The game series is exclusive to Sony. However, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is debuting on Steam in 2022. The bundle includes the fourth entry in the saga, plus The Lost Legacy expansion. If you’ve tried these single-player experiences, you know what to expect. That is high-octane action, drama, treasure hunting, jungles, wonder, and laughs. I understand if you want more, or something similar if you don’t have a PlayStation. So, we’re listing the best single-player games like Uncharted.
Selecting Games Like Uncharted
Selecting games like Uncharted requires understanding the elements of the series. So, we believe saga fans would love titles featuring a mix or a twist of the following aspects:
Genre: Uncharted games are single-player third-person action-adventure games. The saga is also known for its story-rich plots.Setting: The titles use a modern setting to deliver treasure-hunting stories. The plots mix history, fiction, folklore, and fantasy. Design: The experiences are linear and episodic. You play through a series of episodes, which mostly start and end with a cinematic cut.Scenarios: The scenarios are mostly jungles, ruins, ancient temples, and exotic cities, secluded towns, mountains, deserts, and similar. Combat: Combat relies on simple shooting mechanics with firearms. Additionally., there’re stealth takedowns and melee moves.Puzzles: You find clues as you explore, and take notes on the diary. Then, you can check the diary for clues to solve puzzles on the temples, ruins, etc.Platforming: You can run, jump, climb, crawl, swing from ropes, and more to move across, and go past platforming puzzles. Exploration: There’s also minor exploration, as some areas are wider and hide clues, solutions, and collectibles. Driving: On some sections, you can also drive vehicles. These are chase or persecution scenes.Action Set-pieces: As you progress the game, the action gets increasingly bigger and cinematic, like a Mission Impossible movie. Character-driven Stories: The titles have heavy character arcs for the protagonist, Nathan Drake, as well as secondary characters and villains. Cinematic Value: These titles have full voice-over, motion capture animation, compelling plots, and fully-fledged character arcs. Co-op: Lastly, some of these titles include competitive multiplayer, or co-op. In particular, co-op takes players across a series of unique levels.
Overall, the Uncharted saga is like a video-game version of Indiana Jones. But aside from its classic film inspiration, it also takes elements from the Tomb Raider saga for its own. Similar titles either inspired Naughty Dog or seem to be inspired by Nathan Drake’s stories.
Games Like Uncharted
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the last and the best entry in the Tomb Raider saga, but it’s part of the latest reboot trilogy. The first game introduces young Lara Croft as a plane crash survivor on a remote island. She starts weak and scared but forces herselfto survive and help the survivors. The third entry follows Lara Croft in a tropical jungle in South America. She’s looking for a legendary city to stop a Mayan apocalypse she unleashed by accident. The plot takes elements from real Mayan and Aztec history and adds fantasy and folklore into the mix. The design delivers semi-open world hubs you explore by episodes. Each hides secrets, collectibles, resources, temples, and puzzles. The gameplay is in third-person: you can shoot firearms and bows, and use melee abilities. You can also swim, rappel, climb, run, crawl, and sneak. Also, you can camouflage vegetation. The game also features a character progression system. Your actions reward XP, and you earn skill points to use on various skill trees. That way, you can upgrade your exploration, combat, and crafting skills. In particular, you can craft healing items and arrows. You can hunt animals, loot temples, and solve puzzles for crafting materials. The game heavily relies on puzzle variety and difficulty. However, you can customize the difficulty of the combat and the puzzles. These elements are present on the other two games in the reboot trilogy, and we recommend them all.
The Last Of Us Part II
The Last of Us sequel introduces two playable characters in parallel stories. You play as Ellie, seeking Abby for revenge. And you play as Abby as well, in a “prequel” story that explains her reasons to hurt Ellie. You play through a series of linear episodes in a third-person perspective. Each part is heavy on cinematic cuts, character-driven moments, and action set pieces. The cinematic value is quite high as well, with full voice-over, motion animation, and stellar visuals. Ellie and Abbie go through a series of linear or semi-open areas. They can sneak, take enemies in stealth, shoot firearms, shoot bows, run, climb, swing from ropes, fit through wall cracks, and more. The enemies will be humans, dogs, and zombie-type creatures, the Infected. These two types offer distinct playtimes and sections. Regardless, each area is equal in resource scarcity, challenge, and rising odds. Lastly, the characters can find collectibles to upgrade passive skills and weapons. They can also find new weapons as the game goes on. The character progression systems are easy to understand, and hard to miss, so it’s hardly an RPG. Also, as a Naughty Dog game, the shooting is nearly the same as Uncharted.
Tomb Raider: Anniversary
Why not play the game that practically started the treasure-hunting genre. The Anniversary title is a remake of the original 1996 game, and it plays very similarly to the first Uncharted titles. In other words, you play through a series of temples, ruins, lakes, jungles, and exotic cities in the third person. You run, climb, swim, crawl, jump, shoot, and solve puzzles. The areas are also wider, forcing you to explore to find clues, key items, and more. The story follows Lara Croft as she searches for the Scion of Atlantis. It takes you to undiscovered, strange, and magical lands that take from fiction and history alike. At the same time, you’ll uncover Lara’s past, as the game also delivers a nice character story. Combat is unique in the title, different from most Tomb Raider games. That’s because Lara is very acrobatic, so she can jump and twist as she shoots. She can also leap around, charge at enemies, and use her dual pistols with grace. Lastly, the enemies include wild animals, supernatural elements, mythological monsters, and mercenaries. Aside from the enemies, the traversal and the puzzles are the core experience. They are as challenging as they are varied.
