You can now watch The Last of Us episode 1 for free

HBO and Sky have given us something for the weekend: the first episode of critically acclaimed video game adaptation The Last of Us is now free to watch.

Head on over to HBO Max (or Sky TV on YouTube if you’re in the UK) and you can watch the start of Joel and Ellie’s journey in the 80-minute premiere.

For those who haven’t looked for the light just yet, The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic drama featuring Joel (Pedro Pascal) entrusted with smuggling teenage girl Ellie (Bella Ramsey) out of a 'Quarantine Zone' and into the hands of the Fireflies, a terrorist group that has the potential to save the world.

In our premiere review, we said The Last of Us – based on Naughty Dog’s classic PlayStation series – "Expands on the games – and often betters them."

It’s proved popular with non-fans, too, as they praised an "outstanding" first episode – which also garnered one of the highest viewing figures for an original show debut with almost 5 million viewers in its first night across HBO and HBO Max.

If you have already seen the episode, there are plenty of extra premiere details you might not be aware of that are well worth checking out. There’s The Last of Us creators on why the episode is so long, the "boring" original opening that was eventually scrapped, and Craig Mazin on why they chose that song to close out the premiere.

The Last of Us airs every Sunday on HBO and is simulcast on Mondays in the UK on Now TV and Sky Atlantic. For more on what’s next, check out The Last of Us release schedule.