Are you wondering how old Joel is during the events of The Last of Us video game and HBO series, and is there a difference between the two? When we first meet Joel, he is well into adulthood and has a 12-year-old daughter. However, after the initial time jump, he has turned grayer and looks beaten down and much older. It is hard to gauge just how old he is because of this. So then, how old is Joel exactly? Here is everything you need to know about how old Joel is in The Last of Us and how it differs between the game and the new TV series.
How Old is Joel in The Last of Us?
We learn in The Last of Us Part 1 that Joe was born on September 26, 1981, after we see his passport. The Last of Us Part 1 game takes place in 2033, meaning he is 52 during the first game’s events. This differs from the HBO series, which takes place in 2023 instead.
During episode 1, we learn it was Joel’s 36th birthday in 2003. We then jump forward by 20 years after Outbreak Day, which means he is 56 and 4 years older than in The Last of Us Part 1. The age difference isn’t the only difference between the video game and the new show, as the creators of the HBO series set the story within our current time, which is ten years earlier than the events of the game.
If you are curious about how old Joel is during The Last of Us Part 2, then we have the answer to that as well. The Last of Us Part 2 takes place five years after the events of the Last of Us Part 1, which means Joel is 57. So when the HBO series covers the Last of Us Part 2, he will be in his 60s.
The Last of Us will have new episodes released weekly exclusively on HBO starting January 15, 2023.
