The Uncharted series has garnered huge amounts of critical praise over its run of now five game releases. It started with Drake’s Fortune releasing on the PlayStation 3 in 2007, introducing us to Nathan Drake and his adventuring ways. The series has since become a staple of modern gaming, even winning awards for more than one title.
With the release of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End right around the corner and the review scores piling up, we take it upon ourselves to look back at the rest of the series as well. Here’s how the Metacritic review scores and user scors for each Uncharted game stack up against each other, from lowest to highest currently.
Uncharted: Golden Abyss (2012)
Golden Abyss is the only game in the series not developed directly by Naughty Dog, and also the only handheld entry. The title actually took place some time before the events of the very first Uncharted game, and tried to bring the experience of a console game onto the PlayStation Vita. It succeeded in some regards, while not quite landing in some areas like the controls.
The game fared pretty well with critics, currently sitting at a Metacritic average of 80 out of 80 reviews. Fan reception was slightly less positive with an average user score of 7.4 out of over 700 ratings. Golden Abyss also barely makes it into the top 50 highest scored Vita games, currently sitting at the 49 spot.
Uncharted: Drake’s Deception (2007)
Drake’s Fortune is the lowest reviewed title out of the console games, not making quite as big of a splash as the later games. It introduced us to Nathan Drake, Elena Fisher and the treasure hunting adventurous spirit of the series. The visual presentation of the game was almost unanimously praised including character animation, although gameplay seemed to be the most criticized point.
The first Uncharted game currently sits at an 88 Metacritic average out of 66 reviews. The user score is a bit lower however, with an average of 8.1 out of 2070 ratings. It was awarded as the 6th best PS3 game of 2007 on Metacritic, just behind The Orange Box.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (2011)
Uncharted 3 had impossibly large shoes to fill coming off the humongous success of the second game, but it managed to land great impressions across the board still. Like the previous game, it received unanimous critical acclaim for its presentation and story in particular. Although in the end it’s scores fell just shy of its predecessor.
The game currently sits at an average Metacritic score of 92 based on 97 critics. Again the user score is slightly below that, with an average of 8.3 based on 3448 ratings. It was awarded the number five spot on the best PlayStation 3 games of 2011.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (2016)
Uncharted 4 is the newest game in the series, and Naughty Dog’s final farewell to Nathan Drake. So far the game has received just as much praise as the other entries in the series, with praise its enhanced gameplay and emotional storytelling.
The new game currently sits at a 94 on Metacritic based on 69 reviews. It doesn’t release until May 10, so it’s too early to see what fan reception of the game might be. Critics are more than satisfied with Nathan Drake’s final adventure, but we’ll have to see if fans feel the same way.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009)
While the first Uncharted was seen as a fairly strong PS3 exclusive, the second game was what really brought the series into the spotlight. It managed to improve on many aspects of the original, and won overwhelming praise from critics everywhere even being called one of the best games of all time by some. Uncharted 2’s visual presentation and complex character interaction, were just some of the points highlighted.
The game currently sits at a 96 on Metacritic out of 105 reviews. The user score once again is slightly below that, at an 8.8 out of 4821 ratings. Uncharted 2 was awarded as the best PS3 game of 2009 on Metacritic, and also won a plethora of Game of the Year awards from various outlets.
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