The Last of Us Left Behind: how to play DLC, what is the plot - is episode 7 of HBO series based on it?

HBO’s The Last of Us series will bring to life the original game’s acclaimed add on Left Behind.

Fans have been left on tenderhooks following the dramatic conclusion to the sixth episode of the hit series. Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) was last seen in dire straights after being stabbed with a shard of a baseball bat after a confrontation at the University of Eastern Colorado.

The seventh episode of the HBO show will air on Sunday (26 March) and is titled Left Behind, the same as the DLC for the original PlayStation game. The add on expanded on Ellie time in the Boston QZ prior to her meeting Joel and followed an eventful night with her best friend Riley.

In the show Ellie is played by Bella Ramsey and Storm Reid will be taking on the role of Riley.

Here is all you need to know about Left Behind:

How can you play The Last of Us Left Behind?

Left Behind is downloadable content for the original PlayStation 3 game and it was released on 14 February 2014, nearly a year after the original game. It had to be purchased separately to the game.

If you want to play Left Behind in 2023, it comes bundled with the PlayStation 4 remaster as well as The Last of Us Part I. To start playing the DLC you have to select Left Behind from the main menu - that is the only way to access the additional material.

What is the plot of Left Behind?

The DLC puts the players in the shoes of Ellie and it takes place in the gap between the Fall and Winter sections of the original game. At the end of Fall, Joel is greviously wounded after landing on a piece of rebar and Ellie has to take care of him.

In Left Behind, Ellie is in an abandoned mall searching for medical supplies required to treat Joel and keep him alive. The DLC also includes a second parrallel storyline set prior to the timeline of the original game in which Ellie and her friend Riley explore a mall outside the Boston QZ.

The DLC intersperse the flashbacks with the present day Ellie’s search for supplies, combining to resolve one of the biggest mysteries remaining after the conclusion of The Last of Us.

Does The Last of Us episode 7 adapt Left Behind?

The seventh episode of HBO’s adaption of The Last of Us is titled Left Behind and the promo footage features scenes drawing from the DLC - including Riley (Storm Reid).

Invesere reports that the episode will “detail Ellie’s life before she met Joel. It will chronicle her time in the FEDRA military school, as well as the night she and her friend Riley sneak into an abandoned mall for an evening of fun that quickly descends into terror.” The episode is 56 minutes long, according to reports.

How many episodes does The Last of Us have?

HBO’s hit series will have 9 episodes in its first season. The season finale will air on 12 March in the US and 13 March in the UK.

The Last of Us has been renewed for a second series and it will cover the events of The Last of Us Part II. It is possible that only half of the sequel would be adapted in season two, due to the size of the game and that a third series may be needed to complete the story.