The Last Of Us gets crushingly tough difficulty mode next month

Naughty Dog has announced that the Grounded DLC for its acclaimed PlayStation 3 action game The Last of Us--which includes a new and crushingly challenging difficulty mode--will arrive the week of May 5 across the world.

The Grounded DLC was announced last month and one of its main offerings is a new, uber-hard single-player difficulty mode called Grounded Mode. "The AI is relentless, smart, and brutal, and survival will be near impossible," Naughty Dog says. This mode is included with the $20 Last of Us Season Pass or it can be purchased for $5.

The DLC, which is the final expansion included with the Season Pass, also packs in the Reclaimed Territories Map Pack ($10 separately). This includes four new maps: Wharf, Capitol, Coal Mine, and Water Tower.

The Grounded expansion also adds a new weapon bundle ($6 separately), skills bundle ($4 separately), and a free gun--the Full-Auto Rifle--for all players. The Last of Us DLC pass will remain available for purchase until May 13, after which you'll need to buy everything separately--and for a premium.

You could also wait for The Last of Us Remastered, which includes the main game and previously released DLC for $60 when it launches later this year on the PlayStation 4.