Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part II

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The second part to Naughty Dog’s incredible The Last of Us contains an utterly brutal story, one that delves into the darkest corners of grief. 

The first game in the franchise largely follows Joel and Ellie, the two characters central to the game’s story. In Part II, however, another perspective is tossed into the mix. Players were savagely introduced to Abby near the start of Part II’s gut-wrenching story and later got the opportunity to delve into the character’s perspective. Over the course of the story, Abby and Ellie slowly emerge as two spiraling halves of a vicious, agonizing cycle, as their stories flawlessly play out over the same timeline.

Abby’s larger size and generally commanding nature leads many to assume that she’s a few years older than Ellie, but concrete confirmation of most character ages are scarce in The Last of Us franchise. The game doesn’t mire itself in minor details, instead expending its energy on emotionally wrought cutscenes and painful character decisions. This direction works out great for the games, which rely on concrete and impactful storytelling rather than info dumping, but it does leave some fans confused as to Abby’s precise age in the game.

How old is Abby?

Abby’s impressive stature isn’t actually an indication of her age, particularly when details about her personality are gleaned through Part II gameplay. Her slow transformation into an absolute beefcake began years ago, and Abby’s carefully crafted muscles slowly develop over a series of flashbacks. 

In reality, Abby and Ellie are almost the same age. In a podcast with Greg Miller, Neil Druckmann revealed that the pair are quite close in age. He notes that Joel’s major concern, at the outset of Part II is ensuring that Abby, “this girl that he just saved, that’s the same age as Ellie,” is safe. 

Abby and Ellie aren’t exactly the same age, but there isn’t nearly the gap many fans imagined. Based on Druckmann’s comments, combined with the timeline in Part II, it seems that Abby is approximately 20 years old. Ellie is 19 through Part II’s storyline, which puts the two lead characters at right around a year apart.