Ranking the Best and Worst Uncharted Games

Since its inception in the late 2000s, the Uncharted series has been a meteoric success. Centering on roguish fortune hunter Nathan Drake, Uncharted’s incredible graphics, relatable cast of characters, and tense action set pieces have propelled it to among the absolute best franchises in the AAA gaming space.

Further, the series has had a profound influence on the game industry. With its climbing and exploration mechanics gradually adopted by newer titles, the Uncharted games have left an indelible mark on our favorite pastime, one that continues to evolve today.

Ironically, Uncharted was initially called a Tomb Raider successor when it came out. Today, the modern Tomb Raider reboots have cribbed their style from the Uncharted playbook. If being imitated by your inspirations is the greatest flattery of all, and perhaps the most outstanding achievement of the Uncharted series.

Below we’ve ranked all six of the games in Naughty Dog’s flagship series, ordering the Uncharted series based on the quality, fun factor, and storytelling of each game in the franchise. Here, then, are the Uncharted games ranked from worst to best. Did we “chart” things right?

 

6. Uncharted: Golden Abyss

Developer: Bend Studio
Publisher: SIE

One of the many noble experiments carried out on Sony’s fledgling Vita, Uncharted: Golden Abyss is the only portable entry in the series. A prequel to the first game with development passing to Bend of Days Gone fame, Golden Abyss is a notable achievement for any handheld, even if it fails to live up to the scale and majesty of its console brethren.

Side characters and villains were introduced only never to be mentioned again in subsequent games, making Uncharted: Golden Abyss by far the easiest one to pass on, mainly thanks to the gimmicky touch controls that, like those of the Wii era, have not aged well.

Still, arguably among the best-looking portable games ever made, Golden Abyss is worth experiencing, even if its standalone nature makes it relatively unimportant in the franchise’s overarching narrative.

 

5. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune

Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: SIE

The game where it all began, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune sold itself as a globetrotting adventure featuring a likable everyman in the lead. Though most average joes can’t scale a cliffside or live with the murder of hundreds on their conscience, Drake remained a charming and relatable character throughout his first adventure.

Introducing most of the mechanics that would come to define the series, including tricky climbing and jumping sections, cover-based shooting, and puzzles which are gradually solved via environmental cues and Drake’s notebook, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune laid the groundwork that the rest of the series would slowly improve on. It also introduced Nolan North as Nathan Drake, a voice-over performance that accounts for much of the Uncharted’s appeal and success.

The new version in Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection incorporates elements of the second and third games, particularly when it comes to combat and graphical fidelity, that make the game absolutely worth revisiting after all of these years, despite its age.

 

4. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: SIE

After two successful Uncharted games, Naughty Dog set about shaking things up a bit in the series with Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. Focusing heavily on Nathan Drake and Victor Sullivan’s past, Uncharted 3 drew the old friends together for one final adventure while exploring how they met in the first place.

Uncharted 3 also introduced a fist-fighting mechanic, an addition that had mixed success over the course of the game. Luckily, this middling innovation is offset by some truly fantastic set pieces, including a sinking ship and a free fall from an exploding plane.

Finally, Uncharted 3 managed to give its growing cast of characters enough to do to justify their place along the way, even if some didn’t get quite as much screen time as we would have liked. We’re looking in Chloe and Carver’s directions here.

Either way, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception remains a strong game in the series and offers some genuinely great villains for players to go up against over the course of the adventure.

 

3. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: SIE

The only spin-off in the Uncharted series as of yet, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy began its life as DLC for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End before evolving into its own unique game.

Utilizing many of the fantastic improvements and ideas from Uncharted 4, Lost Legacy lives up to the series ideals nicely while offsetting them slightly through its new protagonists.

Focusing on Chloe and Nadine, friends and rivals from previous Uncharted titles, Lost Legacy sees the duo on a journey to make some big bank on a lost treasure while reconciling with their troubled pasts. The two develop a great relationship throughout the adventure, cementing a union we’d love to see in another future spin-off.

Featuring some very cool experimentation with open-world environments, a staple that would go on to be explored further in The Last of Us Part II, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy took the innovations of Uncharted 4 and ran with them.

With the best graphics of any game in the series and a couple of fun cameos from other Uncharted characters, Lost Legacy overcomes its short run time and nature as a side story to handily compete among the best games in the franchise.

 

2. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: SIE

Boy is it a tough call between these final two entries. Let it be known, just for posterity’s sake, that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves narrowly missed the top spot. The incredible sequel to the original game raised the stakes considerably, beginning the game with a wild-as-hell cold open and just kicking it up a notch with each passing chapter from there.

With considerably better combat, a fun love triangle, and maybe the best action set pieces in the entire series, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves took everything players loved about the first game and turned it up to 11, marking the game as an all-time classic along the way.

Offering a fantastic cast, meaningful character growth, and a final section that powers through on a constant adrenaline high, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is undoubtedly one of the best games of the PS3 era.

 

1. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: SIE

It must be said: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is the quintessential Uncharted game. Not only does it utilize and improve upon everything that makes the series great, but it also deliberately bucks trends that soured parts of previous games like unneeded boss fights, bullet sponge enemies, and too much dependence on big set pieces throughout the journeys.

Introducing Nate’s brother, Sam, Uncharted 4 used the relationship between the two brothers to propel the series to new storytelling highs while using the loving and stable relationship between Nate and Elena as the dramatic centerpiece that powers the story toward its moving conclusion.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End also introduced driving mechanics and a grappling hook that allowed players to reach daring new heights during their travels. On top of that, divergent paths were everywhere, making the hunt for those lost treasures all the more challenging and worthwhile.

Finally, Uncharted 4 doesn’t just put a fantastic button on Drake’s story, it also opens enough doors to make several Uncharted sequels possible, even without undoing its brilliant ending and epilogue. A true modern classic, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End may be Naughty Dog’s finest game yet.

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