Last updated: June 4, 2026·🔄 Guide reviewed and refreshed ahead of Halloween 2026.· By Seckin Peker

Halloween Costume Guide

Tess From The Last of Us Halloween Costume Guide

Twenty years of survival. One final choice. No hesitation.
TV Series Badass Women Dystopia Gun HBO Apocalypse Survivor
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Quick Answer: The Tess Halloween costume is a layered survivor build where the paisley bandana does most of the character-specific recognition work.
  • Wine Color Sleeveless Shirt over Dark Coffee T-Shirt (essential)
  • Silk Paisley Scarf Bandana (essential)
  • Army Green Backpack
  • Toy Pistol and AK-988 Toy Rifle
  • Brown Military Boots

Tess runs the strategy side of her and Joel’s smuggling operation in the Boston quarantine zone: the contacts, the negotiations, and the plans that keep them both alive and trading. The layered shirt build is her consistent look across both the game and the HBO series, and the bandana at the neck is the detail that separates her from a generic post-apocalyptic survivor costume. Annie Wersching played Tess in the HBO series that premiered in 2023 (Wikipedia). Recognition at a Last of Us fan event is immediate; at a general party, pairing with Joel carries the franchise context.

Items Total7 Items
DifficultyEasy
VibeBoston QZ Smuggler
Cost$60–$150

Tess Halloween Costume Items

Tess from The Last of Us Halloween costume infographic showing dark coffee tee, wine sleeveless shirt, paisley bandana, toy rifle, army backpack, toy pistol, and brown military boots

Tess Costume Items

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Tess The Last of Us Boston QZ Smuggler
  • 1 Dark Coffee T-ShirtThe base layer, worn under the sleeveless shirt. A dark brown or coffee-toned tee that shows at the neckline and arms. It should be plain and slightly worn. Check your wardrobe before ordering; most people already own something close enough.
    See on Amazon
  • 2 Wine Color Sleeveless Shirt (essential)Worn over the dark tee as the outer layer. The wine or burgundy colour is specific to Tess’s look in the game and separates this build from a generic survivor costume. It should be slightly fitted and sit naturally over the tee without looking styled. Leave it untucked.
    See on Amazon
  • 3 Silk Paisley Scarf Bandana (essential)This is the item that makes the costume read as Tess rather than a generic post-apocalyptic survivor. Tess wears a bandana consistently throughout the game, usually at the neck or tied as a headband. The paisley pattern is the specific detail. Wear it loosely knotted at the neck, the way someone would wear it who actually uses it rather than someone who added it as an accessory.
    See on Amazon
  • 4 AK-988 Toy RifleTess carries long guns throughout her appearances in the game. The rifle is the most visually striking prop in this build and reads clearly at a convention from across a room. At a crowded indoor party, consider slinging it over the backpack rather than carrying it in hand for the full evening. Check venue prop weapon policies before bringing it.
    See on Amazon
  • 5 Army Green BackpackTess carries a pack throughout her appearances in both the game and the HBO series. Army green or olive drab reads as functional rather than fashion. Fill it so it keeps its shape. A collapsed backpack looks like a prop. One filled with your actual belongings looks like a smuggler’s kit.
    See on Amazon
  • 6 Toy PistolMore practical than the rifle for a full evening indoors. Holster it at the hip or tuck it into the backpack strap. The pistol alone is enough to carry the armed survivor read at close range. Combined with the rifle it gives the costume visual depth at any distance.
    See on Amazon
  • 7 Brown Military BootsHeavy, practical, and worn-in. Tess’s boots look like they have covered significant ground. Scuff the toes before wearing if they are new. Check your existing boots before ordering; dark work boots or combat boots in any brown shade work here.
    See on Amazon
Tess from The Last of Us in her layered survivor outfit showing the wine sleeveless shirt, dark tee, and bandana that define her look in the game and HBO series

How to Style the Tess Halloween Costume

The bandana is the first thing people who know the character will notice, and it needs to look worn rather than placed. A bandana knotted precisely at the center of the neck reads as costume. One tied loosely and slightly off to one side reads as something Tess actually wears. The layered shirts do the survivor work; the bandana does the character work. Without it, the wine sleeveless shirt over a dark tee reads as a general survivor build that could belong to a dozen different post-apocalyptic characters across a dozen different franchises.