Quantum Break
Quantum Break is a story-driven action-adventure game in third-person. We choose it because the combat feels similar to Uncharted, but it adds time-bending abilities as the supernatural element. The narrative is deep and comes from Remedy Entertainment, creators of Control. It features top-quality action, a cinematic direction, and choice mechanics that lead the game in various directions. However, it’s a linear game where you navigate through episodes, epic scenes, and action set pieces. The title leans more into the sci-fi, but you can still climb your way through the maps for a similar feel. That said, you play either Paul Serene or Jack Joyce, who earned their powers from an experiment gone wrong. The result threatens time itself, and they must use their abilities to restore order. The story comes party through action, and party through TV show-like scenes. In particular, there’re various reputed actors filling roles in the game. One of the best parts of the experience is seeing how the different characters react to your choices, as the acting is on point. Overall, Just Cause 4 delivers a lot of tools to have an encompassing adventure. You can skydive, free dive, base jump, glide, use a grappling hook, run, drive, fight, survive weather conditions, and do all kinds of crazy stunts. All the while, you’ll uncover the story of Rico’s father.
Just Cause 4
Just Cause 4 is one of the few games that match the insane action set pieces of the Uncharted franchise. Its explosions, mayhem, chaos, and fun factor is over the top. You play as Rico Rodríguez, an operative going against the world’s largest private military company. The setting is Solís, a fictional South American country. Here, you’ll understand the characters are as charismatic as Nathan Drake. The best parts of the game are seeing how Rico reacts and responds to the situations. This is a third-person action-adventure game, with a large open-world map. The map has various biomes, like deserts, jungles, and snowy mountains. Moreover, the world has a dynamic weather system with rain, tornadoes, and electric storms. And as you can imagine, fighting under extreme weather conditions is unique. Then, as a run & gun title, there’s a great variety of guns and vehicles (like sports cars, helicopters, and jets). However, the shooting mechanics are simple, and you can also get the assistance of AI allies. In essence, you lead the rebel forces, your allies, against the Black Hand army to conquer territory. Overall, Just Cause 4 delivers a lot of tools to have an encompassing adventure. You can skydive, free dive, base jump, glide, use a grappling hook run, drive, fight, survive weather conditions, and do all kinds of crazy stunts. All the while, you’ll uncover the story of Rico’s father.
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Sands of Time is a treasure of my memory, even though I never finished it. The last boss was too tough for my teenage self. That said, this is a classic game, an Assassin’s Creed ancestor, and a pioneer of modern action-adventure titles. You play as the Prince of Persia on a series of linear levels. A seductive princess, and the power of the Sands of Time, are your powers. That allows you to unlock time-bending abilities, as well as swordplay skills. The story goes within temples, ruins, palaces, castles, and similar. You use parkour abilities, fast-traversal, and time-bending abilities to move on and solve puzzles. There’s also plenty of combat, which is fun, fast, and unique due to your powers. The gameplay is quite acrobatic as well. You leap through the air, jump in-between walls, swing, and more. As for your time abilities, you can see the future, freeze time, and wind back the events for another try. Lastly, the mystery you need to uncover takes you to a mythical Medieval Persia. The setting is deadly, fantastic, and features a staggering amount of landscapes. The overall map is a labyrinth, and the story follows the prince, running back in time, to stop the treacherous Vizier.
Prince of Persia
The 2008 Prince of Persia remakes the original platforming and action-adventure game, and delivers it with a new graphical style. If you’re hungry for more treasure hunting. across ancient ruins, it’s a perfect choice. The title follows an unnamed character after he meets princess Elika. Both must work together to imprison an evil entity, Ahriman. The journey takes the characters across many levels and settings that take elements from ancient middle eastern fantasy, folklore, and religion. As before, the gameplay happens in third-person perspective. It mixes a series of acrobatic, platforming, and swordplay mechanics for a dynamic playtime. Additionally, the game balances puzzles, combat, and jumping puzzles during the journey. The goal is to reach specific spots. Elika is the AI companion throughout the journey, and she can use magic to help in combat. The protagonist uses his acrobatics, swords, and a gauntlet to fight. Lastly, the game features an open-world design. You can travel to any spot in the game, and uncover the plot in multiple forms. Moreover, you can choose the quest order across various branching paths. The idea is to “heal” corrupted lands.
