How to Play the Uncharted Games in Chronological Order
“Greatness from Small Beginnings.” Engraved in Latin on the ring that hangs around the neck of series protagonist Nathan Drake, these four words have come to define Naughty Dog’s immensely popular Uncharted series. It’s a rather fitting catchphrase considering the franchise itself has grown significantly since its debut in 2008.
Whether it’s battling pirates in the depths of the Amazon Jungle or exploring hidden cities in the center of the Rub’ al Khali desert, Nathan Drake has had no shortage of daring adventures in the years following his PlayStation 3 debut. With so many entries in its universe, it’s easy to get lost deciphering Uncharted’s lengthy timeline. To help make sense of it, here’s a chronology of the full Uncharted game series, showing you the sequential order to play the games in.
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How Many Uncharted Games Are There?
There are 8 Uncharted Games: Five on home console, two on PlayStation Vita and one on mobile. We won’t include two of these games as they don’t tell original stories and thus don’t affect the canon of the Uncharted universe. The entries not included are the PlayStation Vita spin-off card game, Uncharted: Fight for Fortune, and the mobile puzzle tie-in, Uncharted: Fortune Hunter.
There are also additions to the Uncharted universe in other media, including comics and novels. While these are canon, the list below will only cover the timeline set out by the games. The same goes for the 2022 Uncharted movie, which takes place in a reimagined version of the Uncharted universe.
It’s also worth noting that Uncharted’s later entries often cycle back and add new lore to the beginning of Nathan Drake’s story. While Uncharted 3 and 4 flash back to the beginning of the timeline, we’ve judged their position on the list based on when the bulk of the story takes place.
Uncharted Games in Chronological Order
These blurbs contain mild spoilers for each game, including characters, settings, and story beats.
1. Uncharted: 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 tale opens with Drake joining his former friend, Jason Dante, to help excavate a dig site. It doesn’t take long to figure out that Dante has a shady deal with the leader of a group of local revolutionaries, Robert Guerro. Learning about Dante’s secret agreement, Drake abandons the dig and sets off on a new quest, teaming with Dante’s former partner: a treasure hunter named Marisa Chase.
Forming a tentative alliance, Chase reveals to Drake that she possesses an amulet given to her by her grandfather before he mysteriously vanished. The amulet appears to be the key to an ancient mystery revolving around Quivira. With this knowledge, the pair attempt to find the city and uncover its lost secrets while avoiding Dante, Guerro and the militia at the pair’s disposal.
Read our review of Uncharted: Golden Abyss.
2. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
Taking place a couple of years later, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is the first mainline 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 ambitious reporter Elena Fisher find the coffin of famed adventurer and Nate’s alleged ancestor, Sir Francis Drake. Cracking it open, they discover the coffin doesn’t contain a body, but instead a diary documenting all of Francis Drake’s adventures. The final entry in the diary reveals that Francis Drake traveled to the Amazon Jungle in search of El Dorado; a city of untold riches.
Abandoning Elena back on shore, Drake and his partner Sully set off in search of the city, quickly learning they aren’t the only treasure hunters searching for it. Left stranded in the jungle after an explosive run-in with the villainous Gabriel Roman, Nate gets separated from Sully and reunites with Elena, beginning an adventure to defeat Roman and track down El Dorado.
Read our review of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.
3. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Two years after his hunt for El Dorado, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves sees Drake set out on a new adventure to find the legendary Cintamani Stone.
The story opens with Drake teaming 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 a series of lost ships in Marco Polo’s fleet that never made it back to Persia. The historical explorer was using these ships to transport a rare object known as the Cintamani Stone from the mythical city of Shambala.
After their discovery, Flynn double-crosses Nate and steals the map, leaving him locked in a prison cell. Teaming 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 face a private army hellbent on securing the stone for their ruthless leader, Zoran Lazarević.
Read our review of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.
4. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Set a further two years later, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is the franchise’s third mainline adventure. It focuses on Nathan Drake’s pursuit of the 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 after a discovery once tracked down by Sir Francis Drake in Arabia. This discovery is the mythical Atlantis of the Sands; a lost city located deep in the Rub’ al Khali desert that’s said to house unimaginable treasures.
As he learns more about the city and Marlowe’s reasons for wanting to find it, Drake begins to realize the hidden metropolis houses dark secrets. Forced to face his demons and reflect on his past, Nate teams with Sully and Elena to defeat Marlowe and uncover the truth behind the Atlantis of the Sands.
Read our 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 the epic conclusion to Nathan Drake’s adventures, acting as a send-off to the charismatic treasure hunter. It sees Nate team up with his long-lost brother, Sam, and chase after the missing treasure of legendary pirate captain, Henry Avery.
The story begins with a newly-retired Nathan Drake settling into a normal life with his wife, Elena. Everything changes when Sam, who seemingly died during a prison escape in Panama, returns and offers Nate one last job: hunt down Captain Avery’s lost treasure. Enticed by his desire to return to a life of adventure, Nate lies to Elena and joins Sam, embarking on a globe-trotting journey to recover the missing gold.
However, it doesn’t take long for things to go south, with Nate and Sam going up against a rival treasure hunter known as 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 ending seemingly fully wraps up Nathan Drake’s role as the protagonist of Uncharted, although doesn’t shut the door entirely on continuations of the franchise not led by Nathan Drake.
Read our review of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
6. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
A standalone spin-off, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy sees Chloe Frazer take up the role of lead protagonist, teaming with Uncharted 4 villain, Nadine Ross. The story follows the unlikely duo’s attempt to find and recover the long-lost Tusk of Ganesh.
Set in India, the story opens with Chloe embarking on a personal mission, wanting to finally secure 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 imposing Asav, who is using an army of revolutionaries to find the tusk and incite civil war.
Utilizing a semi-open-world format, Lost Legacy shows Chloe and Nadine forming a strong friendship as they hunt down the tusk and attempt to stop Asav. The game closes on an interesting note, leaving the door open for future Uncharted games with Chloe, Nadine and other side characters as the leads.
Read our review of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.
How to Play The Uncharted Games by Release Date
- Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (2007)
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009)
- Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (2011)
- Uncharted: Golden Abyss (2012)
- Uncharted: Fight for Fortune (2012)
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (2016)
- Uncharted: Fortune Hunter (2016)
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (2017)
What’s Next for Uncharted?
Sony has yet to announce any new Uncharted games. The series’ popularity has recently reignited thanks to the release of Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Edition, which brought Uncharted 4 and Lost Legacy to PlayStation 5 and PC. However, it appears Naughty Dog is currently done with the franchise and has no intention of revisiting it in the foreseeable future.
In a recent interview with Buzzfeed, co-president of Naughty Dog Neil Druckmann stated that the studio has “moved on” 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 might see Uncharted reappear. The strong box office returns of Uncharted’s movie adaptation suggest we could see Tom Holland suit up as Nathan Drake for a sequel in the coming years.
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