Uncharted is an action-adventure video game series and media franchise created by Sony Interactive Entertainment and developed by Naughty Dog. The series was designed by Amy Hennig and follows a group of treasure hunters who travel around the world to solve historical mysteries. The games include stories based on real history, fantasy elements, and fictional characters, along with real people and events from the past. In the main games, players control a character named Nathan Drake. In one expansion, players control a character named Chloe Frazer.

The first game in the series, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, was released in 2007. It was followed by Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009), Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (2011), and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016). Other games, such as Uncharted: Golden Abyss (2011), Uncharted: Fight for Fortune (2012), and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (2017), support the main series. At first, the games were only available on PlayStation consoles. Later, some games were released on other platforms, including a mobile game called Uncharted: Fortune Hunter (2016) and remastered versions of A Thief's End and The Lost Legacy for Windows in 2022.

The main games are played from a third-person view, where players see the character from the outside. Gameplay includes combat, shooting, exploring, solving puzzles, and moving through environments by jumping and climbing. Later games added multiplayer modes, stealth gameplay, and driving. The series was inspired by other games, movies, and media, and features exciting locations from around the world. Other versions of the series include a live-action movie, board games, comics, and a novel.

The main games received high praise from critics for their stories, characters, voice acting, gameplay, and graphics. The quality of the games is often compared to Hollywood action-adventure films, especially the Indiana Jones movies. Critics say the series improved the standards for single-player action-adventure games. The second and fourth games in the series are often listed as some of the best video games ever made. The Uncharted series has sold over 41 million copies, making it one of the most successful video game franchises. It helped increase the popularity of PlayStation during the seventh and eighth generations of consoles and raised the reputation of Naughty Dog as a top game developer.

Titles

Drake's Fortune, the first game in the series, was released for PlayStation 3 in November 2007. After Naughty Dog agreed to only release the games on Sony systems, the PlayStation 3 carried the next two main series games. Among Thieves was published in 2009. The creative team had more freedom to use more of the system's random-access memory (RAM) because of a better engine. This allowed the game to include more locations, more open exploration, better combat abilities, and a larger map. Drake's Deception, released in 2011, continued these improvements and added a better online multiplayer mode.

The next main game, A Thief's End, was published on PlayStation 4. It focused on realism and detail. This was the last game in the series to feature Nathan Drake, the main character. It added driving elements and improved gameplay features like stealth and role-playing. It also had better multiplayer options. The game was a huge success, breaking several records. A free-to-play game called Fortune Hunter, available for iOS and Android devices, was released to support A Thief's End.

Golden Abyss was published in 2011 and was the first game in the series released on PlayStation Vita, a handheld console. It is considered a prequel to the main series, though some developers say it is a separate story. In 2012, a turn-based card game called Fight for Fortune was released. It was made by One Loop Games and included interactive elements suitable for the Vita.

Drake's Trail was an online game released in 2007. It was a browser-based game with alternate reality elements. The story, which served as a prequel to Drake's Fortune, followed a journalist named Elena Fisher hiring a detective to find Nathan Drake, who was searching for treasure. Players used a Google Maps plugin to locate real-world areas and a Flash Player to explore fictional locations, such as Drake's apartment, for clues.

The Nathan Drake Collection is a remastered version of the first three games in the series. Bluepoint Games ported it to PlayStation 4 in October 2015. It was released to make up for the delay in making A Thief's End, which was originally planned for summer 2015. The collection included a voucher for the beta version of A Thief's End's multiplayer mode. The games had improvements like new trophies, an in-game Photo Mode, and better textures and gameplay. Multiplayer modes from Uncharted 2 and Uncharted 3 were not included. The collection received positive reviews for its technical improvements and visual upgrades. It was offered for free during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of Sony's Play at Home initiative.