In her last scene, Tess tells Joel she will not turn into one of those things and shoves him toward the door. She does not wait for him to argue. She has already made the decision, calculated what it costs, and concluded it is the right move. That is the character at the party too: someone who has already done the math on every situation in the room and is not interested in discussing the working.

Managing two weapon props all night

A toy rifle and a toy pistol together creates a carrying problem before the party starts. The rifle cannot go into a bag, needs both hands to carry naturally, and becomes an obstacle at crowded venues. The practical solution is to wear the rifle slung across the back on the backpack, freeing both hands for the first half of the evening. Once you have taken photos with it and established the character for anyone who knows the game, move the rifle to the coat check or leave it with someone in your group. The pistol holstered at the hip carries the armed read for the rest of the night without any logistical cost.

Getting the bandana to stay put

A silk or satin-finish bandana slides more than a cotton one, which means it will need resetting periodically throughout an evening of moving around. Two options: use a cotton bandana instead of silk and accept the slight reduction in visual accuracy, or fold the bandana into a narrower band before tying it, which gives it less fabric to slide on. The knotted version at the neck stays in place better than the loosely draped version, though neither is perfect at a long event. Check it when you use the bathroom rather than noticing it has shifted when someone points it out.

Tess Group Halloween Costume Ideas

Couples Idea

Tess & Joel Miller (The Last of Us)

Excellent couples concept with immediate franchise recognition. Joel and Tess are partners in the Boston quarantine zone for years, and their relationship sits somewhere between a professional arrangement and something closer, which neither of them entirely acknowledges. The visual contrast between Tess’s layered survivor build and Joel’s flannel-and-revolver look reads as complementary rather than matching, which fits the characters exactly. At a Last of Us fan event this pairing lands without any explanation needed.

Tess Joel Miller

Duo Idea

Tess & Ellie Williams (The Last of Us)

Strong duo with a specific narrative dynamic. Tess is the first adult in the game to genuinely believe Ellie is immune, and she uses her final moments to make sure Joel takes that seriously. The visual contrast between the worn survivor look and Ellie’s teenage casual build is distinct enough to read as two separate characters at a glance. At a gaming convention this pairing registers clearly. Ellie is more widely recognized at a general event, which means she carries the franchise recognition while Tess rewards fans who know the source material well.

Tess Ellie Williams

Group Idea: The Last of Us Cast

Tess, Joel Miller, Ellie Williams, Sarah Miller, Riley Abel

Strong group for a Last of Us fan gathering or gaming convention. The five characters span the full emotional arc of the first game and its DLC, with Tess as the early catalyst who sets everything in motion and Sarah and Riley as the losses that define what Joel and Ellie are each running from. Joel is the most widely recognized anchor at a general event. All five builds have dedicated pages linked here. No one needs to build from scratch.

Tess Joel Miller Ellie Williams Sarah Miller Riley Abel

Group Idea: Tough Post-Apocalyptic Women

Tess, Furiosa, Maggie Greene, Melanie Cavill, Ellen Ripley

Might work, but the recognition is heavily skewed. Furiosa and Ellen Ripley have broad recognition well beyond their franchises. Maggie Greene is well-known among Walking Dead viewers. Melanie Cavill from Snowpiercer is the most niche pick after Tess. The concept holds together visually because all five builds carry a practical, weapon-ready survivor aesthetic. At a convention with a genre film and TV crowd this group reads as intentional. At a general party, Tess and Melanie will need introduction while Furiosa and Ripley carry the group on their own.

Tess Furiosa Maggie Greene Melanie Cavill Ellen Ripley
Tess from The Last of Us showing her survivor outfit with layered shirts and backpack, used as a group Halloween costume reference for the Boston QZ smuggler look

Tess Halloween Costume DIY Tips

Building the Look

Most of this build can be pulled from an existing wardrobe or a thrift store. The only items that genuinely need ordering are the bandana, the weapon props, and possibly the boots if you do not already own something heavy enough.

