The Last of Us Part 2 is officially getting remastered for the PlayStation 5, a mere 3 years after it first launched in 2020. According to Sony and Naughty Dog the new version will arrive on January 19th, 2024 along with a physical deluxe edition.

The fancy physical edition will include a SteelBook display case, four enamel pins, a Washington Liberation Front Patch, and 47 Society of Champions trading cards. No official word on price, but expect it to cost an arm, a leg and a grandma.

For those who already own The Last of Us Part 2 on PlayStation 4, you’ll be able to upgrade to the new version for £10/$10.

Obviously the remaster will come with a bunch of graphical upgrades that make use of the PlayStation 5’s significant power advantage over its predecessor. Not that The Last of Us 2 actually needs it – it’s still a beautiful game. So beautiful, in fact, that the PlayStation 4 Pro sounded like a jet taking off when it ran the game. This new PS5 version will come with a fidelity mode running at a native 4k, and a performance mode which drops the resolution to 1440p but targets a solid 60fps.

There’s some other tasty upgrades, too, including full Dualsense support and developer commentary. Naughty Dog are also adding in their so-called Lost Levels which got cut from the original release. These are described as still being somewhat unfinished, though.

“A new set of Lost Levels in Part II Remastered allow players a unique chance to check out some playable sequences previously cut from the game. These aren’t fully finished levels, but rather early-development slices that not only let you see some new glimpses of Part II’s world, but also include embedded developer commentary to give them richer context. Explore these spaces and hear directly from the team about the intention of aspects of each level – this is a unique inclusion for our studio and we’re excited to allow players a glimpse into the creative process.”

An unlockable speedrun is getting added for anyone who wants to turn the end of the world into a competitive race. Finally, a new rogue-lite mode is being added into the mix where you can unlock and play as a variety of characters from across the series, each with their own traits.

“Play as a host of different unlockable characters, some never-before playable in The Last of Us franchise, each with unique gameplay traits. The variety of challenges feature different foes and memorable locations from throughout Part II, all culminating in tense boss battles.”

The announcement hasn’t been met with a lot of positivity so far, with many people feeling that a remaster this soon after the game came out akin to a cash grab. Its understandable, really – The Last of Us Part 2 still looks fantastic so the graphical upgrades, while certainly nice, don’t actually make for a vast leap in visual quality.

The Last of Us Part 2 has sold over 10 million copies since it launched, so I can only assume there’s at least a few people who will grab the upgrade, and some folk who missed the game the first time round who will now be able to see it in its very best form.

What do you think? Is it to early for a remaster of The Last of Us Part 2?