It is almost impossible to talk about modern gaming history without tripping over a trophy belonging to Naughty Dog. Honestly, the sheer volume of The Last of Us awards is kind of ridiculous when you look at the raw numbers. We aren't just talking about a couple of "Best Story" nods from a few niche blogs. We are talking about a total institutional takeover that spanned two console generations and eventually jumped ship to HBO to start the whole cycle over again with the Emmys.
Back in 2013, the first game felt like a lightning strike. It didn't just win; it dominated. By the time the dust settled on the original release, it had scooped up over 240 Game of the Year (GOTY) awards. At the time, that was a record-shattering performance. Critics were obsessed with the Joel and Ellie dynamic. Players were devastated by the ending. The industry basically decided right then and there that cinematic realism was the new gold standard.
The Part II Polarizer
Then 2020 happened. If the first game was a universal darling, The Last of Us Part II was a hand grenade. You likely remember the leaks, the review bombing, and the intense social media wars. Yet, despite the massive rift in the fanbase, the game went on an absolute tear during awards season.
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It didn't just win. It broke the world record.
The Last of Us Part II eventually secured over 320 GOTY awards from various media outlets and fan-voted polls. For a long time, it sat comfortably as the most awarded game in history. It took a literal behemoth—Elden Ring—to finally knock it off that specific pedestal a couple of years later. Even now, in early 2026, games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 are only just starting to challenge those historical win counts.
What’s wild is how the awards were distributed. Usually, a game wins for "Graphics" or "Gameplay." Part II was winning for everything at once. At The Game Awards 2020, it took home seven trophies in a single night, including Best Game Direction and Best Narrative. Laura Bailey even grabbed Best Performance for playing Abby, a role that was, to put it mildly, controversial.
From Pixels to the Primetime Emmys
Most "video game movies" are terrible. We’ve all lived through that trauma. But when the HBO adaptation landed, the The Last of Us awards train didn't just keep rolling; it switched tracks to the prestigious television circuit.
During the 75th Creative Arts Emmy Awards, the show was a juggernaut. It walked away with eight wins. Think about that for a second. A show based on a game about mushroom zombies won for:
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- Outstanding Guest Actor (Nick Offerman)
- Outstanding Guest Actress (Storm Reid)
- Main Title Design
- Prosthetic Makeup (those Clickers were terrifyingly real)
- Picture Editing
- Sound Editing and Mixing
- Special Visual Effects
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey were everywhere. They didn't just get nominated; they became the faces of prestige TV for a solid year. Even the 2026 Golden Globes and the most recent Emmy cycles have kept the series in the conversation as Season 2 begins to dominate the cultural zeitgeist. Just last month, in December 2025, Season 2 even snagged "Best Adaptation" at The Game Awards, proving the loop is complete.
Why Do These Awards Even Matter?
You might think awards are just industry people patting themselves on the back. Kinda true. But for The Last of Us, these accolades shifted how the world views the medium.
When the Writers Guild of America (WGA) gave Neil Druckmann the award for Outstanding Achievement in Videogame Writing back in 2014, it was a signal. It told Hollywood that games weren't just for "kids" or "gamers"—they were legitimate pieces of literature.
There's a lot of nuance here, though. Some fans feel the "awards sweep" phenomenon is a bit of a circle-jerk. They argue that because Naughty Dog makes games that look like movies, they are easier for traditional critics to understand and reward. It’s a valid point. If you compare the mechanical complexity of a deep RPG to the scripted "cinematic" moments of The Last of Us, you can see why some players feel their favorite "pure" games get snubbed.
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Breaking Down the Major Milestone Wins
If you're looking for the "Big Five" of the The Last of Us awards history, it basically looks like this:
- D.I.C.E. Awards: This is the one the developers actually care about because it's voted on by their peers. Both games won Game of the Year here.
- The Game Awards: The "Oscars" of gaming. Part II’s 2020 sweep remains one of the most dominant performances in the show's history.
- BAFTA Games Awards: The British Academy loves Naughty Dog. Ashley Johnson (Ellie) has a BAFTA. Laura Bailey (Abby) has a BAFTA. The first game won five; the second won three (including the public-voted EE Game of the Year).
- The Emmys: As mentioned, the 8-win haul for Season 1 changed the "curse" of video game adaptations forever.
- Golden Joysticks: These are largely fan-voted. This is where the "Silent Majority" usually speaks up. Even with all the online noise, Part II still cleaned up here, winning Ultimate Game of the Year.
The Backlash and the "Critics vs. Fans" Divide
We have to talk about the elephant in the room. Some people really, really hate that The Last of Us Part II won so much.
The argument is usually that the awards were "rigged" or that critics were too afraid to give the game a bad review because of its social themes. While that makes for great YouTube drama, the reality is usually more boring. The game was a technical masterpiece. Whether you liked the story or not, the accessibility features were revolutionary. The sound design was haunting. The animation was years ahead of its time.
Awards bodies tend to reward "Firsts." The Last of Us was the first time a game felt that "prestige." Part II was the first time a AAA game took that massive of a narrative risk with its main character. Critics reward the risk; fans often punish the discomfort.
How to Track the Current Totals
If you are a completionist trying to track every single The Last of Us awards win, you're going to have a hard time. Between the Remastered versions, the Part I Remake (2022), the HBO series, and the various "Game of the Decade" lists that appeared around 2020, the count is effectively over 600 combined accolades for the franchise.
It’s worth noting that the landscape is changing. In 2026, we are seeing a shift toward rewarding more "systems-heavy" games. But Naughty Dog’s trophy cabinet remains the bar that everyone else has to clear.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Creators
If you're a developer or a creator looking at this massive pile of hardware, the takeaway isn't just "make it look like a movie."
- Invest in Accessibility: One of the main reasons Part II swept the technical categories was its industry-leading accessibility suite. It made the game playable for everyone, and the industry noticed.
- Performance Matters: The "Acting" awards for Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker weren't just for shouting lines. It was the motion capture—the subtle facial twitches and micro-expressions.
- Contextualize the "Hate": Don't let social media trends skew your view of a project's success. High-award games often have the loudest detractors precisely because they are being talked about by everyone.
The legacy of these awards is more than just gold statues. It's the proof that gaming has finally arrived as the dominant cultural force of the 21st century. Whether you're a fan of the Joel/Ellie saga or you think it's overrated, you can't deny that the record books have been rewritten by a girl with a switchblade and a fungal apocalypse.
To keep up with the next wave of accolades, watch the upcoming 2026 Emmy announcements. With Season 2 covering the events of the second game, we are likely about to see the whole cycle of debate, drama, and dominance start all over again.