Shop this game
Shop this game
The Last of Us: Left Behind
We may earn a commission from purchases through these links.
Physical games
Search US stores by format. Check the title and edition before buying.
The Last of Us: Left Behind
game·Feb 14, 2014
Shop
Shop this game
The Last of Us: Left Behind
We may earn a commission from purchases through these links.
Physical games
Search US stores by format. Check the title and edition before buying.
The Last of Us: Left Behind
game
February 14, 2014
Wokeometer Rating
6Mixed
Scale: 0 = not woke, 10 = maximally woke
TL;DR Verdict
The DLC scores a moderate 6/10 by making Ellie’s same-sex romance and kiss a central emotional focus in the flashbacks, while keeping the story anchored in post-apocalyptic survival without overt ideological messaging.
Paid creator placementsFeature your article or video on this page
Detailed Analysis
The DLC centers significant narrative time on Ellie and Riley's relationship, culminating in an explicit kiss that confirms Ellie's lesbian orientation as a key character revelation and emotional pivot.
This queer romance subplot drives much of the flashback content and character development, going beyond incidental diversity to make the same-sex attraction a focal emotional beat. Developer intent emphasized exploring this prior relationship to deepen Ellie's backstory.
While set in a post-apocalyptic survival framework without overt lectures on systemic issues or identity politics, the prominence of the LGBTQ element marks a deliberate inclusion of contemporary representation in a major title. Limited backlash occurred around the kiss being seen as political, but no evidence of consultancy firms, forced changes, or activist marketing. The element influences arcs without collapsing the premise entirely into ideology.
Key Factors
- Prominent same-sex kiss and lesbian confirmation as core emotional focus in Ellie-Riley flashbacks
- Narrative emphasis on queer relationship development over purely platonic friendship
- Some contemporary audience pushback labeling the inclusion political or agenda-driven
Methodology: Each score synthesizes audience discourse, critic and aggregator reception, and press coverage — weighed against the work itself, not any single source.
Detailed BreakdownPro
Identity Politics & Racial Essentialism
Gender Ideology & LGBTQ+ Themes
DEI Casting & Representation Mandates
Preachiness & Message-First Agenda
Corporate & Creator Activism
See how this title scores across all 5 woke subcategories with detailed explanations.
Unlock with ProFrom $3/month · 3-day trial for $1
The Woke Report
A curated roundup of newly scored movies, shows, and games, with the context behind the scores. Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
Privacy policyIs The Last of Us: Left Behind Woke?
We've run a full content analysis on The Last of Us: Left Behind and scored it 6/10 on the woke scale. Read our detailed breakdown above to see exactly what we found.
Audience Fit is the inverse of the community's average woke rating of 7.5/10: the less woke our audience finds a title, the more stars it earns. Based on 8 audience ratings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of woke content is in The Last of Us: Left Behind?
Our analysis checks for themes like identity politics, race-swapping, gender ideology, environmental activism, anti-religious messaging, and other progressive agenda elements. The score breakdown above shows which specific categories were flagged and how heavily they factor into The Last of Us: Left Behind's overall score.
Is The Last of Us: Left Behind appropriate for kids?
Wokeometer focuses on ideological content rather than traditional ratings (violence, language, etc.). For a full picture, combine our woke analysis with the official content rating to decide if it's right for your family.
How does Wokeometer score video games?
We evaluate media across multiple ideological categories on a 0–10 scale. Scores of 0–3 mean story-first, 4–6 have moderate elements, and 7–10 flag heavily agenda-driven content. Learn more about our methodology →
