This past Saturday, September 26, fans of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us (2013) celebrated Outbreak Day, “the date on which the Cordyceps brain infection outbreak reached critical mass within the series’ narrative.” As per tradition, Naughty Dog got in on the action, writing a post on X, formerly Twitter, that reads “we can’t wait to celebrate with you, but we’ll be saving our #TLOUDay festivities for Monday, September 28.” The team promised a “partnership announcement, a very cool collaboration, digital surprises, and more,” alongside a charity livestream event.
Happy The Last of Us Day!
We can’t wait to celebrate with you, but we’ll be saving our #TLOUDay festivities for Monday, September 28.
Expect a partnership announcement, a very cool collaboration, digital surprises, and more. Don’t forget to tune in to our No Return charity stream on Twitch! https://t.co/t79kBoUq0E
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) September 26, 2026
PlayStation 5 Themed Background
Naughty Dog did, however, give fans a small teaser before today’s announcements. Also on the 26th, they announced a themed background for PlayStation 5 users to add to their welcome hub for the first time. It features an animated split screen of Ellie and Abby facing each other, with a miniature Joel on Ellie’s side, and an action shot of Abby on her side.
We’ll be celebrating #TLOUDay on Monday, but we do have a fun surprise for you today.
For the first time ever, a The Last of Us-themed background is being added to the PlayStation Welcome Hub. Log in to your PlayStation account and download it to see how our team has brought dynamic elements to this iconic key art.
To use it, go to your Welcome Hub, select Change Background, and find it under the Games tab.
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) September 26, 2026
PlayStation Themed Avatars
Today’s announcements were posted at various times on an official The Last of Us Instagram account in conjunction with Naughty Dog, pausing for the AbleGamers Charity Livestream. The first post, made around 10 AM PST, was for themed PlayStation avatars. Fans can choose a design based off of the “Seraphites, the W.L.F., and Ellie’s much-loved space pin.” The social media team also included region specific download codes for these items in the description.
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Themed Armour in Ghost of Yōtei
The second announcement of the day appears to be the “very cool collaboration” teased on Saturday. “Happy #TLOUDay!” Sucker Punch Productions writes, sharing ownership of the post with Naughty Dog and The Last of Us. “We are thrilled to collaborate with our friends at @naughtydog for a @TheLastOfUsofficial armor set in Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition!” This armour set is designed to look like an Infected Clicker, and will not be available until October 1.
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Steam Themed Avatars
Similar to today’s PlayStation announcement, new animated avatars are coming to Steam. Instead of being direct clones of the PlayStation options, Naughty Dog has designed three new avatars including “iconography of the Fireflies, W.L.F. and Ellie’s moth tattoo.” These avatars are currently for sale in the Steam Points Shop, and Naughty Dog does not offer any download codes.
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Photo Mode Shots Spotlights
Earlier, Naughty Dog announced a competition for fans to take photos during gameplay in Photo Mode. Today, four of these photos were recognized on the official account. These consist of Abby and Lev by allcwedtobehappy, Sam and Henry by hectorb3, Ellie and Joel by @eclipsedfantasy, and Dina and Ellie by @candymann2003.
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Themed YouTooz Figures
A new Clicker figure has been added to The Last of Us’ YouTooz roster. Previous YouTooz figures include Joel Miller, Ellie Williams, and Abby Anderson.
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Subway Ambience Video
“Sit back, relax, and drift off to the screeches of Clickers hunting you down with this subway ambience video,” Naughty Dog announced in one of today’s final posts. The video is an hour long, and seems to be the opposite of relaxing, with one fan commenting “Nothing says relaxing more than being hunted by Clickers.”
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Official Statement
The day’s online festivities wrapped up with an official statement from Naughty Dog Studio Head Niel Druckmann. The note addresses rumors about The Last of Us Part III, stating “We have a couple of very exciting new projects in very early stages – so we can’t say much about them at this point. I will tell you that both projects will expand the canon of The Last of Us beyond Part I and Part II.” Additionally, Druckmann takes time to expand on what the future of Naughty Dog might look like. “So we want to set expectations,” he says, adding that “we’re going to be quiet for the rest of this year. In 2027, that changes. We’ll fully reveal Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and give you a proper look at Jordan’s wild sci-fi adventure.”
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