It’s not enough to just watch The Last of Us — viewers are ready to play, too. As The Last of Us makes its television debut, the first chapter in Joel and Ellie’s journey are reaping the benefits with a hefty jump in UK sales on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
According to GamesIndustry.biz, the game’s 2022 PS5 remake, The Last of Us Part 1, reentered the UK sales charts at the No. 20 spot after a 238% jump in sales for the week of January 21, 2023. Its PS4 predecessor, The Last of Us: Remastered, also saw a sizeable boost with a 322% sales bump that placed it at No. 32.
Perhaps the least surprising detail is that those numbers coincide with the first episode of its live-action The Last of Us series, which debuted on January 15. The UK data only reflects physical sales, so the number of viewers who rushed to play Joel and Ellie’s story through PlayStation’s digital storefront remain an unknown.
Despite the boost, The Last of Us lost out to heavy hitters like newer PlayStation titles and the usual Nintendo staples. Last week’s tactical Switch RPG, Fire Emblem Engage, debuted at the number one spot. While 2022 releases like God of War Ragnarok, Pokemon Violet and Scarlet, and FIFA 23 occupied other top ten boxed sales spots.
But The Last of Us has more than reinvigorated sales data to its name. Its first episode broke records over at HBO, with more than 4.7 million viewers tuning in for the premiere. That makes the video game adaptation HBO’s second-best debut in the last decade, only beaten by the Game of Thrones spin-off, House of the Dragon.
For those still unsure of how the game-to-TV reimagining shaped up, check IGN’s 9/10 reviews for the “stunning adaptation” in episode one and “edge-of-your-seat tension” in episode two. If you’re looking to start your Clicker-fueled marathon, IGN also has a handy guide on where you can watch HBO’s The Last of Us, along with a breakdown on the rest of season one’s schedule.
Andrea Shearon is a freelance contributor for IGN covering games and entertainment. She’s worn several hats over her seven-year career in the games industry, with bylines over at Fanbyte, USA Today’s FTW, TheGamer, VG247, and RPG Site. Find her on Twitter (@Maajora) or the Materia Possessions podcast chatting about FFXIV, RPGs, and any series involving giant robots.
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