Every Naughty Dog Game: A Full History of Releases in Order

All Naughty Dog Games in Order

1. Math Jam – 1985

The project that paved the way for the Naughty Dog we know today, Math Jam was a collaborative project between both of the studio’s founders: Jason Rubin and Andy Gavin. Developed for the Apple II under the studio name JAM, Math Jam was self-published by the duo while they were still in high school.

It taught basic arithmetic and was purely educational. However, both Rubin and Gavin decided their next game was going to move away from teaching and venture fully into the recreational side of video games…

2. Ski Crazed – 1986

Rubin and Gavin’s second game, Ski Crazed, launched in 1986 when they were just 16 years old. Also released for the Apple II, it saw players launch their avatars down various ski slopes while avoiding hazardous obstacles and attempting to rack up high scores.

3. Dream Zone – 1987

Rubin and Gavin’s third game hit shelves in 1987 and saw the duo take on the point-and-click adventure genre. Titled Dream Zone, it sees players travel to a satirical fantasy realm based inside the protagonist’s dreams, where they must deal with the land’s range of eccentric imaginary inhabitants en route to escape.

4. Keef the Thief – 1989

Officially donning the Naughty Dog moniker for the first time and partnering with EA, Rubin and Gavin’s fourth project was another comedic point-and-click adventure game, this time titled Keef the Thief. Much as the title suggests, the main premise was to steal items, with Keef exploring a large city and its surrounding wilderness while interacting with NPCs.

5. Rings of Power – 1991

Two years after Keef the Thief, Naughty Dog partnered with EA once again to release Rings of Power on the SEGA Genesis. Putting players in the shoes of a sorcerer called Buc, the game was an isometric RPG set in the fantasy realm of Ushka Bau, where a magical staff shattered into eleven pieces that the player must seek out and collect. Along the way, they meet and recruit a party, leading to a final with a malevolent demon named Void.

6. Way of the Warrior – 1994

Taking a swing at the fighting genre, Naughty Dog’s sixth project was Way of the Warrior for the 3DO. The game had players pick a fighter and battle their way through a hellacious tournament, defeating their rivals and spreading their legend throughout the annals of history.

7. Crash Bandicoot – 1996

Naughty Dog’s first breakout success, Crash Bandicoot was the company’s seventh game and their first on a PlayStation console. It stars the titular Crash Bandicoot, a mutated science experiment that escapes the laboratory of his creator, the villainous Doctor Neo Cortex.

A colorful 3D mascot platformer that tasks players with conquering short but challenging stages and defeating Cortex’s band of mutated animal henchmen, the game sees Crash jump, slide, and spin his way through a zany world full of danger. It was a huge success for Naughty Dog and Sony, spawning a major franchise that’s still active to this day.

8. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back – 1997

The second game in the Crash Bandicoot franchise, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back picks up a year after its predecessor, with Crash once again having to stop Neo Cortex’s villainous plans. This time around, Crash is searching for a series of magical crystals that Cortex needs to build his new outer-space Cortex Vortex vessel. Cortex Strikes Back is set over 25 stages, with each level featuring fresh mechanics, hazards, enemies, and bosses.

9. Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped – 1998

The third and final entry in Naughty Dog’s Crash Bandicoot trilogy, Crash Bandicoot: Warped is set directly after the events of Cortex Strikes Back, with Neo Cortex’s space station crashing into the Earth and giving rise to a malevolent new threat: Aku Aku’s evil brother, Uka Uka. To combat this new foe, Crash and his younger sister, Coco, travel through time, finding crystals to prevent Cortex and Uka Uka from executing their evil plans.

Much like Cortex Strikes Back, Warped includes 25 new levels as well as a host of additional hazards to overcome, enemies to conquer, and mechanics to learn. It also welcomes a brand new playable protagonist, with players able to step into the shoes of Coco.