The Lost Legacy was released as a standalone expansion to A Thief's End. It is the first game in the series not to feature Nathan Drake. It includes characters Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross, who appeared in earlier games. The game was released on PlayStation 4 in 2017. Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, a remastered version of A Thief's End and The Lost Legacy, was released for PlayStation 5 on January 28, 2022. A Windows version, developed with Iron Galaxy, was released on October 19, 2022.

Common elements

The Uncharted series combines action-adventure and 3D platforming. Players control Nathan Drake, who jumps, swims, climbs, and swings to move through the game. Other activities include shooting, fighting enemies, and solving puzzles. Later games added driving, boat riding, and more acrobatic moves.

Maps in the games allow players to explore freely. Some later games include open-world areas where players can search for items or avoid enemies. In A Thief's End, players can talk with other characters during side quests. The series follows a traditional action game structure, with levels completed in a set order and viewed from behind the character.

Shooting is important for defeating enemies. Players can carry a pistol, a main weapon like a rifle or shotgun, and a few grenades. These weapons are found by picking up items dropped by defeated enemies or scattered around maps. If the player dies, they restart at a checkpoint.

In A Thief's End, players can use vehicles in open areas. They can drive anywhere but must reach specific spots to continue the story.

The game Among Thieves introduced multiplayer. Co-operative mode lets up to three players work together as Drake and two other heroes, completing missions with teamwork. Competitive mode allows ten players to battle in teams of five. Six modes include deathmatches and team objectives. A Thief's End added a survival mode where players fight waves of enemies and complete tasks. Players earn points and ranks to buy new character designs.

Drake's Fortune takes place near Panama, in the Amazon rainforest, and an uncharted island. Among Thieves includes locations like the Tibetan Plateau, Istanbul, Borneo, and Nepal. Later games added settings such as London, Cartagena, France, Syria, Yemen, and the Rub' al Khali desert. A Thief's End includes a Panamanian jail, an Italian estate, a Scottish cathedral, Madagascar, and uncharted islands near Africa. Boston and New Orleans also appear in the game.

The prequel Golden Abyss features a dig site in Panama. The expansion The Lost Legacy includes locations in India’s Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu, and a bazaar.

The game’s locations were researched carefully. Developers traveled with guides and historians, taking photos and videos to accurately show the settings.

The series uses many voice actors. Main characters are voiced by less well-known actors. Only three characters appear in every main game, and Chloe is the only other playable character:

• Nolan North as Nathan Drake
• Emily Rose as Elena Fisher
• Richard McGonagle as Victor Sullivan
• Claudia Black as Chloe Frazer

Other media

Uncharted: The Board Game is a board game published by Bandai in 2012. It was created by Hayato Kisaragi and allows two to four players to compete for treasure and fight enemies.

Sony Computer Entertainment America released the first of a four-part motion comic series called Uncharted: Eye of Indra on October 23, 2009. This series is a prequel to Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. The second part was released on November 25, and the third and fourth parts were released together on December 7.

A motion comic adaptation of the prologue of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune was made. It begins with the discovery of Francis Drake's coffin and ends with the first meeting between Nathan Drake and Gabriel Roman. It uses the same voice clips from the video game.

A comic book titled Uncharted was released by DC Comics around the same time as the video game Uncharted 3. Written by Joshua Williamson, with art by Sergio Sandoval and covers by Adam Hughes, it was released on November 30, 2011, as part of a six-issue mini-series. The story follows Nathan Drake on a journey to find the legendary "Amber Room" and explore the Hollow Earth.

A novel titled Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth was published in October 2011. It was written by Christopher Golden and published by Del Rey Books. The story follows Nathan Drake’s search for Daedalus’s Labyrinth, a maze from Greek mythology that once held the Minotaur.

