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There is no official best Uncharted game or required starting point: PlayStation says to begin with whichever one you like, while the series’ stories share character continuity. For a reasoned comparison, here are separate editorial rankings for story and gameplay, plus accessibility guidance that stays specific about what official sources do—and do not—confirm.
How to read these rankings
The five adventures are ranked separately for story and gameplay because those are different judgments. These orders are editorial assessments, not official franchise rankings or results from a measured cross-game test. The available official pages describe premises and selected features, but do not provide a complete title-by-title comparison of narrative quality, mechanics, or accessibility.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Uncharted Collection PlayStation Hits (PS4) | $29.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection | $35.00 | Buy on Amazon |
For accessibility, a single all-series ranking would imply more certainty than the available documentation supports. Options can differ by game, edition, and platform, so the useful approach is to check the specific version you plan to play.
Story ranking
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Nathan has retired from treasure hunting when his brother Sam returns and draws him back in. PlayStation frames it as Nathan’s most emotional journey, making its confrontation with his past a strong basis for putting it first in a story-focused list. That is an editorial judgment, not a claim that Sony’s description proves it is objectively the best-written entry. PlayStation’s Legacy of Thieves Collection page describes the premise and asks which game to play first.
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross lead this adventure through India’s Western Ghats in pursuit of the Golden Tusk of Ganesh. Its different lead characters and focused standalone pursuit give it a distinct identity within the series. PlayStation’s Lost Legacy page outlines the premise.
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. The middle game in the original trilogy benefits from being part of a continuing character history; it is also where Chloe Frazer first appeared, according to PlayStation’s Lost Legacy character page. Its placement here reflects the value of that continuity, rather than a source-backed comparison of its writing with the later games.
- Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. As the third campaign in the original trilogy, it continues Nathan’s story and works best in sequence for players following the character arc. PlayStation’s Nathan Drake Collection page confirms it is included alongside the first two games.
- Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. The first Nathan Drake adventure begins the release-order story. Its place at the bottom here does not mean it is a poor starting point: it is the natural choice for players who want to see the character continuity develop from the beginning.
Gameplay ranking
This ranking favors the breadth and modernity of the documented feature set, rather than measured performance or first-hand testing. PlayStation describes the Legacy of Thieves games as combining cinematic combat, exploration, traversal, and complex puzzles; it also notes that Uncharted 4’s grapple hook supports traversal and dynamic set pieces. Those details support placing the newer pair above the original trilogy, but do not establish an objective gameplay score between every title.
#1 Best Overall
- Play as Nathan Drake across a trilogy of thrilling, white-knuckle adventures. Experience Drake's relationships with those closest to him, as he struggles to balance adventure and family
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- Freeze gameplay at any time and take control of the camera to capture your most memorable moments from the trilogy to share with friends directly from your PS4 system. Utilize graphical filters, camera controls, and other options to customize your shot
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Its grapple hook adds a traversal option suited to dynamic set pieces, and it belongs to the newer pair PlayStation presents as combining combat, exploration, traversal, and puzzles. This makes it the strongest pick here for players who want a broad, modern-feeling adventure.
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. PlayStation explicitly describes its mix of cinematic combat, exploration, traversal, and complex puzzles. Its gameplay profile is close to Uncharted 4’s; placing it second is a judgment about the overall package, not a source-established gap.
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. It is the second game in the original trilogy, but the official collection material does not provide a comparative mechanics breakdown. This position reflects the collection’s earlier generation relative to the newer pair, not a claim about any individual encounter or mechanic.
- Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. It is the final campaign in The Nathan Drake Collection. Official material confirms its place in the trilogy but does not establish how its gameplay compares with Among Thieves; its position is a broad editorial ordering, not a measured verdict.
- Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. As the first game, it is the earliest entry in this comparison. The sources confirm the collection and its remaster, but do not establish a detailed mechanical comparison, so its last-place position is a judgment about age and documented feature breadth—not a claim that every player will prefer its successors.
The Nathan Drake Collection was remastered for PS4 with 1080p/60fps presentation and visual improvements, according to Naughty Dog’s collection announcement. Those presentation changes do not by themselves show how the three campaigns compare in mechanics.
Accessibility: what can be verified
Accessibility is the least defensible category for a single five-game ranking: the available official documentation does not establish a complete feature matrix for all five games and editions. Do not assume that a feature documented for one Naughty Dog release is present in every Uncharted game or remaster.
Naughty Dog documents accessibility presets for vision, hearing, and motor access, which can be combined and individually adjusted. Its support page also documents Navigation Assistance and Enhanced Listen Mode for navigation and scanning. Consult the accessibility presets documentation and navigation assistance documentation for the specific game and edition they describe; those pages do not establish that the options carry over across the whole franchise.
For the PC edition of Legacy of Thieves Collection, PlayStation lists control remapping, keyboard and mouse support, supported gamepad input, and graphical adjustment options on its PC features page. These can help players who need a particular input setup or visual configuration, but they are not a complete accessibility assessment and do not guarantee that the game’s action or navigation demands will suit every player.
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- Check the exact version. Confirm the game, platform, and edition before relying on a particular accessibility option.
- Look for the settings you need. Check control remapping, navigation support, vision and hearing options, subtitles, and difficulty choices in that version’s own documentation or menus.
- Consider input demands as well as settings. A remappable layout may help with controls, but does not alone establish whether a sequence’s timing, precision, or navigation is manageable for you.
Which Uncharted game should you play first?
PlayStation’s official Legacy of Thieves FAQ answers its own question—“Which UNCHARTED game should I play first?”—with “Whichever one you’d like.” It says the series has continuity but each game is intended to work as a standalone adventure. Naughty Dog has also said newcomers can start with Uncharted 4 or The Lost Legacy.
- Choose release order for character continuity: Drake’s Fortune, Among Thieves, Drake’s Deception, A Thief’s End, then The Lost Legacy.
- Choose a newer entry point: Start with A Thief’s End or The Lost Legacy if you prefer the newer pair’s technical presentation and a standalone adventure.
- Choose by protagonist: Start with one of Nathan Drake’s four adventures for his story, or The Lost Legacy for Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross.
Which collection contains each game?
| Collection | Games included | Platforms and notes |
|---|---|---|
| The Nathan Drake Collection | Drake’s Fortune, Among Thieves, and Drake’s Deception | PS4; the package contains the three single-player campaigns. |
| Legacy of Thieves Collection | A Thief’s End and The Lost Legacy | PS5 and PC; remastered single-player games. The original titles’ multiplayer is not included. |
The collections are separate, so someone seeking all five campaigns needs to account for both. Store availability and price vary by region and can change; check the relevant live store for your platform.
Bottom line
For story, A Thief’s End is the strongest starting recommendation in this editorial ranking, while release order is best for following character continuity. For gameplay, the newer pair lead on the documented breadth of combat, exploration, traversal, and puzzles. For accessibility, verify the exact title, edition, and platform rather than relying on a series-wide ranking that the official documentation cannot support.
Quick Recap
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