Uncharted

Uncharted is an action-adventure video game franchise published by Sony Interactive Entertainment and developed by Naughty Dog. Created by Amy Hennig, the Uncharted franchise follows a group of treasure hunters who travel across the world to uncover various historical mysteries. The series features historical fiction, elements of fantasy and folklore, and fictional characters alongside real-world historical figures and events. In the main series, players control Nathan Drake; in the expansion, players control Chloe Frazer.

The franchise’s first game, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, was released in 2007 and has featured seven further titles, with the main series including the direct sequels Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009), Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (2011), and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (2016). Spin-offs Uncharted: Golden Abyss (2011), Uncharted: Fight for Fortune (2012), and the standalone expansion Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (2017) also support the main series. Originally published exclusively for PlayStation consoles, the franchise later released games for other platforms, with the mobile spin-off Uncharted: Fortune Hunter (2016) and remasters of A Thief’s End and Lost Legacy for Microsoft Windows due in 2022.

The main games are played from a third-person perspective, with gameplay mostly revolving around combat, shooting, exploration, and puzzles, while platforming is used to navigate the environment. Later titles began including competitive and co-operative multiplayer game modes, stealth, and driving gameplay. Uncharted drew inspiration from other games, film, and additional media, and is known for featuring exotic locations. Several adaptations of the series have also been released, including a live-action film, board games, comics, and a novel.

The main series received widespread critical acclaim, with praise for the story, cast, animation and characters, graphical and gameplay mechanics, and music, with its high production value being frequently compared to Hollywood-produced action–adventure films. It has also been credited by critics and publications for raising standards for single-player games, and is consistently ranked among the greatest video games. Uncharted has shipped over 41 million units, making it one of the best-selling video game franchises, helping the success of PlayStation during the seventh and eight generation and elevating Naughty Dog’s reputation as a developer.