Tom Clancy’s The Division 2

If you want more: Third-person shooting set in a plague-stricken post-apocalyptic America
Notable differences: Shitty politics, RPG mechanics, a live-service multiplayer-first experience
Availability: Windows (Steam Deck YMMV), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5

If you got through The Last of Us and thought: “Hmm, I’d like to play a game where I RP as FEDRA and have come to believe all their propaganda as I go about ‘liberating’ society,” then The Division 2 will satisfy you. Inheriting the namesake of one of the most insidious conservative propagandists of our time, The Division 2 is what would happen if Destiny 2 and The Last of Us got together and had a kid—but imagine that child was locked in a room for several years and forced to watch Fox News on repeat. Just don’t let Ubisoft know it’s a political game

If that chased you off of considering The Division 2 as a worthy multiplayer follow-up to The Last of Us, let me back pedal a bit. Until we get a better look at the actual multiplayer follow-up to The Last of Us, The Division 2 hits enough of the third-person post-apocalyptic vibes to be worth considering, and you can play it with friends (just don’t tell them you’re kinda sorta playing as cops in this game—and if they find out and get excited about that…uh, find new friends?)

If you have an appetite for loot management, skill and weapon progression, and a pretty damn good tactical third-person shooter, The Division 2 has reached a level of mechanical and content maturity in the last few years that’s worth diving into. It bears enough surface similarity to The Last of Us’ themes and gameplay, and is easy to pick up and play (especially compared to something similar like DayZ). You’ll get a quick-enough sense of whether or not this is a good fit for your regular weekly multiplayer sessions.