Spoiler warning: This ranking names story chapters and describes encounter situations from both games, including late-game plot material. The hardest sections in The Last of Us Part I and The Last of Us Part II depend heavily on difficulty and accessibility settings, so this is an editorial ranking rather than an official or universal order.
The list assumes a standard story run on a challenging preset—Survivor in Part I and Hard in Part II—without Grounded or Permadeath. It weighs four factors: threat pressure, scarcity of ammunition and crafting supplies, how many phases must be handled in sequence, and the cost of failure under the selected mode. The games’ chapter boundaries and encounter designs differ, so these are reasoned comparisons, not measured scores or claims of firsthand playtesting.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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The Last of Us Part I – PlayStation 5 | $37.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Sony Interactive Entertainment The Last of Us Part 1 Standard PlayStation 5 | $45.06 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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The Last of Us: Part I and Part II Scripts | $31.06 | Buy on Amazon |
How to read this ranking
Difficulty settings change the comparison. Part I offers Very Light, Light, Moderate, Hard, Survivor, Custom, and Grounded, with separate controls for factors such as incoming damage, enemy strength, allies, stealth, and resources, as described in PlayStation’s Part I accessibility overview. In Part II, Grounded makes enemies deadlier, reduces ammunition and crafting supplies, disables Listen Mode, and reduces HUD information; it is a different baseline from Hard. Permadeath is a separate consequence modifier, not simply another difficult encounter setting. The 2020 update announcement describes whole-game Permadeath and options scoped to a chapter or act.
Accordingly, the order below is about the sections’ combined demands on a challenging standard run. A player using Grounded may find resource constraints decisive; someone using Permadeath may rank a shorter but risky sequence higher because failure erases more progress. The official sources establish how settings alter play, but do not certify a hardest-ten list or compare every story encounter.
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- Enhanced visuals: Completely rebuilt from the ground up using Naughty Dog’s latest PS5 engine technology to improve every visual detail, The Last of Us experience has been faithfully enhanced with more realistic lighting and atmosphere, more intricate environments and creative reimaginings of familiar spaces.
- Fast loading: Initial loading times are near instant, and seamless after the first instance thanks to the PS5 console’s SSD – so you can pick up where you left off in the story and load specific encounters and chapters more quickly.
- Haptic feedback: DualSense wireless controller haptic feedback support for every weapon elevates combat encounters, and environments are brought to life through DualSense wireless controller haptic sensations of subtle falling rain, the crunch of stepping on snow and more.
- Adaptive triggers: All The Last of Us iconic weapons, including Joel’s revolver and Ellie’s bow, now deliver dynamic DualSense wireless controller trigger resistance and kickback on firing for deeper combat immersion.
- 3D Audio: Designed to make use of the PS5 console’s Tempest 3D AudioTech, Naughty Dog’s newly upgraded audio engine delivers richer soundscapes, bigger explosive moments and more visceral gameplay through compatible stereo headphones (analogue or USB) or TV speakers.
10. The hotel basement — Part I
The hotel basement turns a search for a way out into a close-quarters infected encounter. Limited visibility and the threat of being overwhelmed make it difficult to rely on a single tactic: stealth can buy time, but a mistake can quickly force a costly fight. Its pressure comes less from a long chain of arenas than from having to manage danger before reaching safety.
9. The university — Part I
The university is a broad exploration section with infected encounters that can punish careless movement. Its difficulty builds through uncertainty and attrition: players must decide when to sneak, when to spend supplies, and how much risk to accept while moving through a large environment. It sits below the most punishing set pieces because its pressure is less concentrated into an extended, tightly linked fight.
8. The financial district — Part II
In Seattle’s financial district, hostile human groups control connected spaces and can force the player to adapt as a fight changes. Ammunition and crafting supplies matter because a loud or prolonged engagement can leave fewer options for what follows. The section tests positioning and resource discipline more than endurance against a single unbroken wave.
