September 26 has arrived with a small but tangible treat for The Last of Us fans on PlayStation 5: a free animated background for the console’s Welcome Hub. It is not a new game, an expansion, or confirmation of a long-rumored next chapter. Still, it gives players an official new way to bring the series to their PS5 home experience while the larger The Last of Us Day plans remain a couple of days away.
The background depicts both the younger and older versions of Ellie, representing the two mainline games. It is available through the PS5’s Welcome Hub and does not require a separate download. That last detail matters: this is a customizable Welcome Hub visual rather than a traditional downloadable console theme.
How to activate the free PS5 background
PS5 owners can find the new option with a few quick steps:
- Open the Welcome Hub on PS5.
- Select Change Background near the top of the screen.
- Open the Games tab.
- Select the The Last of Us background.
The Welcome Hub is the PS5 landing area that can surface widgets and personalized visual options. A background there changes that particular console space; it should not be mistaken for the old system-wide PlayStation themes that some fans have been asking Sony to revive. The distinction is important because “theme,” “wallpaper,” and “Welcome Hub background” can sound interchangeable, but they describe different levels of console customization.
In practical terms, players should expect an animated branded backdrop within Welcome Hub rather than the broader, dynamic theme treatment associated with earlier PlayStation systems. It is a modest feature, but it is also free, official, and easy to enable or switch away from whenever desired.
For anyone making console changes more generally, it is worth remembering that cosmetic setup is separate from hardware needs. A background does not require accessories or special cables; if a PS5 needs a replacement lead, see this guide to the PS5 figure-8 power-cord specifications and safer replacements.
September 28 is the date to watch
The Last of Us Day is marked on September 26, the franchise’s fictional Cordyceps outbreak date. The principal announcements teased for this year’s celebration, however, are scheduled for Monday, September 28.
What has been promised is specific enough to set expectations, but not detailed enough to identify the individual projects beforehand. The planned items are:
Related coverage includes The Last of Us PS5 Welcome Hub Background Arrives Ahead of September 28 Reveals.
- A partnership announcement
- A collaboration described as “very cool”
- Digital surprises
- A No Return charity stream on Twitch
- Additional, currently unspecified material
No Return is the roguelike survival mode associated with The Last of Us Part II Remastered. In roguelike design, runs are structured around repeated attempts, shifting conditions, and the threat of failure resetting progress within a run. That format makes it a natural fit for a charity broadcast: it can produce discrete attempts and unpredictable moments without needing a new story campaign or a major release announcement.
The stream’s charitable purpose is the one confirmed aspect at this stage. Its featured guests, fundraising beneficiary, format, time, and platform details beyond Twitch have not been established here, so fans should be careful not to fill those gaps with assumptions.
What the tease does—and does not—say about a new game
The franchise’s future in games is understandably the biggest point of speculation. Yet the language surrounding September 28 points to partnerships, collaborations, digital material, and a stream—not to a formal reveal of The Last of Us Part III.
That does not rule out every gaming-related surprise, but it does mean a sequel should not be treated as announced. Sony has not confirmed The Last of Us Part III, and work continues on Naughty Dog’s Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Earlier comments from Neil Druckmann prompted theories about a possible third chapter in Ellie’s story, but theories are not a project announcement, nor do they establish a release window, platform, setting, or cast.
This is the useful dividing line for the coming reveal: confirmed information is the September 28 slate and the new PS5 background. The identity of the partnership, the collaboration, the digital surprises, and any potential game-related news remain unknown. Keeping that separation clear avoids turning a fan celebration into a promise the studio has not made.
Season 3 casting expands the TV side of the franchise
The Last of Us activity is not limited to the console. Season 3 of the HBO adaptation has also added John Goodman, Laura Bailey, and Ian Alexander to its cast.
Goodman is a newcomer to the series and will play a new character named Joey. Bailey has a particularly notable relationship with the property: she portrayed Abby in The Last of Us Part II and previously appeared as a nurse during the show’s first season. For Season 3, she is set to play Elizabeth, identified as a Seraphite leader.
Alexander, who first appeared as Lev in the second game, will play an as-yet unnamed character in the television series. That lack of a character name limits what can responsibly be inferred about the role. It establishes Alexander’s involvement, but not the character’s story function, how closely the part might track the game, or the scale of the appearance.
The Seraphites are a faction from The Last of Us Part II, so Elizabeth’s designation supplies a clear connection between the TV series and that side of the game’s world. It does not, on its own, explain where she fits in the show’s version of events. Casting announcements can offer useful signals about the scope of an adaptation, but character details and narrative decisions still need to come from the production itself.
A small PS5 extra, with bigger questions still open
The Welcome Hub background is a low-stakes addition, but it is well timed. It gives PS5 players something they can access immediately, centers Ellie across the two main games, and opens the door to the larger set of The Last of Us Day material due September 28.
For now, the best expectation is straightforward: activate the background if it appeals to you, tune in for the charity stream if its details fit your schedule, and wait for the promised announcements before reading a sequel reveal into the occasion. The confirmed list includes collaboration and partnership news, digital surprises, and No Return streaming; it does not currently include a confirmed new entry in the game series.