10. Crash Team Racing – 1999

A spin-off of the mainline Crash Bandicoot series, Crash Team Racing transports the character to the world of arcade racing. You take the wheel as iconic Crash Bandicoot characters – Crash, Cortex, Coco, Doctor N.Gin, and others – and race across a selection of hazardous courses in an effort to win races in single- and multiplayer modes.

11. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy – 2001

Leaving Crash Bandicoot behind, Naughty Dog moved on to a new 3D mascot platformer franchise in 2001 with Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. Following titular best friends Jak and Daxter, the game sees the pair embark on a journey to transform Daxter back into a human after he’s submerged in a mysterious substance known as dark eco and changed into an otter-weasel hybrid.

Along the way, the pair become embroiled in a plot to save the world, with the villainous Gol and Maia hatching a plan to use dark eco to alter the realm. Unlike Crash Bandicoot’s strictly linear levels, Jak and Daxter offers players large worlds to explore, with each map containing a variety of Precursor Orbs they can collect in any order to progress.

12. Jak 2 – 2003

Ditching both Daxter’s name from the title and the quirky, upbeat tone, Jak 2 is a much darker reinvention of Jak and Daxter’s world. Taking place after the conclusion of the first game, it sees Jak and Daxter unwillingly flung into the far future, where they arrive in a dystopian metropolis known as Haven City. After their arrival, Jak is arrested and subjected to harrowing experiments for two years, awakening a sinister monster inside of him known as Dark Jak.

Daxter eventually rescues Jak, setting the pair off on a new adventure across Haven City, where they join forces with a local rebel militia attempting to overthrow the futuristic metropolis’ corrupt leader, Baron Praxis. Alongside switching the fantasy setting out for a futuristic sci-fi aesthetic, Jak 2 made several gameplay changes, adding guns, flying cars, and the ability to transform into Dark Jak.

13. Jak 3 – 2004

Capping off the Jak and Daxter trilogy, Jak 3 opens with its lead duo being dumped in The Wasteland beyond the walls of Haven City. Banished from their home and left to die, they take refuge in the city of Spargus hidden deep within the desert. As the pair begin to earn their keep, they learn about sinister plans unfolding in Haven City, beginning an adventure to save their home.

Jak 3 layers several new features on top of Jak 2’s gameplay, including additional vehicles to traverse the desert, new light eco powers, and a range of fresh weapons.

14. Jak X: Combat Racing – 2005

Much like Crash Team Racing, Naughty Dog decided to follow up its work on the Jak and Daxter trilogy by releasing an arcade racer tie-in. Jak X: Combat Racing is exactly what it says on the tin: You play as Jak, or one of his closest allies or enemies, and race across a series of tracks in single- or multiplayer.

15. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune – 2007

Naughty Dog’s first foray onto the PlayStation 3 and one of its most seminal releases, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune was a major shift in tone for the company. Moving away from cartoon mascot platformers, Naughty Dog began to focus on cinematic blockbusters, telling the story of an Indiana Jones-esque treasure hunter named Nathan Drake.

Hunting for the lost city of El Dorado in the depths of the Amazon rainforest, Drake battles against pirates and other enemies while following in the footsteps of his ancestor, Sir Francis Drake. A third-person, cover-based shooter with platforming elements, Uncharted not only paved the way for one of gaming’s biggest modern franchises but also influenced Naughty Dog’s transformation into a studio synonymous with highly produced video game storytelling.

16. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – 2009

A sequel released two years later, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves sees Nathan Drake return to hunt for the lost city of Shambhala in the Hymalian mountains. Betrayed by an old friend during a heist, Drake teams up with Sully and newcomer Chloe to track down the Cintamani Stone, hoping to prevent war criminal Zoran Lazarevic and his private militia from accessing Shambhala.

Along the way, players are met with a healthy dose of third-person cover-based combat and platforming, as well as the kind of bombastic set pieces that make Drake blurt out a litany of expletives in quick succession.

17. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception – 2011

The third entry in the Uncharted series, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception follows Nathan Drake as he attempts to uncover The Atlantis of the Sands in the Rub’ al Khali desert. Set two years after the previous game, Drake’s Deception picks up with Drake and Sully battling against the villainous Katherine Marlowe and her private army. Learning she intends to uncover the secrets of the Atlantis of the Sands, Drake begins a race to get there first, launching into an adventure that forces him to confront demons from his past.

Drake’s Deception was the last Uncharted game of the PlayStation 3 era, offering players one more Nathan Drake adventure before Sony moved on to PlayStation 4 two years later.

18. The Last of Us – 2013

Arguably one of the most iconic video games of all time, Naughty Dog took a break from Uncharted to bring fans The Last of Us in 2013. Set in a harsh post-apocalyptic world where a parasitic fungus is transforming humans into bloodthirsty monsters, The Last of Us follows a hardened smuggler named Joel and an immune teenager named Ellie as they attempt to track down a group of survivors known as The Fireflies.

What follows is an emotionally gripping story of grief, survival, and hope, as Ellie and Joel form an unbreakable bond while battling against the monsters that plague their world, both infected and human. A third-person shooter with heavy stealth elements, The Last of Us has gone on to become Naughty Dog’s flagship franchise, even receiving its own HBO adaptation in early 2023.

19. The Last of Us: Left Behind – 2014

Initially released as DLC before becoming a standalone experience, The Last of Us: Left Behind acts as a prequel to The Last of Us. The story flits between two timelines: the first is set during the events of the main campaign, with Ellie protecting Joel while he recovers from the injuries he sustained in The University chapter. The second takes place three weeks before the events of the game, with Ellie exploring an abandoned mall with her best friend Riley.

While the modern timeline features plenty of action sequences, the flashbacks take a decidedly different approach, focusing heavily on exploration and storytelling. The expansion fleshes out Ellie’s backstory, adding additional context to her character and the story she reveals to Joel during the final scene of the main game.

20. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – 2016

The explosive finale to the Uncharted saga, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End catches up with Nathan Drake years after the events of Drake’s Deception. Now retired from treasure hunting and living a regular life with his wife Elena, Drake is dragged back into the game after his brother, Sam, arrives on his doorstep with a tantalizing offer: He’s going after Henry Avery’s lost treasure and needs the expertise of Nathan Drake to find it.

A Thief’s End wraps up Nathan Drake’s story while using the power of the PlayStation 4 to add new strings to Uncharted’s bow, including a grappling hook, non-linear levels, and vastly upgraded visuals.

21. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy – 2017

A standalone expansion for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy passes the reins of the franchise to two new leads: Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross. Following the unlikely partners as they travel to India in search of the Tusk of Ganesh, Lost Legacy expands upon Uncharted 4’s open-ended levels, setting the game within a large map and allowing players to complete main objectives in any order they like.

You can check out our guide to the Uncharted games in order for more details about the timeline.

22 The Last of Us: Part II – 2020

The long-anticipated follow-up to the first Last of Us, The Last of Us: Part II removes Joel from the main protagonist role and hands the reins to Ellie. After settling in the small town of Jackson, Ellie’s life is sent into a downward spiral when a group of mysterious survivors arrive on the settlement’s outskirts during a snowstorm and undertake a mission that changes her life forever.

Swearing revenge, Ellie pursues the group, tailing them back to Seattle where she begins searching for their leader: a ruthless survivor by the name of Abby. Expanding the stealth mechanics and including smarter enemy AI that can track Ellie’s every move, The Last of Us: Part II upgrades and enhances the series’ gameplay in every conceivable way. While its story has been divisive, it’s undeniably a significantly enhanced post-apocalyptic survival experience.

23. The Last of Us: Part I – 2022

Released in late 2022, The Last of Us: Part I is a shot-for-shot, rebuilt-from-the-ground-up remake of the first Last of Us, including all of the original chapters and Left Behind expansion. Utilizing the power of the PlayStation 5, it offered next-generation graphics, state-of-the-art accessibility options, and improved gameplay.

Callum Williams is a freelance media writer with years of experience as a game critic, news reporter, guides writer and features writer.