7. The school — Part II
The school sequence makes stealth especially valuable: enemies patrol in groups, and detection can turn a careful approach into a chaotic fight. The challenge is keeping track of multiple threats while choosing whether to avoid, isolate, or engage them. It is dangerous, but its threat can be managed through route choice and patience rather than requiring one fixed combat solution.
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6. The suburbs — Part I
The suburbs combine exploration with encounters against armed opponents and infected, creating a risk of spending resources before the next threat is clear. The changing threat mix complicates decisions: ammunition or crafting materials used to solve one problem may be unavailable for another. The section’s challenge is cumulative, though it gives more room to choose an approach than the top-ranked sequences.
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5. The hospital — Part I
The hospital’s final push is difficult because it asks the player to move through hostile spaces while conserving enough resources to handle resistance along the way. The objective creates urgency, but rushing can make encounters harder; taking time can still expose the player to danger. Its position reflects the combination of sustained pressure and limited room to waste supplies, rather than a claim that every player will reach it with the same inventory.
4. The resort — Part II
The resort’s encounter with a large hostile group is a demanding test of stealth, positioning, and resource control. The danger is not only the number of opponents but the risk that one missed threat will expose the player and force an expensive fight. It ranks high for the sustained attention it demands, although the cost of failure remains the standard checkpoint cost unless Permadeath is enabled.
3. The winter lodge — Part I
The winter lodge is a concentrated combat sequence with little comfort in the face of infected pressure. Threats can close distance quickly, making it hard to recover from a poor position or a missed shot. The encounter’s short, intense nature pushes it above longer sections where the player can more freely control the pace.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →2. The hospital descent — Part II
The descent through the hospital’s lower levels is a long, high-pressure sequence that mixes dangerous infected with the need to move through unfamiliar, confined spaces. The threat escalates as the player progresses, so spending too freely early can narrow options later. It ranks near the top for the combination of escalating danger, resource management, and sustained execution.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.1. The arcade and Rat King encounter — Part II
The hospital’s Rat King encounter is the most demanding individual section in this ranking. It combines a powerful, relentless threat with a confined arena and a need to keep moving while deciding when to use limited ammunition and crafting supplies. The encounter’s intensity is distinct from its failure cost: on a standard run, failure means restarting from a checkpoint; with Permadeath, the consequence can extend to the selected chapter, act, or entire game.
Rank #3
How Grounded and Permadeath change the ranking
Grounded changes the encounter, not just the label
Grounded tightens the same pressures used to rank these sections. In Part I, the official feature overview lists Grounded and separate challenge controls. In Part II, the update announcement says Grounded increases enemy danger and scarcity while disabling Listen Mode and reducing HUD elements. Matthew Gallant, Naughty Dog’s lead systems designer, called it “the ultimate test of skill” for veteran fans in the August 11, 2020 announcement. That is the developer’s characterization, not a comparative measurement of these ten sections.
Permadeath makes failure carry farther
Part II Permadeath can apply across the full game or use chapter- or act-level scopes. That makes the ranking’s failure-cost factor depend on the chosen scope: an error in a difficult fight can jeopardize much more progress than the immediate encounter. It should not be confused with a section being mechanically harder; the same fight can feel more consequential without changing its enemies or layout.
Accessibility settings are part of the configuration
Both games provide options that can change navigation and combat assistance, so there is no single challenge experience shared by every player. PlayStation’s Part II accessibility page describes custom difficulty categories and navigation and traversal assistance, among other features. Naughty Dog’s launch overview reported more than 60 accessibility settings for Part II, including combat modifications and puzzle skipping; that was a launch-era feature announcement, not a count intended to describe every later update. The list is therefore best used as a guide to common pressure points, not as a judgment of how a particular person should play.
Which editions include both games?
For PS5, the PlayStation Store listing for The Last of Us Complete describes a package that includes The Last of Us Part I and The Last of Us Part II Remastered. Store listings and availability can change; the ranking does not require that package or any particular purchase route.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
