We'll be seeing more of The Last of Us 2 before E3 2019, says industry insider

Credit: Naughty Dog

With Days Gone finally out of the way, the rest of Sony's 2019 schedule for PS4 exclusives is looking unusually barebones right now. Neither Death Stranding nor Ghost of Tsushima have confirmed release dates, but the most anticipated first-party title of them all - The Last of Us 2 - seems the most likely to be the one that arrives later this year. 

We've had store listings and tacit confirmation from the PlayStation Store itself that Naughty Dog's dystopian sequel is launching in 2019, and now a new hint from a games industry insider suggests we'll be hearing more about the title very, very soon. 

In a ResetEra thread discussing The Last of Us 2's potential release date, a user by the name of Aokiji - who accurately leaked the existence of Sony's State of Play internet show before it was announced earlier this year - said that "considering we’re getting an official TLOU2 update before E3 2019, [it] would be really weird if it wasn’t 2019 now wouldn’t it[?]."

The E3 2019 schedule kicks off as early as June 7, with the EA Play event, which means - according to this tease - we could be seeing new gameplay for The Last of Us 2 in less than a month. Interestingly, Hideo Kojima teased a new trailer for his next game, Death Stranding, just yesterday, suggesting we could be seeing another State of Play show at some point in May or early June. 

This would certainly be the best way for Sony to keep its player base happy despite its absence from E3, and the tech giant may even reveal more about its announced PS5 console, despite recently stating that the next-gen hardware won't be out till May 2020 at the earliest. 

Whether this hypothetical State of Play gives us a release date for either The Last of Us 2 or Death Stranding is anyone's guess, but their status as two of the most anticipated new games of 2019 and beyond makes this rumour all the more exciting. The ball is in your court, Naughty Dog. 

Sony won't be showing any upcoming PS4 games at E3 this year, but you can check out all the confirmed E3 2019 games by clicking the link, or watching the video below. 

Alex Avard

I'm GamesRadar's Features Writer, which makes me responsible for gracing the internet with as many of my words as possible, including reviews, previews, interviews, and more. Lucky internet! 

Latest in The Last of Us
The Last of Us 2
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann sounds like he's contemplating the end of his career: "When is it time to stop?"
The Last of Us 2
Naughty Dog has done it: it's remastered the PS5 controller with a Last of Us-themed DualSense announcement 24 hours after Neil Druckmann dashed our hopes for The Last of Us 3
best zombie games
"Don't bet on there being more of Last of Us": Asked about The Last of Us 3, Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann says "this could be it"
Concept art for Naughty Dog's new standalone multiplayer title
Cancelled The Last of Us Online game was "great," but former PlayStation exec says Naughty Dog had to scrap it after Bungie told them how much work it would be
The Last of Us 2
The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann doesn't have the "confidence" to plan for sequels: "I'm not saving some idea for the future"
The Last of Us 2
Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann knows you're tired of remakes and remasters, but anyway, The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered is coming to PC next year
Latest in News
Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds dev says the game's success is thanks to an "emphasis on the story," but I think that's only a tiny aspect of it
Agricola: Dead Harvest zombie farming board game artwork
Legendary farming board game Agricola just announced a zombie-fueled horror standalone, but fans seem to think it's an early April Fools joke
Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn on set of Joker 2
Lady Gaga jokingly celebrates Joker 2 reception and Razzie nominations: "Joke's on them. I love winning things"
Jack Quaid in Novocaine
The Boys star Jack Quaid's commitment to the bit is unmatched as his latest marketing stunt for upcoming action movie Novocaine goes viral
George R. R. Martin in Dark Winds season 3
Game of Thrones creator makes sudden cameo in TV show for apparent joke about The Winds of Winter
Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again had Disney Plus' biggest premiere of 2025, but its viewership is lower than Agatha All Along and The Acolyte