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
Nathan Drake has a few things in common with Edward Kenway, like treasure hunting. Yet, the fourth Assassin’s Creed entry happens on a vast open-world Caribbean map in the 18th Century. You can explore the map by ship, or by land. Kenway is a pirate, a master assassin, and a ship captain. He commands the Jackdaw alongside Blackbeard. However, he gets caught in a conspiracy between Templars and the British Empire. The setting opens up a lengthy campaign. You have endless opportunities to explore a vast map for assassinations and bounties. You can also combat on ship, or land with swords and firearms. The overall gameplay conveys a sense of freedom and cohesiveness subsequent Assassin’s Creed games have lost. In particular, the story is quite compelling. The themes revolve around greediness, cruelty, corruption, and wealth. Kenway himself is fighting for glory and respect. He also plays a part in the Assassins and Templars war, as he wants to protect everything the pirates have made and built. So, instead of a linear treasure hunting experience, you get an open-world pirate experience. Still, most of the playtime is about searching for wealth, lost in the seas, temples, jungles, ruins, and coves.
God Of War
God Of War uses a similar formula as Uncharted, but it focuses heavily on melee combat. Still, it’s a third-person character-driven linear action-adventure game. Also, it features a linear design across various episodes, immense cinematic value, and plenty of cuts. You play as Kratos, the God of War. He’s trying to live as a man of peace in the realm of the Norse Gods. In these unforgiving lands, he begins a journey, alongside his son Atreus, to reach the highest mountain and spread Atreus’ mother’s ashes. During the journey, Kratos must balance what he’s trying to teach versus his bloody past. He’s a brutal warrior, capable of achieving goals through violence. But he wants to be a mentor, a father, a calm and reasonable person. He can’t, luckily, so you’ll go through a series of linear levels for combat and platforming puzzles. The combat relies on punching, kicking, blocking, dodging, magic, and ranged abilities. You can also unlock skills, upgrade your gear, and modify your gear. Lastly, consider Atreus as Uncharted’s Sully or Chloe. He’s a fully-voiced AI companion capable of moving the story. He has goals, motivations, and growth carrying the story to the end.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a linear, third-person action-adventure game. It also has a character-driven story and, luckily, an addictive combat style. It’s Marvel, after all, so you can expect superhero action. You play as Star-Lord, leader of the misfit intergalactic crew. Groot, Rocket Racoon, Drex, and Gamorra join you as AI companions. As you explore and combat, you can issue commands to the squad to mix and match combos, elemental attacks, and special abilities. The story follows the Guardians trying to stop a catastrophic event. It’s an unpredictable, dramatic, and hilarious plot. On top of that, there’re choices to make that affect how missions play out. Your decisions also affect how your teammates react to their leader, as well as cinematic cuts. For combat, you use your blasters and jet-powered boots to kick, fire, blast, and dodge. You can also tag-team attacks, find better gear, and level up to unlock and upgrade skills on various trees. Overall, combat is fun, explosive, fast, challenging, but easy to understand. Lastly, the gamer features an original story, but familiar settings and characters. Movie fans will probably enjoy the ’80s rock mixtape soundtrack to kick through the linear episodes of the game.
Jedi: Fallen Order
Jedi: Fallen Oder has all of the Uncharted elements, and more. It’s a third-person action-adventure game full of combat, puzzles, character moments, cinematic value, and action set pieces. That said, it’s neither linear nor open. Rather, it’s a unique mix of Metroidvania titles with a semi-open world. There’re a series of planets you can visit to complete quests, but you need to unlock skills and items to unlock areas. So, you’ll be jumping from one planet to the other via your ship to progress. You play as Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis after Order 66. He’s not a hero, and he’s not very powerful. However, he finds an artifact that can lead to every force-sensitive child in the Galaxy. Reluctantly, he must protect the artifact from the Empire’s Jedi hunters, the Inquisitors. For combat, you use your lightsaber, healing items, and a series of skills you unlock as you level. These are either force powers like pulling and pushing or sword skills. The result feels akin to a Souls-like game, as you need to block, dodge, stagger and break the enemy’s guards. Lastly, the game heavily relies on finding temples, where you can unlock quest items and abilities. It feels a lot like treasure hunting. Plus, the temples have challenging puzzles that force you to use a mix of your Force abilities to move on.
Ghost Of Tsushima
Ghost of Tsushima is an action-adventure game featuring an open-world and a linear quest design. You play as Jin Sakai, defending Tsushima Island against the first Mongol invasion of Japan. The invasion is historic, but the protagonist is fictional. In real life, Japan lost Tsushima to the invaders. You, however, can stop Kublai Khan all by yourself. That takes you through a heavy character arc where Jin balances his samurai honor against the treacherous ways that could lead him to victory. The combat is significantly more complex than in Uncharted, but it’s still a third-person game. You use a series of sword stances to block, dodge and slash at your enemies. You also unlock stances, defensive moves, and offensive moves to defeat enemies with distinct weapon types. You can also use bows, tools such as smoke bombs, and stealth. As an open-world game, though, there’re side quests. However, the title encourages exploration. That’s because, rather than markers, you can follow the direction of the wind to find interesting places in the world. Lastly, you can unlock armor, clothing, and charms. Each has different properties, such as buffs to improve your combat. Lastly, you can tweak the game to be as difficult as you’d like, as the highest setting can end boss fights in two successful enemy cuts.
