HBO’s The Last of Us is already shaping up to be one of the biggest shows of the year. This live-action adaptation of the critically-acclaimed PlayStation 3 game attracted around 5 million viewers when it premiered on January 15th and then increased its viewership by over 20% with its second episode. If you don’t have HBO Max, you might be wondering what all the hubbub is about. Good news: HBO just put the first episode of The Last of Us online for free.
Watch The Last of Us episode 1 for free
In case you weren’t aware, HBO Max has a rather large hub of free episodes on its website. It’s a treasure trove of popular HBO and HBO Max original pilots, from Game of Thrones and Euphoria to The Sex Lives of College Girls and The Flight Attendant.
The latest addition is the first episode of The Last of Us, “When You’re Lost in the Darkness.”
You don’t need an HBO Max subscription to watch the episode — just head to this page and click the play button to start watching. There aren’t any ads to speak of, and you can play, pause, and seek back and forth at will if you want to rewatch a scene.
“20 years after a fungal outbreak ravages the planet, survivors Joel and Tess are tasked with a mission that could change everything,” reads the episode’s synopsis.
If you live in Europe, you can also watch the first episode on Sky TV’s YouTube channel:
Two of the first season’s nine episodes have already aired on HBO. You will need to subscribe to HBO or HBO Max if you want to continue watching. Episode 3, “Long Long Time,” airs on Sunday, January 29th at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET. The third episode introduces Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett), who fans of the game should remember.
