Modders Introduce Unofficial Multiplayer to The Last of Us Part II After Six Years

One of the biggest letdowns surrounding The Last of Us Part II was the lack of a multiplayer mode. In contrast, Factions—the multiplayer feature in the first game—offered significant replayability and presented players with a captivating alternative when the tension of surviving the Cordyceps-ravaged world became too intense. Nearly six years after the sequel’s debut, modders are stepping in to address Naughty Dog’s omission—and fans are thoroughly impressed.

A Solo Developer’s Breakthrough

Last week, modder Speclizer announced they were exploring the possibility of adding unofficial multiplayer to The Last of Us Part II. Renowned for their expertise in creating intricate mods—including multiple for both The Last of Us games and the God of War series—they delivered a working prototype within just a few days.

A short video showcases two Ellie characters navigating part of the Seattle map. While still rough and technically unstable, the demo lays the groundwork for a promising co-op mode. Although currently limited to cooperative gameplay, the long-term goal is PvP. The fact that this progress has been made almost entirely by a single developer is nothing short of remarkable.

Early Feedback and Community Reaction

The initial test footage of the mod—captioned “Our first test of our multiplayer mod for The Last of Us Part II on PC, very broken and not a lot has been implemented yet”—was posted on January 10, 2026, accompanied by the hashtags #TheLastofUsPartII and #Factions.

YouTuber and streamer The Black Hokage remarked: “Obviously it’s not much right now. It’s still in the testing phase. But I appreciate the effort. Some of us were really looking forward to that multiplayer Last of Us spin-off game.” Another commenter added: “Modders are out here doing what Sony didn’t dare to try.”

The Canceled Factions Spin-Off

Naughty Dog originally planned to evolve Factions into a standalone title. The studio spent four years developing a dedicated multiplayer spin-off set in the Last of Us universe—before ultimately canceling the project. Faced with the operational challenges of maintaining a resource-heavy live-service game, Naughty Dog shifted its focus to prioritize narrative-driven single-player experiences. This strategic pivot directly led to the creation of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, the studio’s next major release.

What’s Next?

There is no official timeline for when the mod will be publicly available. However, considering the rapid pace of development so far, a playable version might be released sooner than anticipated. Stay tuned.

In a separate development, after Sony declined a proposed Horizon Zero Dawn crossover, Tencent pitched an entirely new Last of Us game—leading one insider to comment: “I was baffled.”