“Greatness from small beginnings.” Engraved in Latin on the ring worn around the neck of series protagonist Nathan Drake, these four words define Naughty Dog’s immensely popular Uncharted series. That’s a pretty fitting catchphrase considering the franchise itself has grown considerably since its launch in 2008.
Whether it’s fighting pirates in the Amazon jungle or exploring the mysterious cities in the heart of the Rub’ al Khali desert, Nathan Drake has had no shortage of daring adventures in the years following the launch of PlayStation 3. With so many entries in its universe, it’s easy to get lost deciphering Uncharted’s lengthy timeline. For better understanding, here’s a chronology of the full Uncharted series, showing you the sequential order to play the games.
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How many undiscovered games are there?
Have 8 unexplored games: Five on home consoles, two on PlayStation Vita, and one on mobile. We will not include two of these games because they do not tell the original stories and therefore do not affect the standard of the Uncharted universe. Items not included are the PlayStation Vita spin-off card game, Uncharted: Fighting for Fortuneand mobile quiz links, Uncharted: Lucky Hunter.
There are also additions to the Uncharted universe in other mediums, including comic books and novels. While these are standards, the list below will only include the timeline set by the game. The same goes for 2022 undiscovered moviestakes place in a reimagined version of the Uncharted universe.
It’s also important to note that later installments of Uncharted often come back and add new lore to the beginning of Nathan Drake’s story. While Uncharted 3 and 4 go back to the beginning of the timeline, we’ve judged their place on the roster based on when most of the story takes place.
Unexplored games in chronological order
These trailers contain slight spoilers for each game, including the characters, setting, and pacing of the story.
1. Unexplored: Golden Abyss
The earliest adventure in the timeline and the first to reach a handheld console, PlayStation Vita’s Uncharted: Golden Abyss follows Nathan Drake’s journey to find the mythical city of Quivira.
Set in Panama a few years before Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, the story opens with Drake and his old friend, Jason Dante, helping to excavate a dig site. It didn’t take long to discover that Dante had a shady deal with the leader of a local revolutionary group, Robert Guerro. Upon learning of Dante’s secret deal, Drake quits digging and begins a new mission, teaming up with Dante’s former partner: a treasure hunter named Marisa Chase.
Forming a tentative alliance, Chase revealed to Drake that she possessed an amulet given to her by her grandfather before he mysteriously disappeared. The amulet seems to be the key to an ancient mystery surrounding Quivira. With this knowledge, the pair attempt to find the city and uncover its lost secrets while avoiding Dante, Guerro, and the militia handled by the pair.
our reading Uncharted: Golden Abyss . game review.
2. Unexplored: Drake’s Fortune
Taking place a few years later, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is the first major entry in the series, following Nate’s quest to track down the mythical city of El Dorado.
Beginning on a boat off the coast of Panama, Nate and aspiring reporter Elena Fisher find the coffin of Nate’s famous explorer and presumed ancestor, Sir Francis Drake. Opening it, they discovered the coffin contained no body but instead a diary chronicling all of Francis Drake’s adventures. The last entry in the diary reveals that Francis Drake traveled to the Amazon Jungle in search of El Dorado; a city of untold wealth.
Leaving Elena on shore, Drake and his partner Sully set out in search of the city, quickly learning that they weren’t the only treasure hunters looking for it. Abandoned in the woods after an explosive clash with the villain Gabriel Roman, Nate is separated from Sully and reunited with Elena, embarking on an adventure to defeat Roman and track down El Dorado.
our reading Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune game review.
3. Uncharted 2: Among the Thieves
Two years after the hunt for El Dorado, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves sees Drake embark on a new adventure to find the legendary Cintamani Stone.
The story opens with Drake teaming up with some old friends, Chloe Frazer and Harry Flynn, to steal a rare artifact from a museum in Istanbul. While raiding the museum, Drake and Flynn find a hidden map and learn the truth about the series of ships lost in Marco Polo’s fleet that never returned to Persia. The historical explorer used these ships to transport a rare object known as the Cintamani Stone from the mythical city of Shambala.
