Sony's PS5 Welcome Hub has added a free animated The Last of Us background. Here is where to find it, why availability may vary, and what it says about PlayStation personalization.
Image: pushsquare.com
The Last of Us arrives on the PS5 Welcome Hub, but not as a full theme revival
Sony’s PS5 Welcome Hub has added a new animated The Last of Us background, giving players a free cosmetic option tied to Naughty Dog’s franchise during The Last of Us Day 2026 period. PlayStation LifeStyle reports that the addition arrived through a September 2026 PS5 feature update, while Naughty Dog described it on social media, as quoted by IGN, as the first The Last of Us-themed background for the PlayStation Welcome Hub.
The immediate tension is familiar for PS5 owners: this is a welcome personalization update, but it is not the return of PS4-style dynamic themes that many players still ask Sony to bring back. IGN makes that distinction directly, calling the new background “far from” the dynamic themes and wallpapers fans have requested. Push Square’s coverage also frames it inside the Welcome Hub, the customizable screen shown when booting the PS5, rather than as a system-wide home screen transformation.
That distinction matters for expectations. The Last of Us PS5 wallpaper is a real, animated cosmetic addition, but the sources describe it as a Welcome Hub background. None of the provided reporting says it changes the full PS5 dashboard, adds custom music, or behaves like the richer theme ecosystem that existed on PS4.
How to find the The Last of Us PS5 wallpaper
Players looking for the new PS5 animated background should start from the Welcome Hub. PlayStation LifeStyle says the route is Welcome Hub, then Backgrounds, then Games. Because the background was newly added, the outlet says it should appear first in that section.
IGN gives a slightly different path with the same destination: open the Welcome Hub, choose the Change Background button in the top corner of the screen, then select The Last of Us background from the Games tab. Taken together, the practical instruction is straightforward: the wallpaper lives in the Welcome Hub’s background customization menu, under the Games category.
Availability appears to be free. IGN reports that PS5 owners can use the special The Last of Us-themed background at no cost, and Naughty Dog’s post, as quoted by IGN, told players to log in to their PlayStation account and download it. IGN also says there is “no download required to enjoy it,” which creates a minor wording conflict. The most consistent reading across the sources is that this is not a paid PlayStation Store item or separate game download. It appears as a backend or feature-side Welcome Hub addition, though players may need to be signed in and may see language around downloading or applying the background.
Availability, manual updates, and the backend rollout question
PlayStation LifeStyle reports that the theme should be available in all regions now, but also notes that it is a backend update applied automatically. That creates the usual staggered rollout problem: some players may see the background immediately, while others may have to wait for the system feature update to catch up on their console.
If it does not appear, PlayStation LifeStyle says players can manually update PS5 system features. The outlet’s listed path is the Settings cog in the top right of the PS5 home screen, then System, then System Feature Updates from the right-side menu. After that, wait for the process to finish.
That makes this PS5 September 2026 update different from a traditional firmware headline. The reporting does not describe a full OS patch with major new features, patch notes, or version-specific technical changes. It describes a Welcome Hub content update that can be delivered automatically through system features. For players, the practical advice is simple: check the Games tab in Welcome Hub first, then run System Feature Updates if it is missing, then wait if it still has not propagated.
What the animated background actually shows
The new background draws from both mainline The Last of Us games. PlayStation LifeStyle reports that it depicts The Last of Us Part 1 and Part 2, showing Ellie’s growth through both games, with Joel and Abby appearing in the background. IGN similarly describes the free option as featuring younger and older versions of Ellie from both mainline games.
The animation is modest but visible. PlayStation LifeStyle highlights a thunder animation, while Push Square says the wallpaper includes animated flourishes such as flying birds and lightning flashes. Push Square’s image credit identifies the captured screen as coming from Sammy Barker for Push Square, and the supplied image shows the Welcome Hub presentation rather than a separate store listing.
This is also clearly positioned as franchise celebration rather than a new game announcement. The imagery spans The Last of Us Part I and The Last of Us Part II Remastered era material, but none of the provided sources report a new game reveal alongside the background. The presence of Joel, Abby, and two versions of Ellie is a brand statement for the series, not evidence of a new release by itself.
The timing lines up with The Last of Us Day, but the bigger announcements are separate
The timing is deliberate. IGN reports that Naughty Dog released the free PS5 background as it prepared to celebrate The Last of Us Day 2026. September 26 is the franchise’s chosen date for that celebration, but IGN says Naughty Dog will share its main The Last of Us announcements on Monday, September 28.
Naughty Dog’s separate post, as reported by IGN, promised a “partnership announcement,” a “very cool collaboration,” “digital surprises,” and more, along with a No Return charity stream on Twitch. IGN also reports separate HBO news tied to The Last of Us Season 3 casting, including John Goodman, Laura Bailey, and Ian Alexander.
That context should temper speculation. Push Square’s Sammy Barker wrote that he assumes the wallpaper was released to celebrate The Last of Us Day, and IGN ties it directly to Naughty Dog’s celebration period. But the sources do not say the wallpaper is a tease for The Last of Us Part 3. IGN explicitly says it does not sound like something like The Last of Us Part 3 will be discussed in the upcoming announcements. The confirmed item today is the Welcome Hub background. The rest of the celebration sits in the category of announced event programming, partnerships, collaborations, and digital extras.
A small cosmetic update points at Sony’s personalization strategy
The broader story is less about one background and more about the slow reshaping of PS5 personalization. Push Square notes that the Welcome Hub recently gained a Community Activity widget showing the most played games on PS5. Now Sony and Naughty Dog are using that same surface for a franchise-branded animated background. Those are small moves, but they point to the Welcome Hub becoming the PS5’s main customization layer.
That strategy has tradeoffs. A controlled Welcome Hub lets Sony add curated art, widgets, and live service-style information without reopening the entire system UI to the kind of theme marketplace players remember from PS4. It also gives PlayStation Studios franchises a clean promotional lane. A The Last of Us PS5 wallpaper can arrive around The Last of Us Day without requiring a new app, a store purchase, or a dashboard overhaul.
The player response captured in Push Square’s comment section shows the friction Sony still has to manage. Several commenters said they miss proper PS4 themes, with examples like Bloodborne, Rez Infinite, WipEout Omega Collection, Aurora, and other animated or music-backed themes. Those comments are anecdotal, not a market survey, but they reflect a long-running complaint from PS5 owners: Welcome Hub backgrounds are appreciated, yet they do not fully replace the older theme model.
For now, the safe read is that this PS5 Welcome Hub update is a targeted personalization addition, not proof of a full theme comeback. If Sony continues adding first-party animated backgrounds, community widgets, and event-timed cosmetics, the Welcome Hub could become the PS5’s equivalent of a live front page. The unanswered question is whether PlayStation will eventually let players and publishers go deeper, or whether Sony prefers a curated, limited customization economy through the rest of the PS5 generation.