still at risk from the infected. The game also takes us to an abandoned library and a mansion, the Baldwin Mansion.

Seattle (Washington) – As both Abbie and Ellie, players visit several locations, including a hospital, movie theatre, aquarium, and more.

Seraphite Island (Washington) – This is technically part of Seattle, but flooding has cut it off, so it’s effectively an island.

Saint Mary’s Hospital (Salt Lake City, Utah) – In flashbacks for both Ellie and Abby, we return to the hospital from the end of Part 1.

The Wyoming Museum of Science and History (Wyoming) – In Ellie’s flashback, we see her and Joel visiting this Wyoming museum, in particular the space section.

Ellie and Dina’s farm (Jackson, Wyoming) – After leaving Seattle, the pair live together on their farm with their daughter. It doesn’t seem particularly defensible, but they’re happy. Ellie returns here at the very end of the game.

Santa Barbara (California) – Hoping to meet with other Fireflies, Abby and Lev travel to Santa Barbara, only to be captured by a slaver gang. Ellie also tracks them to a Hacienda there, leading to an almost comically over-the-top fight.

And those are the locations featured in both The Last of Us games.

If you’re wondering who voices who in the second game, here’s the cast list for The Last of Us Part 2.