''Uncharted'' is an

action-adventure The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a story ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

franchise published by

Sony Interactive Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is made up of two legal co ...

and developed by

Naughty Dog Naughty Dog, LLC (formerly JAM Software, Inc.) is an American First-party developer, first-party video game developer based in Santa Monica, California, Santa Monica, California. Founded by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin in 1984, the studio was acqu ...

. Created by

Amy Hennig Amy Hennig (born August 19, 1964) is an American video game director and script writer, formerly for the video game company Naughty Dog. She began her work in the industry on the Nintendo Entertainment System, with her design debut on the Super ...

, the ''Uncharted'' franchise follows a group of treasure hunters who travel across the world to uncover various historical mysteries. The series features

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ...

, elements of

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...

and

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, r ...

, 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 followed by the 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 is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a di ...

consoles, the franchise later released games for other platforms, with the

mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ...

spin-off ' (2016) and

remaster Remaster refers to changing the quality of the sound or of the image, or both, of previously created recordings, either audiophonic, cinematic, or videographic. The terms digital remastering and digitally remastered are also used. Mastering A ...

s of ''A Thief's End'' and ''Lost Legacy'' for

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ...

in 2022. The main games are played from a

third-person perspective Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...

, with gameplay mostly revolving around

combat Combat (French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, o ...

, shooting, exploration, and puzzles, while platforming is used to navigate the environment. Later titles began including competitive and co-operative

multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system ( couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

game modes,

stealth Stealth may refer to: Military *Stealth technology, technology used to conceal ships, aircraft, and missiles **Stealth aircraft, aircraft which use stealth technology **Stealth ground vehicle, ground vehicles which use stealth technology ** Stea ...

, 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 critical acclaim, with praise for the story, characters and voice acting, gameplay, and graphics, with its high production value being frequently compared to Hollywood-produced

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, a ...

s. It has also been credited by critics and publications for raising standards for

single-player A single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. A single-player game is usually a game that can only be played by one person, while "single-player mode" is usuall ...

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 eighth generation and elevating Naughty Dog's reputation as a developer.

Titles

Notes:

Main series

''Drake's Fortune'', the first game in the series, was released for

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

in November 2007. The system carried the following two installments of the main series, after Naughty Dog agreed to exclusively release the games on Sony systems. ''Among Thieves'' was published in 2009, and the creative team were afforded a greater license to utilize a larger amount of the system's

random-access memory Random-access memory (RAM; ) is a form of computer memory that can be read and changed in any order, typically used to store working data and machine code. A random-access memory device allows data items to be read or written in almost t ...

(RAM), due to an improved proprietary engine. It subsequently introduced more locales, higher free roam and combat abilities, and a larger map. ''Drake's Deception'', released in 2011, built upon this aspect, while it also added an improved online multiplayer mode. The following main installment, ''A Thief's End'', was published on

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...

, and focused on realism and detail. The last in the series to feature the main protagonist, it added driving elements and improved other gameplay aspects, like stealth and role-playing, and comprehensive upgrades to multiplayer. It was released to massive financial success, breaking multiple records. A

free-to-play Free-to-play (F2P or FtP) video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content without paying or do not require paying to continue playing. Free-to-play is distinct from traditional commercial software, which ...

game for iOS and

Android Android may refer to: Science and technology * Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system ** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...

, ''Fortune Hunter'', was released to tie in with ''A Thief's End''.

Other games and compilations

''Golden Abyss'' was published in 2011, and is the first in the series to be released on

PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international terri ...

, marking the series' first on a handheld console. It is considered a

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...

to the main series, although, some developers have stated that it acts as a separate, original story. In 2012, a turn-based card game titled '' Fight for Fortune'' was released. It was developed by One Loop Games, and contained interactive elements suitable for the Vita. ''

The Nathan Drake Collection ''Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection'' is a 2015 action-adventure game developed by Bluepoint Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is a remaster of the first three main games in the ''Uncharted'' franchise, developed by Nau ...

