The Last of Us to introduce new difficulty mode -- It's the "hardest challenge you'll ever face"

Naughty Dog today announced the Grounded Bundle for PlayStation 3 action game The Last Us. It is the third and final expansion coming to The Last of Us as part of the game's $20 season pass, and it includes new additions for the game's single- and multiplayer modes.

First, the Grounded Bundle includes a new extra-hard single-player difficulty option called "Grounded Mode." This mode represents the "hardest challenge you'll ever face," Naughty Dog says.

"The AI is relentless, smart, and brutal, and survival will be near impossible," Naughty Dog said in a statement. You'll earn the Trophy "Completed Grounded Mode" if you're able to finish the game on the new difficulty slider. It just could be one of the most difficult Trophies you'll ever earn, Naughty Dog said.

The Grounded Mode for The Last of Us is included with the DLC pass, and you can buy it separately for $5.

The Grounded Bundle for The Last of Us also includes the Reclaimed Territories Map Pack, which introduces four new maps: Wharf, Capitol, Coal Mine, and Water Tower. Each map, based on an area from the single-player campaign, has six trophies to earn. Non-season pass holders can buy the content for $10.

New guns and survival skills also come along with the Grounded Bundle. The Survivalist Weapon Bundle adds four weapons: Specter, Double Barrel, Enforcer, and Launcher. If you don't have a Last of Us season pass, this pack will cost you $6. Two new Survival Skills Bundles (Situational Survival Skills and Professional Survival Skills) are also included with the pass and cost $4 each if purchased separately.

Lastly, all players will receive a new gun--the Full-Auto Rifle--as a free download. Naughty Dog describes the gun as "very easy to use," and therefore aimed at The Last of Us newcomers and seasoned veterans alike.

You can read more about the Grounded Bundle for The Last of Us at the PlayStation Blog. Naughty Dog will also host a special Twitch live-stream of the new DLC on April 24 at 12 noon PDT, though it's unclear when the DLC will actually be released. Previously released The Last of Us DLC includes the Abandoned Territories map pack and the Left Behind single-player expansion.

The DLC season pass for The Last of Us will be available for a period of four more weeks. After the week of May 13, it will vanish and you'll have to pay full price for all the game's DLC, Naughty Dog said.

Naughty Dog is currently working on The Last of Us Remastered for the PlayStation 4, which includes previously released DLC. The company is also heads-down in production on a new Uncharted game for the PS4.