Uncharted is one of PlayStation’s most successful franchises ever. Since debuting in 2007 with Drake’s Fortune, the action-adventure series has gone from strength to strength. By this point, there have been nine entries in the franchise, including spin-offs and re-packages.
The quality of them has remained fairly consistent throughout the years, with every title being at least good and most being great. This begs the question, how do they stack up against each other? Fans all have their individual favorites, so let’s look to the critics. More specifically, those on Metacritic as their collective scores can give a general consensus on the quality of each game.
9 Uncharted: Fight For Fortune (2012) - 67
Nathan Drake is used to being put in incredibly dangerous situations, but he gets to relax a bit in this one as it’s a collectible card game. In it, you play cards that damage your opponent’s deck, and your ultimate aim is to reduce their health to zero.
Obviously, it’s very different from the regular Uncharted games, yet it isn’t hated. Critics think it’s pretty well-made and enjoyable. Although, they do lament its lack of depth as there isn’t much to the game.
8 Uncharted: Fortune Hunter (2016) - 77
The only mobile game in the series is Uncharted: Fortune Hunter. It’s another one that isn’t quite like the console games. Although, it’s still an action-adventure title with plenty of puzzles.
The objective of each level is to navigate Nathan Drake past the obstacles to the treasure. Reviewers find the game to be a decent way to pass the time, albeit it doesn’t come close to the series’ best instalments.
7 Uncharted: Golden Abyss (2011) - 80
Uncharted: Golden Abyss is a game of firsts. It’s both the first spin-off and the first handheld title in the series. It acts as a prequel to the original game as Nathan Drake finds himself in a search for the ancient city of Quivira.
The story actually splits critics, as while some of them feel it’s a mysterious and captivating adventure, others think it’s a bit of a bore. Narrative aside, it plays very much like the mainline games with plenty of climbing and cover-based shooting. Unfortunately, though, its action sequences don’t match the quality of the series best.
6 Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (2017) - 84
The series’ most recent release is The Lost Legacy, which is a standalone expansion to Uncharted 4. As a change for the series, Nathan Drake isn’t involved; instead, you control his long-time friend Chloe Frazer. And at times during her adventure, she’s joined by Nadine Ross and Sam Drake.
The change of protagonist doesn’t hurt the main narrative too much as it is one of the most beloved aspects of the game. Beyond that, the title isn’t really inventive as it simply contains the same mechanics as Uncharted 4. But it’s a solid adventure nonetheless.
5 Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection (2015) - 86
These days every long-running franchise gets a remake, remaster, or repackage at some stage. For Uncharted, it comes in the form of The Nathan Drake Collection. The package contains the first three games, all slightly enhanced for the PS4.
The word ‘slightly’ is key as the collection doesn’t really change much about the titles besides making them prettier. This becomes a bit of a problem as some aspects of the games don’t hold up terribly well. Overall, though, it’s a solid collection for both newcomers and series veterans.
4 Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (2007) - 88
In his debut adventure, Nathan Drake sets out to find the lost treasure of El Dorado with his mentor Victor Sullivan and the journalist Elena Fisher.
As the original game in the series, Drake’s Fortune gets credit for introducing many of the things the series is known for, including the platforming, gunplay, and puzzle-solving. These mechanics aren’t as impressive as they used to be as the later games have since improved them. It’s still a decent action-adventure title, though.
3 Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (2011) - 92
After its predecessor pretty much perfected the Uncharted formula, all Drake’s Deception could do was make things feel bigger, which it does with some truly jaw-dropping chapters. These occur during Drake’s long conflict with Katherine Marlowe and her villainous underlings. The skirmish takes him to England, France, Syria, Yemen, and the Rub’ al Khali desert.
The game excels in every area you would expect of an Uncharted game: great storytelling, wonderful voice acting, and fun combat. Plus, the visuals, particularly of the environment, are stunning.
2 Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (2016) - 93
The fourth entry in the main series sees Drake come out of retirement and team up with his old pal Sully. This time the classic duo attempt to locate Henry Avery’s treasure. Woven into the main plot is one of gaming’s most compelling romances between Nathan and Elena. Their scenes are often emotional and brilliantly written.
The game’s story gets most of the plaudits, yet its big, open levels are appreciated too. Not to mention, everything looks stunning.
1 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009) - 96
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves takes everything good about the original and builds on it. The environments are more varied, climbing is smoother, and the story is even more engaging. During this adventure, Drake attempts to beat a mad man known as Zoran Lazarevic - incidentally one of the series’ best villains - to the Chintamani Stone and the city of Shambhala.
But playing through the campaign isn’t the only thing to do this time, as the game adds cooperative and competitive multiplayer. While playing with friends never becomes the main selling point of the series, the later games enhance these modes. In fact, pretty much everything this game does serves as a blueprint for its successors.
NEXT: 10 Games For Uncharted Fans