'' is a remastered collection of the series' first three installments, and was ported to PlayStation 4 by

Bluepoint Games Bluepoint Games Inc is an American video game developer based in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2006 by Andy O'Neil and Marco Thrush, the studio is known for video game remasters and remakes, such as '' Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection'' (2015 ...

in October 2015. It was released to compensate for the delay in production for ''A Thief's End'', which was originally slated for release in summer 2015. The game also included a voucher for the beta for the multiplayer for ''A Thief's End''. The games feature enhancements such as new trophies, an in-game Photo Mode, and improved textures and gameplay. The multiplayer modes from ''Uncharted 2'' and ''Uncharted 3'' are excluded. It received positive reviews, with most praising the technical improvements and visual enhancements. The game was offered for free as part of Sony's ''Play at Home'' initiative during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

in April–May 2020. ''The Lost Legacy'' was released as a

standalone expansion An expansion pack, expansion set, supplement, or simply expansion is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game, video game or collectible card game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, characters, or a ...

to ''A Thief's End'', and marks the first entry in the series not to feature Drake. It features the characters Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross, who previously appeared in ''Among Thieves'' and ''Drake's Deception'', and ''A Thief's End'', respectively. It was released on PlayStation 4 in 2017. ''Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection'', a remastered version of ''A Thief's End'' and ''The Lost Legacy'', was released on January 28, 2022, for

PlayStation 5 The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, it was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North A ...

; a

version, developed in collaboration with

Iron Galaxy Iron Galaxy Studios, LLC is an American video game developer studio founded on August 14, 2008, and based in Chicago, Illinois, with a second studio in Orlando, Florida that was opened in 2012 and a third studio in Austin, Texas. Iron Galaxy ...

, was released on October 19, 2022.

Common elements

Gameplay

Gameplay in the ''Uncharted'' series is a combination of

elements and 3D platforming with a

. The player is given various physical tasks which must be completed to progress through the storyline, such as jumping, swimming, grabbing and moving along ledges, and climbing and swinging from ropes. Other aspects, including

shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles c ...

, combat, and

puzzle A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together ( or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to arrive at the correct or fun solution of the puzzle ...

solving, also regularly feature. In later titles, driving, boat riding, and other acrobatic actions were added or developed. The ''Uncharted'' games grant a reasonable amount of freedom through the design of the maps. Later games contain elements of open world design, in order to encourage free-roaming to secure collectibles or

to avoid enemies. In ''A Thief's End'', role-playing was expanded to include side discussions with other characters. The ''Uncharted'' series follows the structure of traditional action games, where players complete a single track series of levels with linear gameplay, and is navigated through a

. Shooting is central to the game's function, as players are also required to bypass a string of foes. Although a wide variety of weapons are present in the game, the player can only carry a sidearm such as pistol, a primary weapon such as a rifle or shotgun, and a handful of grenades. These weapons are obtained by picking up weapons dropped by a downed foe, or from those scattered around the various maps. If the player

dies Dies may refer to: * Dies (deity), the Roman counterpart of the Greek goddess Hemera, the personification of day, daughter of Nox (Night) and Erebus (Darkness). * Albert Christoph Dies (1755–1822), German painter, composer, and biographer * Jos ...

, they will respawn at a specific level checkpoint. In ''A Thief's End'', the use of vehicles in an explorable environment was developed. It provides the player with freedom to take vehicles wherever they please, albeit, must be driven to a certain location to progress the story. In ''Among Thieves'',

was introduced. It features both competitive and

co-operative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

gameplay. The co-op multiplayer mode allows up to three players to take the roles of Drake and two other "hero" companions and features missions involving gunfights, platforming, and teamwork-based objectives. Players can also assist their comrades if they become critically injured or if they are grabbed by an enemy. The competitive multiplayer allows a maximum of ten players to play against each other in two teams of five. Six competitive modes are featured, including single or team-based

deathmatch Deathmatch, also known as free-for-all, is a gameplay mode integrated into many shooter games, including first-person shooter (FPS), and real-time strategy (RTS) video games, where the goal is to kill (or "frag") the other players' characters a ...

es, and team-based objectives. In ''A Thief's End'', survival mode was introduced, which features wave-based progression on swarms of increasingly powerful enemies, as well as completing other objectives. Furthermore, multiplayer allows players to accrue points and rank up, which can be used to purchase more skins for both heroes and villains.

Setting

In ''Uncharted: Drake's Fortune'', the game is set off the coast of

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

, in the Amazon rainforest, and an uncharted island off the coast of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

. The second entry in the franchise, ''Uncharted 2: Among Thieves'', was the first in the series to experiment with several locales. The game is set in the snow-capped mountain landscapes of the

Tibetan Plateau The Tibetan Plateau (, also known as the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau or the Qing–Zang Plateau () or as the Himalayan Plateau in India, is a vast elevated plateau located at the intersection of Central, South and East Asia covering most of the T ...

in southernmost China, a museum in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

, the jungles of

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java Isl ...

