Uncharted 5 is coming; make no mistake about it. We dig into the details, like an adventure-seeking archaeologist, and discuss the who, when and what of it.
Will there be an Uncharted 5 coming soon? Apparently, there’s a new Uncharted game on the horizon, and Uncharted 5 will be the first proper installment in Naughty Dog’s long-running series since 2016’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End concluded the acclaimed story arc of Nathan Drake. Where the series goes from here is up for debate, but its continuation is nearly inevitable.
What can we expect from Uncharted 5? Sony didn’t get to where they are in the video game industry by allowing iconic franchises to gather dust, and neither did Naughty Dog, for that matter. So when is Uncharted 5 coming out exactly? Uncharted 5 is likely viewed as an ace in the hole, meaning it won’t be confirmed nor developed until the timing is right for the next Uncharted game to drop. But in terms of will there be another Uncharted game or not, we think it’s inevitable that there will eventually be one.
With that in mind, it could be quite some time until we get an Uncharted 5 release date confirmed, let alone get our hands on a copy of Uncharted 5, although not as long as one might think if certain rumours are to be believed about the Uncharted new game in the works.
On this page, we will be collecting and carefully examining all the information we currently have about the fifth game in the Uncharted series. And while I’d be lying if I said I had the answer, we might stumble upon the unconfirmed truth as we search for it.
Is Naughty Dog developing Uncharted 5?
The answer to this question depends on what you mean by developing. On the one hand, it seems unlikely Naughty Dog will be the primary developer of Uncharted 5.
Neil Druckmann, creative director of Uncharted 4 and co-writer of the whole series (bar Uncharted 3), explained the following in 2016:
“I’d want to play an Uncharted I didn’t work on. It’d be a lot of fun. We’d just want to make sure they get the essence of it right.”
Shaun Escayg, another Naughty Dog veteran, echoed this sentiment by hinting that his team would like to see Uncharted 5 (without suggesting they’d like to make it):
“I think we can say for certain that we can never say never. Yeah. Uncharted is a franchise we love– that the studio loves. It’s a world we want to see more of. So I can certainly say that”.
Essentially, Naughty Dog feels they’ve completed their Uncharted story – but they’d like to help steer Uncharted 5 into the hands of a new development team, for the new Uncharted game PS5 will be blessed with. Or, to put it in Hollywood terms: move out of the director’s chair and into a producer role.
It’s a proposition that makes a lot of sense and, considering some of the new studio acquisitions Sony have made in the last few years, might just work. Naughty Dog also has a lot of different projects on their table right now.
Developer rumours
According to a 2021 report from Bloomberg, Days Gone developer Sony Bend was attached to an unspecified Uncharted title (potentially either Uncharted 5 or an Uncharted reboot). However, the smaller studio feared being absorbed into Naughty Dog and asked to be removed from the project altogether.
While somewhat surprising, considering the effect working on an iconic franchise can have on a studio, it’s a decision that demonstrates Bend’s commitment to creativity and autonomy. However, the promise of learning from Naughty Dog would almost certainly appeal to a different first-party Sony developer.
There is also a new Uncharted game in development by Naughty Dog which a team of Bend Studio had to help with until they feared to get absorbed by ND and asked to be taking off the project (they are now working on their own new game) pic.twitter.com/8PPxOonUfV
— Nibel (@Nibellion) April 9, 2021
While unsubstantiated, Sony’s recent acquisition of Bluepoint Games could relate to Uncharted 5. Bluepoint Games have proven themselves masters of remakes but are reportedly working on an original title. This could be interpreted as a new IP or a new title such as Uncharted 5.
Considering the timing of the Bluepoint Games acquisition, we think it’s a reasonable guess, despite that if that is the case, Bloodborne fans will be devastated.
Will Uncharted 5 be a PS5 exclusive?
There’s currently no official information regarding Uncharted 5‘s existence, so there’s obviously no concrete word on whether it will appear exclusively on PS5, as opposed to PS4 as well (like God of War Ragnarok).
Unless the game has been under development for quite some time in secret, it might make sense Uncharted 5 being used to drive fans towards Sony’s current generation hardware.
Releasing games exclusively on PS5 is complicated right now because of how hard it is for fans to get their hands on a new console. In two years, though, that will hopefully be a thing of the past.
The influence of the Uncharted film
In my opinion, the creation of the recent Uncharted film all but confirms Sony’s plan to develop Uncharted 5. The film has not only reignited fan interest in the series but expanded the pool of potential players. It’s also noteworthy that the film focuses on Nathan Drake.
The time is ripe to welcome these new fans into the fold and get them hooked on the video games that started it all. However, the fact that Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End provides narrative closure to Drake’s story complicates things.
Does it make sense to spend all this money getting fans excited about a Nathan Drake story to just move on in the video games? Probably not, which is why it’s not unreasonable to suggest an Uncharted remake or reboot could be on the way instead of Uncharted 5.
Alternatively, Uncharted 5 could tell the story of Nathan’s daughter, Cassie – allowing him to be positioned in the Sully (old man) role.
Another possibility is that Uncharted 5 (or the reboot) goes all-in on the film and remodels Nathan Drake in the image of actor Tom Holland. This would almost certainly be controversial but makes sense in the context of a series reboot (which are becoming a bit of an epidemic).
Uncharted 5 updates
As noted before, there is no official information regarding Uncharted 5. However, as we continue our search to find proof of its existence, we will keep this page updated.
With that in mind, be sure to check back in with us! In the meantime, perhaps check out this list of current and upcoming PS5 games.
