Naughty Dog's Next Uncharted Could Finally Be Taking Shape

Uncharted has been dormant for more than nine years, with the last release, The Lost Legacy, arriving in 2017. Considering how important the franchise has been to PlayStation, that long silence has always felt a little unusual. Uncharted helped define an era of PlayStation games and influenced many action-adventure titles that followed, yet Sony has largely left the series alone.

That could finally be changing. Recent leaks and industry rumors claim that Naughty Dog is working on a new Uncharted game, bringing the franchise back after years away. The bigger question is what that game could actually look like, especially after Uncharted 4: A Thief's End gave Nathan Drake what felt like a definitive ending.

The rumors don't suggest that this project has only just entered development, either.

Naughty Dog has apparently been working on a secret game alongside Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet for years. Neil Druckmann also publicly confirmed in May 2025 that the studio had another game in development, although he didn't reveal what it was.

Even before that confirmation, strong speculation suggested the mysterious project could be connected to Uncharted. That would mean the game could be considerably further along than you might expect. According to the latest claims, it would also arrive after Intergalactic, which makes sense considering Naughty Dog's current plans.

The studio could continue Uncharted in several ways, but one possibility already appears to be off the table. Naughty Dog reportedly considered a remake of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune a few years ago. The project apparently went far enough to be discussed internally, but the studio eventually changed direction and decided to remake The Last of Us instead.

That means a modern remake of the original Uncharted probably isn't happening anytime soon, despite how appealing the idea might be. A version of Drake's Fortune rebuilt with the technology and visual quality of The Last of Us Part II would certainly be a major project. Still, the current rumors point toward something new instead.

One of the biggest problems Naughty Dog has to solve is Nathan Drake himself. The leaks suggest Nathan could still be involved with the new game in some capacity, whether as the protagonist, a recurring character, or through smaller appearances. Bringing him back as the main character, however, could create a problem that the studio spent an entire game trying to avoid.

Uncharted 4 ended Nathan's story on a surprisingly happy note.

After years of treasure hunting, dangerous escapes, and putting himself in situations that should have killed him several times over, Nathan eventually settled down, married Elena, and found some peace. His ending tied directly to what the franchise has been about from the beginning.

Simply taking Nathan out of retirement and sending him on another treasure hunt could undermine that conclusion. Instead of giving him another adventure as the protagonist, Naughty Dog would have to keep his presence meaningful without undoing what made his ending work.

Another option would be to continue with Chloe, following the direction established by The Lost Legacy. Nathan could still appear occasionally, perhaps showing up during certain parts of the story while Chloe takes over as the central character. That would let the franchise move forward without disturbing Nathan's ending too much.

The problem is that this could feel like a relatively small return for such a major PlayStation franchise. The Lost Legacy proved that Uncharted can work without Nathan, but it also showed how different the series feels when he's not at its center.

Sam Drake could offer another solution.

Nathan's brother was still interested in continuing their life of adventure alongside Sully at the end of Uncharted 4, so making him the protagonist would fit within the existing story. Naughty Dog could also explore the period between the ending of Uncharted 4 and its epilogue, which takes place roughly 15 years later.

That time period leaves plenty of room for stories that haven't been explored. Sam could lead one of those adventures while Sully remains involved, giving Naughty Dog a way to continue the franchise without completely reversing Nathan's retirement.

This option also makes practical sense. Naughty Dog has a long relationship with Troy Baker, who plays Sam, and Baker has continued working with the studio on other projects, including Intergalactic. Sam already has a history with the franchise, so building another adventure around him wouldn't require the studio to introduce an entirely new character.

Still, the most obvious direction could be Cassie Drake.

Cassie is introduced at the end of Uncharted 4 as Nathan and Elena's daughter, and the ending deliberately leaves open the possibility that she could eventually inherit her father's adventurous side. If the rumors are accurate, she could become the main protagonist of the next game.

In that scenario, Nathan could effectively take on the role Sully once had. Sully was Nathan's mentor, father figure, partner, and source of comic relief throughout much of the original series. A Cassie-led Uncharted could reverse that relationship, with Nathan becoming the experienced companion helping his daughter through her first major adventure.