After they were discovered, Flynn duplicated Nate and stole the map, leaving him locked in a cell. Teaming up with Chloe and Sully, Nate embarks on an adventure to track down Flynn, uncover the true mystery of Shambhala, and find the Cintamani Stone. The trio’s journey takes them to Borneo, Nepal, and the Himalayas, where they must face a private army determined to protect the stone for their ruthless leader, Zoran Lazarević.
our reading review of Uncharted 2: Among the Thieves.
4. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Set two years later, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Decece is the franchise’s third main adventure. It focuses on Nathan Drake pursuing Atlantis of the Sands in the Rub’ al Khali desert.
The beginning of the story sees Nate and Sully lock horns with a mysterious villain named Katherine Marlowe, who is pursuing a discovery once tracked by Sir Francis Drake in Arabia. This discovery is the mythical Atlantis of the Sands; a lost city deep in the Rub’ al Khali desert, which is said to contain unimaginable treasures.
As he learns more about the city and why Marlowe wants to find it, Drake begins to realize the dark secrets lurking in the city. Forced to face evil and reflect on her past, Nate teams up with Sully and Elena to defeat Marlowe and uncover the truth behind Atlantis of the Sands.
our reading Review of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception.
5. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Set three years after Drake’s Deception, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is an epic epilogue to the adventures of Nathan Drake, serving as a farewell to the charismatic treasure hunter. It sees Nate teaming up with her long-lost brother, Sam, and chasing the lost treasure of legendary pirate captain, Henry Avery.
The story begins with a recently retired Nathan Drake settling into a normal life with his wife, Elena. Everything changes when Sam, who appears to have died during a prison break in Panama, returns and gives Nate one last job: to track down Captain Avery’s lost treasure. Lured by his desire to return to a life of adventure, Nate lies to Elena and joins Sam, embarking on a journey around the world to recover the lost gold.
It didn’t take long for things to go south, though, as Nate and Sam faced off against a rival treasure hunter named Rafe and his ruthless business partner, Nadine Ross. As the adventure continues, we learn more about Nate’s relationship with Sam, as the pair’s loyalty is tested. The game’s epilogue seems to end entirely Nathan Drake’s role as Uncharted’s protagonist, although not completely closing the door on a sequel to the non-Nathan Drake-led series.
Read our review of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
6. Uncharted: Lost Legacy
A stand-alone spinoff, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, sees Chloe Frazer take on the role of the protagonist, teaming up with Uncharted 4’s villain, Nadine Ross. The story follows the duo’s quest to find and recover the long-lost Tusk of Ganesh.
Set in India, the story opens with Chloe embarking on a personal quest, wanting to finally win the Tusk of Ganesh after her father died pursuing it many years ago. Along the way, she forms a tentative alliance with Nadine and is attacked by the mighty Asav, who is using a revolutionary army to find tusks and incite civil war.
Using a semi-open world format, Lost Legacy sees Chloe and Nadine form a strong friendship as they hunt for the tusk and attempt to stop Asav. The game ends on an interesting note, opening the door to future Uncharted games with Chloe, Nadine, and other supporting characters starring.
our reading Review of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.
How to play Uncharted game by release date
- Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (2007)
- Uncharted 2: Among The Thieves (2009)
- Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (2011)
- Uncharted: Golden Abyss (2012)
- Uncharted: Battle for Fortune (2012)
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (2016)
- Uncharted: Lucky Hunter (2016)
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (2017)
What’s next for Uncharted?
Sony has yet to announce any new Uncharted games. The popularity of the series has recently been dominated by its release Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Edition, brought Uncharted 4 and Lost Legacy to PlayStation 5 and PC. However, it looks like Naughty Dog has now completed the franchise and has no intention of revisiting it in the near future.
In a recent interview with Buzzfeed, co-chairman of Naughty Dog Neil Druckmann speaking that the studio had “switched over” from the franchise. That said, the story has left the door open for a sequel, so Naughty Dog or another studio could always revisit it in the future.
In the meantime, video games aren’t the only medium where we could see Uncharted reappear. The high box office of the Uncharted movie adaptation suggests we could see Tom Holland fit as Nathan Drake for a sequel in the coming years.