  • Dark coffee tee: check your wardrobe. A worn brown or dark tan t-shirt is the right read. Plain and slightly faded is better than new.
  • Wine sleeveless shirt: thrift stores regularly stock utility vests and sleeveless shirts in this colour range. Worth checking before ordering.
  • Paisley bandana: order this. It is the one item that is specific enough to the character that substituting with a plain bandana loses the read.
  • Weapon props: order in advance and check venue policies on prop weapons before bringing them.
  • Army green backpack: fill it before going out. Your actual party belongings solve the shape problem and make it look like something Tess would actually carry.
  • Brown military boots: dark work boots or combat boots in any shade of brown work. Check your wardrobe before ordering.
  • Distress the shirts slightly: a few passes of sandpaper on the hems and collar edges shifts the look from casual to survivor without requiring any specific makeup or aging techniques.

Playing Tess at a Party

Tess is the person in the room who has already assessed every exit and every person in it before she takes off her coat. She is not aggressive about it. She just notices things before other people do and acts on what she notices.

  • When someone asks who you are: name the character and the game. Last of Us fans will know immediately. Everyone else can ask a follow-up.
  • For the quote: her final line is the one people recognize. “I will not turn into one of those things. Come on. Make this easy for me.” Say it once, flatly, and move on. She would not repeat herself.
  • Hold the pistol loosely when carrying it, the way someone who has used one professionally holds it. Not dramatically. Just naturally.
  • Tess is the brains of the Joel-Tess operation. If someone with a Joel costume is in the room, find them. Standing next to each other is the most efficient character explanation you can give without saying a word.
  • She does not make small talk. She gathers information. Ask questions, listen to the answers, and do not volunteer much. That is the character read.

Tess Halloween Costume: FAQ

The dark coffee t-shirt layered under the wine-coloured sleeveless shirt is the base. Add the silk paisley bandana at the neck or head, army green backpack, brown military boots, and carry both the toy rifle and toy pistol visibly. The bandana is the single most character-specific detail in the build and the one item that shifts the costume from generic survivor to Tess specifically.

The HBO series kept Tess in the cultural conversation well beyond the game’s original audience, and Annie Wersching’s performance in Season 1 gave the character a wider recognition than she had before 2023. At a general Halloween party, the costume requires some explanation. At a Last of Us fan event or gaming convention, it reads immediately. Pairing with a Joel cosplayer carries the recognition further at any event.

Her most quoted line is her final one: “I can buy you some time but you have to run. I will not turn into one of those things. Come on. Make this easy for me.” Said to Joel as the soldiers close in. It captures everything about the character in one speech: practical, unsentimental, and completely certain. Her other defining line is earlier: “Guess what, we’re shitty people, Joel. It’s been that way for a long time.”

Tess is played by Annie Wersching in the HBO series, which premiered in January 2023. Wersching passed away in January 2023, shortly after the series aired. Her performance as Tess received strong critical recognition and the character’s arc in the show expanded on her role from the original game.

Tess is bitten by a runner during the group’s encounter at the museum in Boston. She conceals the bite from Joel and Ellie until they reach the Capitol Building and find the Firefly extraction team dead. Revealing she is already infected, she insists Joel take Ellie to Tommy and stay behind to buy them time. She dies holding off the incoming soldiers, having killed two of them in the process.

Tess is the strategist where Joel is the muscle. She runs the contacts, plans the operations, and negotiates the deals that keep them both alive and trading in the Boston quarantine zone. She is also the one who first believes Ellie is genuinely immune, and her final act, using her death to buy Joel and Ellie enough time to run, is what starts the whole journey of the first game.

The pistol is more manageable for a full evening at a party and is specific enough to the character on its own. The rifle adds visual drama at a convention or outdoor event but becomes a practical problem indoors. Carry both to the event and make the call based on the venue. The rifle is the more distinctive of the two props but the pistol is the one you will actually be able to use all night.