, and the urban landscapes of

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

. Subsequent games followed this concept, with ''Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception'' featuring the streets of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and Colombia, as well as a château in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

, a castle in Syria, a city in

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast an ...

, and the sprawling deserts of the

Rub' al Khali The Rub' al KhaliOther standardized transliterations include: / . The ' is the assimilated Arabic definite article, ', which can also be transliterated as '. (; ar, ٱلرُّبْع ٱلْخَالِي (), the "Empty Quarter") is the sand de ...

. ''Uncharted 4: A Thief's End'' features a Panamanian jail, an estate in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, a cathedral in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

, several locations in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

, and many uncharted islands in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...

not far from Africa, to reflect

Libertalia Libertatia (also known as Libertalia) was a purported pirate colony founded in the late 17th century in Madagascar under the leadership of Captain James Misson (last name occasionally spelled "Mission", first name occasionally "Olivier"). The ma ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

and

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Western Ghats in

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

as well as a small bazaar and a city in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil languag ...

. Many of the locations represented were extensively researched for the series. The development team organized field research trips with tour guides and architectural historians and captured many photos and hours of video footage to properly reflect the settings.

Characters

The series has included a wide variety of voice actors, with the development team settling on the decision that prominent characters would be voiced by lower profile actors. Only three characters have featured in every main installment, while Chloe is the only other single-player playable character: *

Nolan North Nolan North (born October 31, 1970) is an American actor best known for his voice acting roles. After his breakthrough role as Dr. Chris Ramsey on the ABC soap opera '' Port Charles'' in 1997, North moved into voice acting when the show ended ...

as Nathan Drake : Nathan is portrayed as a professional treasure hunter with a shady background. He is physically fit, highly intelligent, self-educated in history and various languages, and a supposed descendant of

Sir Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 ...

. Naughty Dog gave Drake a very strong personality, as they did not want him to act blandly, and so, he often thinks out loud, and comments and complains on the absurdity of his situations. Although naturally handsome, Drake's appearance is generic and not excessively muscular, usually appearing in a plain shirt and jeans to portray the everyman persona. North also strongly mixed in his own personality with Drake's, ad-libbing portions of the character's dialogue and improvising numerous scenes. * Emily Rose as

Elena Fisher Elena Fisher is a fictional character in the ''Uncharted'' series, developed by Naughty Dog. Elena appears in four video games in the main series: '' Uncharted: Drake's Fortune'', '' Uncharted 2: Among Thieves'', '' Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception ...

: Elena is an investigative journalist, who often finds herself on the same excursions as Drake. They begin a relationship, and eventually marry and have a child. Naughty Dog initially designed Elena solely as a sidekick and a romantic interest to Drake, and her personality to complement his. However, she grows to be as capable as Drake at gun battles and resourcefulness. Rose commented that "in the first game, she's a lot younger, she's a lot more naive, and she looks at things as being very possible, and in the second

ame #REDIRECT AME {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous page ...

has seen murders and adventure... the way that any person grows, you see that in her. She's a little bit more hesitant, a little more cynical". The games tell the story of her romantic relationship with Drake. * Richard McGonagle as Victor Sullivan : A former U.S. Navy officer, Sullivan is a skilled traveler, able to navigate planes and submarines. He is also able to engage in similar gun battles as Drake, and is adept at star-based navigation. Sullivan is Drake's mentor and father figure, having picked him up as a wandering orphan in Colombia. Naughty Dog also designed him to fit the everyman persona, as he clads himself in odd guayabera-style shirts, khaki pants, and smokes cigars. He is also constantly in debt, and often relies on other people to fund the pair's adventures. * Claudia Black as Chloe Frazer : The only other single-player playable character, Chloe was designed to be a darker version of the main character, and a stark contrast to Elena. She is an impulsive and reckless adventurer, and is witty, devious, and fun-seeking. Chloe is also a very sexually forward character, using it to help further her interests. At first, she appears selfish, caring little for anything but her goal, but is later seen as a very loyal and determined character. She is as skilled as Drake and Sullivan in gun battles and fights, while Black also ad-libbed segments of dialog to influence Chloe's personality.

