It’s been more than two years since Naughty Dog cancelled The Last of Us Part 2’s standalone multiplayer project, leaving fans without the Factions-style experience many were expecting. Since then, the studio has stayed quiet on multiplayer plans, focusing instead on remakes and new editions of its single-player games.
Now, a fan is trying to fill that gap. A work-in-progress multiplayer mod for The Last of Us Part 2 on PC is beginning to take shape, offering the closest thing yet to a community-led revival of Factions.
Speclizer_, a familiar name in The Last of Us modding scene, recently shared early footage of the project on X. The clip shows two players exploring Seattle’s Day 1 map together. It's rough. Characters float, animations break, and many core systems are missing.
Our first test of our multiplayer mod for The Last of Us 2 on PC, very broken and not a lot has been implemented yet.#TheLastofUsPartII #Factions pic.twitter.com/mTwLSjhDV8
— Speclizer (@Speclizer_) January 10, 2026
The modder is upfront about its current state, describing it as “very broken” and far from playable. Still, the fact that two players can load into the same space and move around the environment is a meaningful first step.
This isn't a full recreation of Factions. NPCs currently cause major issues with the code, so the plan is to focus entirely on PvP. If it progresses, the mode would let players fight each other across familiar locations, capturing the competitive feel of Factions without AI-driven encounters.
There's no timeline, and no guarantee the project will ever reach a stable release. But for fans who were disappointed by Naughty Dog’s decision, this may be the closest thing to multiplayer in The Last of Us Part 2 they ever get.
The takeaway
Even after official plans were abandoned, the community hasn't let go of the idea. Projects like this highlight how much demand still exists for a multiplayer experience in The Last of Us universe. If the mod reaches a playable state, it could become an unofficial answer to a question Naughty Dog chose to walk away from.
Emmanuel Umahi
