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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchRanked by gameplay danger, the infected in The Last of Us run from Runners to the Rat King—but this is an editorial comparison, not an official franchise-wide order. Danger here means how difficult or lethal an encounter can be, considering behavior, detection, durability, attack range and whether the enemy is a unique boss. The games do not publish a definitive ranking for all six named types.
The six infected types in The Last of Us
PlayStation’s official franchise overview names six types: Runner, Stalker, Clicker, Bloater, Shambler and Rat King. The page describes infected as humans afflicted by Cordyceps, with features that change across infection stages. Earlier hosts tend to remain more humanoid; later ones become more inhuman. The infected attack humans and creatures they detect through sound, sight or echolocation.
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That overview establishes the roster, not a complete ranking of their combat threat. Naughty Dog’s developers give a clearer order for four classes in the original game, while the Shambler and Rat King need separate consideration.
Ranked from least to most dangerous
1. Runner
Runners are the comparatively weak class in the original game’s combat design. Naughty Dog game director Anthony Newman described the original-game hierarchy as: “Uh, so kind of in ascending order, uh, there were Runners, Stalkers, Clickers and Bloaters.” In that game, a Runner’s hit causes a flinch but does not interrupt the player’s ongoing punches. That specific interaction does not make every Runner encounter harmless; numbers and the situation still matter.
#1 Best Overall
- Enhanced visuals: Completely rebuilt from the ground up using Naughty Dog’s latest PS5 engine technology to improve every visual detail, The Last of Us experience has been faithfully enhanced with more realistic lighting and atmosphere, more intricate environments and creative reimaginings of familiar spaces.
- Fast loading: Initial loading times are near instant, and seamless after the first instance thanks to the PS5 console’s SSD – so you can pick up where you left off in the story and load specific encounters and chapters more quickly.
- Haptic feedback: DualSense wireless controller haptic feedback support for every weapon elevates combat encounters, and environments are brought to life through DualSense wireless controller haptic sensations of subtle falling rain, the crunch of stepping on snow and more.
- Adaptive triggers: All The Last of Us iconic weapons, including Joel’s revolver and Ellie’s bow, now deliver dynamic DualSense wireless controller trigger resistance and kickback on firing for deeper combat immersion.
- 3D Audio: Designed to make use of the PS5 console’s Tempest 3D AudioTech, Naughty Dog’s newly upgraded audio engine delivers richer soundscapes, bigger explosive moments and more visceral gameplay through compatible stereo headphones (analogue or USB) or TV speakers.
2. Stalker
Stalkers rank above Runners in the original game’s design hierarchy because their behavior makes them harder to anticipate. Newman described them as hiding and peeking around corners to ambush the player. Their melee attacks can interrupt and chain, making a Stalker encounter more punishing than a straightforward rush.
3. Clicker
Clickers are a major jump in lethality and detection pressure. Naughty Dog’s account of the original game’s combat describes contact with a Clicker as an instant kill. They are blind and use their distinctive clicking sounds to orient themselves and track prey, so avoiding detection through stealth is central to surviving them. This use of sound is a defining Clicker trait; it should not be taken to mean every infected uses echolocation in the same way.
Naughty Dog’s feature on bringing Clickers to life also quotes Neil Druckmann on the television adaptation: “When something is horrific like this, it’s scarier when you don’t see it.” That is a comment about adapting the action for television, not a gameplay rule.
Rank #2
- The Last of Us Remastered Standard Edition
4. Bloater
Bloaters top the original game’s four-class combat hierarchy. The developer account describes them as carrying Clicker-like danger while having much more health and durability, and notes their ranged attack with corrosive clouds. Their toughness and ability to threaten from a distance make them more demanding than the earlier classes in that game’s design.
5. Shambler
The Shambler is a distinct named infected type in PlayStation’s official roster, but the sources cited here do not establish enough comparative combat detail to place it precisely on Naughty Dog’s original-game four-class scale. Its rank here is therefore a broad editorial placement in a franchise-wide danger list, not a claim that the Shambler occupies a defined step between Bloater and Rat King in every game or encounter.
6. Rat King
The Rat King is the most dangerous entry in this ranking because it is presented as an exceptional monster and boss encounter, not as an ordinary infection stage. PlayStation describes it as a collection of several infected people. Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann described the creative concept as infected fused together after being trapped for years in a hospital basement. That unusual scale and boss role make it a different kind of threat from the recurring classes above.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the ranking changes with the encounter
The original game’s Runner-to-Bloater order is a developer-described combat hierarchy, not a universal measurement of every infected across the franchise. A Stalker’s ambush behavior can make it especially dangerous in a confined space; a Clicker’s detection and lethal contact raise the stakes of stealth; a Bloater’s durability and ranged attack change how an open fight plays out. A unique boss like the Rat King is not directly comparable to a common enemy class.
The infection’s transmission through bites, scratches or breathing in spores—and the description of spores being emitted when an infected host body dies—are fictional-world rules from PlayStation’s overview. They are not claims about real Cordyceps disease or human infection.
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