Other media

Games

''Uncharted: Drake's Trail''

''Drake's Trail'' is a now-defunct 2007 online game. The game was a browser-based game with alternative reality elements. Consisting of ten chapters, the story, serving as a prequel to ''Drake's Fortune'', recounts journalist Elena Fisher hiring a private detective to track down famous treasure hunter Nathan Drake believing he is onto something big. The game was played using a

Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panorama, interactive panoramic views of streets (Google Street View, Street View ...

plugin to locate game areas within the real world, in conjunction with a

Flash Player Adobe Flash Player (known in Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Google Chrome as Shockwave Flash) is computer software for viewing multimedia contents, executing rich Internet applications, and streaming audio and video content created on ...

to explore those fictional locations (such as Drake's apartment) for clues to the next location.

''Uncharted: The Board Game''

''Uncharted: The Board Game'' is a

board game Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well. Many board games feature a ...

published by

Bandai is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine ...

in 2012. It was designed by Hayato Kisaragi and allows between two and four players to compete for treasure and fight enemies.

Comics

''Uncharted: Eye of Indra''

Sony Computer Entertainment America released the first of a four-part motion comic series adventure called ''Uncharted: Eye of Indra'' on October 23, 2009. It is a prequel to ''Uncharted: Drake's Fortune''. The second part was released on November 25, while the third and fourth parts released simultaneously on December 7.

''Uncharted: Drake's Fortune''

A motion comic adaptation of the prolog of '' Uncharted: Drake's Fortune'', starting with the discovery of Francis Drake's coffin and up to the first encounter with Gabriel Roman. Uses the same voice clips from the video game.

''Uncharted''

An ''Uncharted'' comic book was released by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...

around the time ''Uncharted 3'' came out. Written by Joshua Williamson, with art by Sergio Sandoval and covers by

Adam Hughes Adam Hughes (born May 5, 1967) is an American comics artist and illustrator best known to American comic book readers for his renderings of pinup-style female characters, and his cover work on titles such as ''Wonder Woman'' and ''Catwoman''. H ...

, it was released on November 30, 2011, as part of a 6-issue mini series. In the story, a quest for the legendary " Amber Room" launches Nathan Drake on a journey to the

Hollow Earth The Hollow Earth is a concept proposing that the planet Earth is entirely hollow or contains a substantial interior space. Notably suggested by Edmond Halley in the late 17th century, the notion was disproven, first tentatively by Pierre Bougue ...

Novel

A novel titled ''Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth'' was published in October 2011. The novel is written by

Christopher Golden Christopher Golden (born July 15, 1967) is an American author of horror, fantasy, and suspense novels for adults and teens. Early life Golden was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. He graduated from Tufts ...

and published by

Del Rey Books Del Rey Books is a branch of Ballantine Books, which is owned by Random House and, in turn, by Penguin Random House. It is a separate imprint established in 1977 under the editorship of author Lester del Rey and his wife Judy-Lynn del Rey. I ...

, and follows the search for

Daedalus In Greek mythology, Daedalus (, ; Greek: Δαίδαλος; Latin: ''Daedalus''; Etruscan: ''Taitale'') was a skillful architect and craftsman, seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. He is the father of Icarus, the uncle of Perdix, ...

Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the ...

, a maze used to hold the

Minotaur In Greek mythology, the Minotaur ( , ;. grc, ; in Latin as ''Minotaurus'' ) is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "pa ...

, a monster from Greek mythology.

Film adaptation

Ruben Fleischer Ruben Samuel Fleischer (born October 31, 1974) is an American film director, film producer, television producer, music video director, and commercial director who lives in Montclair, New Jersey. He is best known as the director of '' Zombieland'' ...

directed a film adaptation of the games, from a script by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. The film starred

Tom Holland Thomas Stanley Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English actor. His accolades include a British Academy Film Award, three Saturn Awards, a Guinness World Record and an appearance on the ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 Europe list. Some publications ...

(who also serves as an executive producer) as Nathan Drake and

Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), former stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, businessman, and former rapper. He has received multiple accolades, including a BAFTA Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, thre ...

as Victor Sullivan.

Antonio Banderas José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor and singer. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received various accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival ...

, Sophia Taylor Ali, and Tati Gabrielle were cast in supporting roles. It was theatrically released in the United States on February 18, 2022, produced by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the multi ...

Atlas Entertainment Atlas Entertainment is an American film financing and production company, started by Charles Roven, Bob Cavallo and Dawn Steel in 1995. History In 1990, Charles Roven and partner Bob Cavallo formed Roven/Cavallo Entertainment. At the same ...

