Where to Start · Uncharted
Where to Start with Uncharted
Uncharted is Naughty Dog's action-adventure franchise following Nathan Drake — a wise-cracking fortune hunter with dubious morals and excellent aim — across four mainline entries and a standalone spinoff. The series is cinema-inspired gaming at its most refined: chase sequences, climbing set-pieces, cover shooting, and a commitment to character work that makes the action meaningful rather than hollow.
The franchise tells a continuous story — relationships build, scars accumulate, and the finale of Uncharted 4 earns its emotional weight specifically because you have spent three games watching Drake do increasingly questionable things in pursuit of adventure. Play in order.
If you only play one Uncharted game
Play Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. It is the consensus best game in the franchise — the Himalayan train sequence as one of gaming's great opening acts, Shambhala as the destination, and the best pacing in the series. Uncharted 2 refined everything from the first game and set the template that action-adventure games have been chasing since. Available via Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection on PS4 (which also includes 1 and 3).
Play in order — it matters
Unlike many franchises, Uncharted rewards playing in order. Elena and Drake's relationship across all four games is the emotional through-line. The weight of Drake's obsession, the cost of his choices, and the relationships with Sully, Elena, and later Sam all build continuously. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is the most emotionally complete finale in Naughty Dog's catalogue and lands significantly harder after three games with these characters.
The Nathan Drake Collection
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection on PS4/PS5 includes Uncharted 1, 2, and 3 remastered — the complete Nathan Drake trilogy in one package with updated visuals and frame rate. This is the recommended starting point. All three games in sequence takes approximately 25-30 hours total.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Uncharted 4 (2016) is the conclusion — Nathan Drake pulled back into the treasure hunting life by his brother Sam, the Pirate Captain Avery's lost treasure, and a story about the cost of obsession and what you leave behind. The Madagascar sequence, the Scotland cliffs, the final act — Uncharted 4 is Naughty Dog's most technically and emotionally accomplished work to that point. Available on PS4/PS5 and PC.
The Lost Legacy — standalone spinoff
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (2017) stars Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross in India pursuing a Hoysala tusk. It is a complete standalone game at a lower price point — approximately 8 hours — and the best showcase of what Uncharted can be when the pacing is compressed. Play it after the main series. No Nathan Drake knowledge required but the characters are more meaningful with series context.
What platforms you need
Nathan Drake Collection (1-3) — PS4/PS5. Uncharted 4 — PS4/PS5/PC. The Lost Legacy — PS4/PS5/PC. Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection bundles 4 and Lost Legacy on PS5/PC.
Recommended order
Uncharted 1 → Uncharted 2 → Uncharted 3 → Uncharted 4 → The Lost Legacy. The Nathan Drake Collection for 1-3, then 4 separately. That is the complete Naughty Dog Uncharted experience.