You can watch The Last of Us Episode 1 on YouTube right now — emotional damage for free

The Last of Us TV show
(Image credit: HBO)

Missed out on the first episode of The Last of Us on HBO? UK media company Sky has uploaded the entire thing on YouTube, so you can watch it for free!

Yep, you read that right. I think this is the first time I've ever seen a HBO show get a YouTube debut like this. And while it is on a UK-based channel, we've checked and it does open in the US too. 

So whether your options on how to watch The Last of Us are limited, or you're saving pennies and not subbed to HBO Max, just click play below and enjoy the trauma.

I'd be remiss if I didn't take this chance to talk about the first episode in a little more detail, because my oh my — it's a beautiful thing. I won't veer too much into spoiler territory, but I will assume you've played the game, and that you know what happens on outbreak day.

The amount of additional details placed into this first episode is astounding. From the 60s TV show opening that sets a terrifying tone and gives every part of the normal day in Joel and Sarah's life an underlying tension, to the subtle clues of how the infection is passed from person to person, every part of it is delivered with an expert emotional precision.

And that moment (you know the one I'm talking about). Even though I've played it multiple times in-game, the translation of this onto the silver screen still had me in floods of tears.

It is, without a doubt, one of the best examples of a video game adaptation I have ever seen. And I know you will love it too.

Jason England
Content Editor

Jason brought a decade of tech and gaming journalism experience to his role as a writer at Laptop Mag, and he is now the Managing Editor of Computing at Tom's Guide. He takes a particular interest in writing articles and creating videos about laptops, headphones and games. He has previously written for Kotaku, Stuff and BBC Science Focus. In his spare time, you'll find Jason looking for good dogs to pet or thinking about eating pizza if he isn't already.

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