That approach would also let Naughty Dog transition the franchise gradually, rather than removing Nathan immediately.

A game could begin with Nathan and Cassie sharing the spotlight, then slowly shift more responsibility to Cassie. That would be similar to how God of War handled the relationship between Kratos and Atreus, letting the new character grow in importance without immediately pushing the established protagonist aside.

A sudden change could be much harder to accept. Nathan is still the heart of Uncharted for many players, and his personality is a huge part of what gives the series its identity. The Lost Legacy was enjoyable, but it also felt different precisely because Nathan wasn't there.

That's the challenge Naughty Dog now faces. Uncharted isn't only about climbing ruins, solving puzzle,s or searching for lost treasure. Its identity is heavily tied to the relationships between its characters. Naughty Dog has always emphasized character development, and removing one important character after another could eventually make the series feel less like Uncharted.

The studio did, however, leave the door open for Cassie's future back in 2016. Her introduction in Uncharted 4 wasn't necessarily an accident, and Naughty Dog could have been deliberately leaving itself an option to return to the franchise years later.

Interestingly, Neil Druckmann apparently won't be directing this new Uncharted. He confirmed that himself when discussing the mysterious project, while the latest rumors claim that Shaun Escayg could be leading development. Escayg already has a strong connection to Uncharted.

He worked as one of the directors on The Last of Us: The Last of Us Part II and also worked on the original The Last of Us before directing The Last of Us Part I. He later directed Marvel's Avengers. His experience with Uncharted makes him a natural choice to lead another entry in the series.

The timing also lines up with the rumored development period. Escayg finished his work on The Last of Us Part I and hasn't been publicly attached to another major Naughty Dog project since then, which has led to speculation that he may have been working on this secret Uncharted project.

If the rumors are accurate, development could have started around 2023. That would put the game several years into production, rather than something Naughty Dog only recently started working on. The release schedule is still much harder to predict. Naughty Dog's immediate priority appears to be Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. The studio isn't expected to reveal much more about that game during the rest of 2026, but a larger reveal could happen in 2027.

A major gameplay-focused presentation would make sense for Intergalactic, potentially showing a much larger portion of the game in the same way Naughty Dog previously revealed The Last of Us Part II with an extended gameplay demonstration.

After Intergalactic, the rumored Uncharted game could take its place before Naughty Dog eventually moves on to its next The Last of Us project. Whether that project becomes The Last of Us Part III or something completely different remains unclear.

For Naughty Dog, that would represent a much more organized roadmap heading into the end of the decade. The studio has gone through a turbulent few years, and its output during the PS5 generation has been noticeably limited, excluding remakes and remasters.

That's particularly striking because Naughty Dog has long been regarded as one of PlayStation's most important studios. Its technical work and storytelling have consistently pushed the hardware, even when individual creative decisions have divided players.

A new Uncharted could therefore be more than just another sequel. It could mark the return of one of PlayStation's defining franchises while also giving Naughty Dog another major project to work on after years of remakes, remasters and long development cycles.

The studio doesn't necessarily need to bring Nathan back as the protagonist to do that. In fact, keeping his story intact may be the most important part of making a successful return. A new character like Cassie, or an established one like Sam, could give Naughty Dog room to explore a different kind of Uncharted adventure without completely undoing A Thief's End.

At the same time, there's nothing inherently wrong with returning to Nathan if Naughty Dog has a genuinely worthwhile story for him. Uncharted remains one of the biggest action-adventure franchises in gaming, and a carefully planned continuation could still work if the story justifies his return.

If Naughty Dog can't find that story, however, finally giving Drake's Fortune the remake treatment remains an appealing alternative. A modern Uncharted 1 rebuilt with the studio's current technology could potentially give players the definitive version of Nathan's first adventure without changing the conclusion of his overall story.

For now, none of these details have been officially confirmed, but the rumors paint an interesting picture of what Naughty Dog could be preparing. After more than nine years away, Uncharted may finally be moving toward another adventure, and the biggest decision will be figuring out who should lead it without losing what made the franchise special in the first place.