Ruben Fleischer directed a film adaptation of the games, based on a script by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. The film stars Tom Holland, who also serves as an executive producer, as Nathan Drake, and Mark Wahlberg as Victor Sullivan. Antonio Banderas, Sophia Taylor Ali, and Tati Gabrielle have supporting roles. The film was shown in movie theaters in the United States on February 18, 2022, and was produced by Columbia Pictures, Atlas Entertainment, and Arad Productions. PlayStation Productions was an executive producer, and Sony Pictures Releasing distributed the film. In August 2023, producer Charles Roven said the studio was "definitely looking to make" a sequel. Sony confirmed a sequel was in development by June 2024.

In July 2018, director Allan Ungar made a fan-created 15-minute short film starring Nathan Fillion as Nathan Drake. Fillion had campaigned for the role for many years. The film was well received, especially for Fillion’s performance and an action scene filmed from an over-the-shoulder angle, similar to scenes in the video games. The film also features Stephen Lang as Victor Sullivan and Mircea Monroe as Elena Fisher, with appearances by Ernie Reyes Jr. and Geno Segers. The fan film’s popularity led to some discussion about whether it might influence the official film. Druckmann, vice-president of Naughty Dog, shared a heart emoji on social media in response, and film director Shawn Levy praised the film. Ungar supported the official film’s production.

A "storycoaster" ride based on the 2022 film, titled Uncharted: The Enigma of Penitence, opened at PortAventura Park on June 17, 2023.

Reception

The Uncharted series has been very successful in terms of reviews and sales. Much of the praise for the series focuses on the graphics created by Naughty Dog, as well as the writing and voice acting. GamesRadar ranked the series as the second-best franchise of the seventh generation. The Uncharted series helped improve Naughty Dog's reputation and is now considered one of the best game developers in the industry.

Nathan Drake, the main character in the series, is seen as a symbol for PlayStation. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is often called one of the greatest games ever made. It won more than fifty Game of the Year awards, and critics called it a major milestone in gaming. The game currently holds one of the highest ratings among PlayStation 3 games on Metacritic. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is also ranked as one of the best games in the series and among the finest video games of the eighth generation.

The first game in the series was part of the PlayStation Essentials collection and sold more than 2.6 million copies worldwide. Uncharted 2 was the top-selling game in the month of its release. By the end of their life cycles, the games together sold more than 13 million copies by 2011. Sales for Uncharted 3 were more than double those of its predecessor, according to Naughty Dog's product marketing manager, Asad Quizilbash. This exceeded expectations, and the game helped the series reach confirmed sales of over 17 million copies worldwide. Before the release of the fourth main game, Sony reported that the Uncharted series had sold over 28 million copies worldwide.

Uncharted 4 is the best-selling game in the series to date, with over 18 million copies sold. It is one of the best-selling PlayStation 4 games of all time. As of December 2017, the series had sold 41.7 million copies globally.

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune was named PS3 Game of the Year by IGN.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves won several awards during the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards, including Game of the Year, Best PS3 Game, and Best Graphics. It also won awards at the 2010 BAFTA Game Awards for Story, Action, Use of Audio, and Original Score. The game won in 10 categories, including Game of the Year, at the 13th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, and in 5 categories, including Game of the Year, at the 10th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards. It received the most Game of the Year awards in 2009.

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception won awards during the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards for Best PS3 Game and Best Graphics. It also won awards at the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering, Art Direction, and Animation. The game received awards for VideoGame Writing at the Writers Guild of America Awards and for Best Visual Arts at the Game Developers Choice Awards. It was one of the most awarded games of 2011 in the Game of the Year category.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End won awards during The Game Awards 2016 for Best Narrative and Best Performance. It also won awards at the 20th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards for Adventure Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Story, Outstanding Technical Achievement, and Outstanding Achievement in Animation. The game won Best Game at the 13th British Academy Games Awards, PlayStation Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards, and Best Video Game at the Empire Awards. It received the most Game of the Year awards in 2016.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy won awards in two categories (Game, Franchise Adventure, and Sound Editing in a Game Cinema) at the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards. It also won in the category Best Music/Sound Design (People's Voice) at the Webby Awards.