The Last of Us Games are Getting a New Full Script Book and It’s Canon

Ever found yourself replaying The Last of Us Part II just to hear Joel’s “There’s no halfway with this” delivery for the hundredth time? What if you could’ve just flipped to that exact moment in a script? Well, now you can. Naughty Dog and the PlayStation publishing machine are bringing the defining moments of The Last of Us franchise to the page, literally. The newly announced The Last of Us: The Complete Scripts Volume One is set to release in October 2025, giving fans a definitive new way to experience the post-apocalyptic world torn between love, vengeance, and the shattered remains of humanity.

All the Dialogue and None of the Button Mashing

The upcoming script book gathers every word and key screen direction from the entire saga of The Last of Us Part I, Part II, and the Left Behind DLC. The official announcement, made by Naughty Dog and reported by Eurogamer, confirms that the 880-page hardcover edition arrives via Dark Horse Books and PlayStation Studios this autumn.

Written by Neil Druckmann and Halley Gross, the scripts have been edited and officially formatted for print for the first time, dialogue preserved as performed and cutscene actions framed like a drama, making it an essential piece whether you’re a diehard fan, screenwriting nerd, or someone curious about how haunting digital performances get shaped on the page.

The Last of Us is known for its dense emotional storytelling and fully fleshed-out characters. Whether you’re intrigued by how a scene was constructed or want to study the structure of interactive narratives, the script book may be as re-readable as the game was replayable. Each conversation between Ellie and Dina, or every heated exchange between Joel and Abby, is finally available to pore over without the occasional Clicker ruining your flow.

A Piece of Gaming History in Print

Let’s be honest: The Last of Us Part I and its critically acclaimed sequel raised the bar for what story-rich games could achieve. Beyond its gunplay and stealth mechanics, the series focused heavily on performance capture and acting. Now with the release of this script book, those performances are given their original form—fixed on the page, word-for-word.

Also included are cut scenes and stage directions that never made it into the final games, giving long-time fans something to chew on. Naughty Dog describes the release as a chance to revisit these deeply personal moments with additional insights that weren’t surface-level in gameplay. Want to know how the “take on me” music scene read in the original draft? Now’s your chance.

The book is marked as Volume One, suggesting that this first entry may not be the last. Although specifics aren’t yet confirmed, the use of this label opens the door for possible volumes involving HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation or story expansions in future instalments. So if you’ve ever fantasised about owning the full screenplay for a game like you would a favourite movie, this is marquee stuff.

The release comes at a time when Sony has doubled down on multimedia storytelling. With The Last of Us Part II Remastered now out for PS5 and the PC port of Part I continuing to draw interest, a print extension shows confidence in the franchise as a transmedia property. And just like its TV adaptation, which stayed strikingly faithful to the in-game scenes, the script sticks close to what fans already know and love. It’s expected to be released on the 16th of December, though pre-orders are open now via Amazon US for $66.63.

No region-locking or console restriction here either. Whether your setup is PC, PS5, or PS4, or you’re someone who hasn’t touched a DualSense in years, you’ll be able to get in on this storytelling experience. And for loyalists who’ve stuck with Joel and Ellie since 2013, this release becomes more than just a book. It’s a statement: that games aren’t just playable stories, but they’re scriptable ones too.