, and

Arad Productions Avi Arad (; he, אבי ארד; born 1948) is an Israeli-American film producer who became the CEO of the company Toy Biz in the 1990s and soon afterward became the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment, and the chairman, CEO, and found ...

PlayStation Productions PlayStation Productions, LLC is an American production company owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment. History Sony Interactive Entertainment launched PlayStation Productions in 2019 with a focus on adapting the company's video game franchis ...

executive produced, while

Sony Pictures Releasing Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group (commonly known as Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, formerly known as the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group until 2013, and abbreviated as SPMPG) is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainme ...

distributed.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

began on March 16, 2020, shooting in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

, but was shut down in mid-March due to the

. It was believed filming had resumed on July 15, but Sony Pictures clarified that, while production had not yet resumed, they were undergoing preparations with the hope to start production soon. Production resumed on July 20, shooting in areas around

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. On August 5, Banderas temporarily left production after he tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

. Banderas later recovered from COVID-19 in late August, with the intention of returning to production imminently. On September 16, filming moved to Berlin, with set photos being released online. Filming wrapped on October 29, 2020. On May 26, 2022, Sony announced that a sequel is in early development.

Fan film

In July 2018, director Allan Ungar posted a

fan-made Fan labor, also called fan works, are the creative activities engaged in by fans, primarily those of various media properties or musical groups. These activities can include creation of written works ( fiction, fan fiction and review literature ...

15-minute short film, starring

Nathan Fillion Nathan Fillion (; born March 27, 1971) is a Canadian-American actor. He played the leading roles of Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds on '' Firefly'' and its film continuation '' Serenity'', and Richard Castle on '' Castle''. , he was starring as J ...

as Nathan Drake, who for years had been campaigning for the role. It was very well received, with particular praise given to Fillion's performance as Drake, and to an action sequence shot from an over-the-shoulder angle, similar to the shooting sequences in the video games. The short also features

Stephen Lang Stephen Lang (born July 11, 1952) is an American actor. He is known for roles in films including '' Manhunter'' (1986), '' Gettysburg'', '' Tombstone'' (both 1993), '' Gods and Generals'' (2003), '' Public Enemies'' (2009), ''Conan the Barbaria ...

as Victor Sullivan and Mircea Monroe as Elena Fisher, with appearances from

Ernie Reyes Jr. Ernie Reyes Jr. (born January 15, 1972) is an American actor and martial artist, known for his acting work in films such as '' The Last Dragon'', ''Red Sonja'' (1985), as Donatello's stuntman in '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', '' Teenage Muta ...

and Geno Segers. The reception towards the fan film resulted in some speculation as to whether it would influence and alter the plans of the official film. Druckmann, vice-president of Naughty Dog, tweeted a heart emoji towards the fan film, with film director

Shawn Levy Shawn Adam Levy (born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian film director, film producer, actor, and founder of 21 Laps Entertainment. He has worked across genres and is perhaps best known as the director of the ''Night at the Museum'' film franchise an ...

also praising it, while Ungar expressed his support towards the official film.

Theme park attraction

A "storycoaster" ride based on the 2022 film, titled ''Uncharted: The Enigma of Penitence'', opened at

PortAventura Park PortAventura Park is a theme park located in the PortAventura World Resort, 85 km southwest of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in the municipalities of Salou and Vila-seca, on the Costa Daurada. The park opened on 1 May 1995 under the managem ...

on June 17, 2023.

Reception

The ''Uncharted'' series has been a major success, both critically and commercially; by September 2017, the series had sold over 41 million copies worldwide. Much of the praise for the series has gone towards the graphics Naughty Dog have produced and attained, as well as the writing and voice acting, with

GamesRadar ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites '' Total Film'', ''SFX'', '' Edge'' and ''Comput ...

ranking it the second best franchise of the seventh generation. The ''Uncharted'' series is widely credited with bringing up Naughty Dog's reputation and has them regarded as one of the best developers in the industry. As the protagonist of the series, Nathan Drake is seen as a

mascot, while ''Uncharted 2: Among Thieves'' is considered one of the greatest games of all time. It received over fifty Game of the Year awards, with critics heralding it as a gaming milestone. The game currently lies among the highest ever rated PlayStation 3 games on

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

. ''Uncharted 4: A Thief's End'' is also ranked as one of the best in the series, and among the finest video games of the eighth generation.

