The Last of Us: parents' guide
Best for ages 16 and up. Rated TV-MA.
A gripping, often brutal post-apocalyptic drama best suited to older teens who can handle grief and graphic violence. Across two seasons, people and fungus-infected creatures are shot, stabbed, bitten and beaten in bloody detail, and the f-word is constant. Children die on screen, several characters take their own lives, a man tries to rape a 14-year-old girl, and a central character is beaten to death in front of someone who loves him. Sexual content includes an implied night between two men, a brief sex scene between two young women and a fully nude corpse in an exam scene. The weight of loss and violence makes this a 16-and-up watch.
What's in it
Violence
StrongFrequent bloody shootings, stabbings, bites and beatings, plus fungus-ridden corpses. A man tries to rape 14-year-old Ellie, who fights back and kills him. Season 2 adds torture, a savage beating death, and a pregnant woman who dies after being shot.
Language
StrongConstant strong language: Plugged In counted more than 45 f-words in the first episode and nearly 30 in the season 2 premiere, along with s-words, crude terms, misuse of God's name and a slur aimed at a same-sex couple.
Sex and nudity
ModerateKissing and romance, including same-sex couples. Two men go to bed together with sex implied in season 1, and Ellie and Dina have a brief sex scene in season 2. A fully nude female corpse is examined, and a naked prisoner is tortured.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModerateAdults drink beer and whiskey, and Joel chases pills with alcohol in the first episode. Drugs are smuggled and traded, a couple ends their lives with pills dissolved in wine, and in season 2 Dina says she is high on marijuana.
Scary or intense scenes
StrongSustained dread from infected creatures, with jump scares, swarms and grotesque fungus-covered bodies. Hangings, corpses and repeated on-screen deaths of children and loved ones make this heavy and sometimes harrowing.
Sensitive topics
- Suicide
- Death of a child
- Death of a parent
- Sexual assault
Worth talking about
Joel's choices come from love and grief. Talk about when protecting someone you love crosses into harming others, and how revenge drives the characters in season 2.
On our lists
Similar picks around 16+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, Wikipedia, movieguide.org. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.