The Last of Us 1 looks to be on sale early at a US retailer

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There's some debate if customers would actually be able to purchase it, though

The Last of Us Part 1
(Image credit: Naughty Dog)

The Last of Us Part 1 is seemingly on sale early at a US retailer ahead of its official release date. 

Yesterday on August 24, a Reddit user noted that while they were browsing through their local Target's shelves, they noticed a new copy of The Last of Us Part 1 available to purchase for $69.99. This would seem to suggest that Naughty Dog's remake has accidentally been made available for sale at this Target ahead of release next week. 

However, the plot thickens. The Reddit user in question didn't actually purchase the copy of The Last of Us Part 1 (they were just there to fix their Airpods, it turns out), so they couldn't actually confirm or deny whether they would've even been allowed by Target to purchase the remake ahead of launch. 

This has resulted in a massive debate in the comments section of the original Reddit post. Some are saying that they could've simply taken it to the till and purchased the game, thereby breaking street date, while others are arguing that Target would flag the purchase as breaking street date, and therefore decline the purchase automatically. 

In fact, one user, who claims to be a former Target employee, says that selling the copy of The Last of Us Part 1 ahead of launch would require the permission of a Target manager. They claim that this is the only way the game would break street date, requiring a deliberate act on Target's part. 

Safe to say, that's unlikely to happen. If Target was to hypothetically break the street date of The Last of Us Part 1, they could be open to all their stock being pulled, or even lawsuits if they signed a contract. That's if Sony pursued action against the retailer, however, or even managed to find out that Target had sold the game ahead of launch. 

Despite all this, The Last of Us Part 1 has been spilling out early elsewhere. Cutscenes from the remake have been leaking online over the past weekend, and although they've been taken down pretty swiftly, full scenes and gameplay sequences were readily available on YouTube. 

Check out our guide on The Last of Us Part 1 pre-orders for info on where to get the remake for the cheapest price possible. 

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.