Uncharted is an action-adventure video game series and media franchise published by Sony Interactive Entertainment and developed by Naughty Dog. The franchise was created by Amy Hennig and follows a group of treasure hunters who travel around the world to solve historical mysteries. The series includes stories based on real history, fantasy, and folklore, along with fictional characters and real people. In the main games, players control Nathan Drake, while in the expansion, players control 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 the standalone expansion Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (2017), support the main series. The games were originally released only for PlayStation consoles but later appeared on other platforms. A mobile game, Uncharted: Fortune Hunter (2016), and remastered versions of A Thief's End and The Lost Legacy for Windows were released in 2022.
The main games are played from a third-person perspective. Gameplay includes combat, shooting, exploration, and puzzles, with platforming used to move through environments. Later games added multiplayer modes, stealth, and driving. The series was inspired by other games, movies, and media, and often features unique and exotic locations. Adaptations of the series include a live-action film, board games, comics, and a novel.
The main series received high praise from critics for its stories, characters, voice acting, gameplay, and graphics. Its quality is often compared to Hollywood action-adventure films, such as the Indiana Jones series. Critics also credit the series with raising the standards for single-player action-adventure games. The second and fourth numbered games are frequently ranked among the greatest video games. The franchise has sold over 41 million copies, making it one of the best-selling video game series. It helped increase the popularity of PlayStation during the seventh and eighth generations and improved Naughty Dog's reputation 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 release the games only on Sony systems, the PlayStation 3 carried the next two main series games. Among Thieves was published in 2009. The game's developers had more freedom to use the system's random-access memory (RAM) because of a better special engine. This allowed the game to include more locations, more freedom to explore, stronger combat skills, 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 for PlayStation 4. It focused on realistic details and included driving, stealth, and role-playing features. It also improved multiplayer gameplay. The game was very successful and broke several records. A free-to-play mobile game called Fortune Hunter, for iOS and Android devices, was released to support A Thief's End.
Golden Abyss, published in 2011, was the first game in the series for 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 features for the Vita.
Drake's Trail was an online game released in 2007. It was a browser-based game with elements of real-world locations. The story, which is a prequel to Drake's Fortune, follows journalist Elena Fisher hiring a detective to find Nathan Drake, a famous treasure hunter. Players used a Google Maps plugin to locate real-world areas and a Flash Player to explore fictional places, like 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 delays in producing 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, a 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 and visual upgrades. During the COVID-19 pandemic in April–May 2020, Sony offered the game for free as part of its 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 previous games. The game was released for 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 gameplay in the Uncharted series combines action-adventure elements with 3D platforming, viewed from a third-person perspective. Players complete physical tasks, such as jumping, swimming, climbing, and swinging from ropes, to move through the story. Other activities, like shooting, combat, and solving puzzles, are also included. Later games added driving, boat riding, and more acrobatic moves.
The maps in the Uncharted games allow players some freedom to explore. Later titles include open-world elements, letting players roam freely to find collectibles or avoid enemies through stealth. In A Thief's End, players can engage in role-playing by having conversations with other characters. The series follows the structure of traditional action games, where players complete levels in a linear order, always viewed from a third-person perspective.
Shooting is an important part of the game, as players must defeat enemies to progress. Players can carry a sidearm like a pistol, a main weapon such as a rifle or shotgun, and a few grenades. These weapons are found by picking up items dropped by defeated enemies or scattered across maps. If a player dies, they restart at a specific checkpoint in the level.
In A Thief's End, players can use vehicles in an explorable environment. They can drive anywhere they choose, but must reach certain locations to advance the story.
In Among Thieves, multiplayer was introduced. The co-op mode lets up to three players take on the roles of Drake and two other characters, completing missions that involve gunfights, platforming, and teamwork. Players can help others if they are injured or captured. The competitive mode allows ten players to compete in two teams of five, with six different game types, including deathmatches and team-based objectives. A Thief's End added a survival mode where players fight waves of enemies that grow stronger over time. Multiplayer also lets players earn points and ranks to buy new character outfits.