Sales

The first installment was a member of the PlayStation Essentials range, having shipped over 2.6 million copies worldwide. ''Uncharted 2'' was the highest selling game in the month of its release, and by the end of their life-cycles, the games combined sold over 13 million copies by 2011. Sales for ''Uncharted 3'' were revealed to have been over double that of its predecessor by Naughty Dog's product marketing manager Asad Quizilbash, which "far" exceeded their expectations, and the game eventually helped bring the ''Uncharted'' series to verified sales of over 17 million copies worldwide. Prior to the release of the fourth main installment, Sony revealed the ''Uncharted'' series has sold over 28 million copies worldwide. ''Uncharted 4'' is the best selling installment of the series to date, with over 15 million individual copies sold, making it one of the

best-selling PlayStation 4 games A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, cook ...

of all time. Sales accrued, which included from the ''Lost Legacy'' expansion pack, in a December 2017 panel in celebration of the 10 year anniversary of the series at the PlayStation Experience event, revealed that the series has sold 41.7 million units globally.

Accolades

''Uncharted: Drake's Fortune'' was awarded as PS3 Game of the Year by IGN. ''Uncharted 2: Among Thieves'' received several awards by 2009

Spike Video Game Awards The Spike Video Game Awards (in short VGAs, known as the VGX for the final show) was an annual award show hosted by American television network Spike from 2003 to 2013 that recognized the best computer and video games of the year. Produced by ...

(Game of the Year, Best PS3 Game and Best Graphics) and by 2010

BAFTA Game Awards The BAFTA Games Awards or British Academy Games Awards are an annual British awards ceremony honouring "outstanding creative achievement" in the video game industry. First presented in 2004 following the restructuring of the BAFTA Interactive En ...

(Story, Action, Use of Audio, Original Score). The game also won in 10 categories, including Game of the Year, at the 13th Annual

Interactive Achievement Award The D.I.C.E. Awards (formerly the Interactive Achievement Awards) is an award show in the video game industry started in 1998 and commonly referred to in the industry as the "video games Oscar". The awards are arranged by the Academy of Inte ...

s and in 5 categories, including Game of the Year, at the 10th Annual

Game Developers Choice Awards The Game Developers Choice Awards are awards annually presented at the Game Developers Conference for outstanding game developers and games. Introduced in 2001, the Game Developers Choice Awards were preceded by the Spotlight Awards, which were ...

. It was the game that won the most GOTY awards in 2009. ''Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception'' received several awards by 2011

(Best PS3 Game, Best Graphics) and by the 15th Annual

s (Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering, Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction, Outstanding Achievement in Animation). The game also was awarded in the category VideoGame Writing by

Writers Guild of America Awards The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility T ...

and in the category Best Visual Arts by

. It was one of the most awarded games of 2011 in the category Game of the Year. ''Uncharted 4: A Thief's End'' received several awards by

The Game Awards 2016 The Game Awards 2016 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2016. It was produced and hosted by Geoff Keighley at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 1, 2016, and was live streamed across several platforms. At the ev ...

(Best Narrative, Best Performance) and by D.I.C.E. Awards (Adventure Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Story, Outstanding Technical Achievement, Outstanding Achievement in Animation). The game also won as Best Game at the

13th British Academy Games Awards The 13th British Academy Video Game Awards awarded by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, is an award ceremony that was held on 6 April 2017 at Tobacco Dock. The ceremony honoured achievement in video gaming in 2016 and was hosted b ...

, as PlayStation Game of the Year at the

Golden Joystick Awards The Golden Joystick Awards, also known as the People's Gaming Awards, is a video game award ceremony; it awards the best video games of the year, as voted for originally by the British general public, but is now a global event that can be vot ...

and as Best Video Game at the Empire Awards. It was the game that won the most GOTY awards in 2016. ''Uncharted: The Lost Legacy'' won in two categories (Game, Franchise Adventure and Sound Editing in a Game Cinema) at the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards and in the category Best Music/Sound Design (People's Voice) at the

Webby Award The Webby Awards are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over two thousand industry experts and technology innovators. Categories includ ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Action-adventure games Action-adventure video games by series Sony Interactive Entertainment franchises Video game franchises introduced in 2007 Video games developed in the United States Video games adapted into novels Video games adapted into comics Video games adapted into films Works about treasure hunting