The first game, Drake's Fortune, takes place near Panama, in the Amazon rainforest, and on an uncharted island off South America. Among Thieves was the first to use multiple locations, including the Tibetan Plateau, a museum in Istanbul, Borneo’s jungles, and Nepal’s cities. Later games included settings like London and Bogotá, a French château, a Syrian castle, a Yemeni city, and the Rub’ al Khali desert. A Thief's End features a Panamanian jail, an Italian estate, a Scottish cathedral, locations in Madagascar, uncharted islands near Africa, and Boston and New Orleans in both past and present settings.
The prequel Golden Abyss includes a dig site and other locations in Panama’s forests. The standalone expansion The Lost Legacy adds settings in India’s Western Ghats, a bazaar, and cities in Tamil Nadu.
Many locations in the series were researched carefully. The development team traveled with guides and historians, taking photos and videos to accurately recreate the settings.
The series includes many voice actors. The team chose less well-known actors for major roles. Only three characters appear in every main game, and Chloe is the only other playable character in single-player mode:
- 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 designed 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 created. It begins with the discovery of Francis Drake's coffin and ends with the first encounter with Gabriel Roman. The comic uses the same voice clips from the video game.
A comic book titled Uncharted was released by DC Comics around the time Uncharted 3 was released. 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 quest to find the legendary "Amber Room" and travel to the Hollow Earth.
A novel titled Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth was published in October 2011. Written by Christopher Golden and published by Del Rey Books, the story follows the 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 released in 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 posted a fan-made 15-minute short film starring Nathan Fillion as Nathan Drake. Fillion had campaigned for the role for years. The film received positive feedback, especially for Fillion’s performance and an action scene filmed from an over-the-shoulder angle, similar to the video games. The short 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 success led to speculation about its influence on the official film. Neil Druckmann, vice-president of Naughty Dog, shared a heart emoji on social media in support of the fan film, and film director Shawn Levy praised it. Ungar expressed support for the official film.
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, both in terms of reviews and sales. Many people praise the series for its graphics, writing, and voice acting. GamesRadar ranked it as the second best franchise of the seventh generation. The Uncharted series helped improve Naughty Dog's reputation, making them one of the top game developers in the industry.
Nathan Drake, the main character of the series, is seen as a symbol for PlayStation. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is considered one of the greatest games ever made. It received more than fifty Game of the Year awards, and critics called it a major milestone in gaming. The game is currently among the highest-rated PlayStation 3 games on Metacritic. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is also highly praised and is ranked as one of the best games in the eighth generation.
The first game in the series was part of the PlayStation Essentials collection and sold over 2.6 million copies worldwide. Uncharted 2 was the best-selling game in the month of its release. By the end of their life cycles, the series sold over 13 million copies by 2011. Sales for Uncharted 3 were more than double those of its predecessor, which exceeded expectations. The series eventually sold over 17 million copies worldwide. Before the release of the fourth main game, Sony announced that the series had sold over 28 million copies worldwide.
Uncharted 4 is the best-selling game in the series, 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 the best PlayStation 3 game of the year by IGN.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves won several awards in 2009 and 2010, including Game of the Year, Best PS3 Game, Best Graphics, and Best Story. It also won ten categories, including Game of the Year, at the Interactive Achievement Awards and five categories, including Game of the Year, at the Game Developers Choice Awards. It won the most Game of the Year awards in 2009.
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception received awards in 2011, including Best PS3 Game, Best Graphics, and awards for art direction, animation, and writing. 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 in 2016, including Best Narrative and Best Performance at The Game Awards, and Adventure Game of the Year, Best Story, and Best Animation at the D.I.C.E. Awards. It also won Best Game at the British Academy Games Awards, PlayStation Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards, and Best Video Game at the Empire Awards. It won the most Game of the Year awards in 2016.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy won awards for Game, Franchise Adventure, and Sound Editing in a Game Cinema at the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards and for Best Music/Sound Design at the Webby Awards.