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How many copies did Uncharted sell? — 2023 statistics

Treasure hunting for Uncharted's gaming stats.

Fact-checked
First Released
November 19, 2007
Genre
Action-adventure
Developer
Naughty Dog
Publisher
Sony

One of the most popular gaming genres that people love to thrust themselves into is Adventure. Adventure games feature epic stories following memorable characters with intense combat and if you’re lucky, some nice puzzles. There are quite a few adventure games on the market, but the series that we are talking about today is focused on the antics of the one-liner maestro and treasure hunter – Nathan Drake. Of course, it’s the Uncharted series! This franchise has been around for a long time because it caters to a demographic that loves the idea of embodying everything Indiana Jones stands for and taking it into their own hands. Because this is a globally-popular series, we’re taking a look at some Uncharted statistics. We’ll dive into various aspects of it, from total copies told to revenue to relevant news postings about the series moving forward. We’re honored to be able to give you this information, and if you’re interested in similar topics, consider finding out exactly how much the gaming industry is worth!

Uncharted key stats

From total copies sold to revenue generated, we are going to dive into some significant statistics regarding the Uncharted series, as well as the box office movie of the same name. The series has been around for a long time and it has a solid reputation for being at the top of the game when it comes to adventure games. It has seen massive success no matter the game, but, as you will find out shortly, Naughty Dog might have other plans for our favorite catchphrase connoisseur.

The Uncharted series has sold over 44 million copies.

(Sources: VG Chartz, GameReactor)

  • The best-selling game is Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End with 16.25 million copies sold.
  • Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception sold 9.3 million copies.
  • Uncharted 2 sold 3.5 million copies.

It is no surprise that the last game in the series — Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is the most popular game since it has the most complete story coupled with 2016-era graphics that made for a refreshing adventure. Nevertheless, the other games in the series still have some decent sales, especially when you consider the sale standards of the years that the other games were released in. Another thing to note is that all of the Uncharted games have very good ratings, above a 9/10, to be precise.

The Last of Us and Uncharted 4 grossed over $1 billion in revenue.

(Source: SegmentNext)

  • The Last of Us and Uncharted are the two most prominent Naughty Dog franchises.
  • Drew Thaler said that a rough revenue estimate for each title came out to approximately $1 billion.
  • The reason for these two games to have performed so well is that they came out at the ideal time for retailers and fans that were waiting for the next big game to play.
  • This sort of revenue was the driving factor for the further success of The Last of Us.

These are just some revenue numbers that show us the extent of the popularity of both The Last of Us and Uncharted. Drew Thaler said that each release grosses approximately $1 billion, which is a massive amount of money for the company. No doubt they are going to use it to fuel future projects and release even better games.

The Uncharted movie grossed over $400 million.

(Source: PlayStationLifestyle)

  • It had a budget of $120 million.
  • Its total revenue lagged behind other game adaptations like Rampage, Warcraft, and Detective Pikachu.
  • This movie was on par with Dune when it comes to revenue.
  • Based on the success of this movie, we could see a sequel at some point.

The reviews of the Uncharted movie were… okay. When it comes to critics and movie platforms, the movie did not perform that well, but audience scores tended to be much higher than the former. For example, the critic score for Uncharted on Rotten Tomatoes is 41%, while the audience score is 90%. This means that while critics tend to be harsher and compare the movie to other popular adventure films, fans focus more on the moment and have found that the movie was quite solid.

Naughty Dog said that they are done with the Uncharted series.

(Source: Dualshockers)

  • When asked about the state of Uncharted, Neil Druckmann said that there was no reason to continue with the franchise.
  • He has debunked the rumor of the upcoming “game from a beloved franchise” is not Uncharted.
  • However, this does not mean that Sony won’t hand the creative reins to another studio.
  • Despite the low chance of a new Uncharted game coming out, Druckmann has stated that The Last of Us: Part III has a realistic chance of being released.

This is a sad fate for the Uncharted series but there isn’t much you can do anyway since, from a story perspective, Nathan Drake’s quest is complete and there aren’t many ways of implementing him in future games unless it’s just a small role where he guides a new protagonist. However, that is a lot of speculation for anyone to swallow, so we’re just going to have to wait and see where the road takes us.

Despite Naughty Dog’s claims, a new Uncharted game just might be in the works.

(Source: CBR)

  • Fans are convinced that the recent PS5 ad contained a teaser for a new Uncharted game.
  • A young woman is seen exploring a cave, and fans believe it to be Cassie Drake, Nathan’s daughter.
  • A new chapter of the Uncharted story would have to feature a new protagonist.

This is one of those things that you just can’t believe when you see it for the first time. The new ad for the PlayStation 5 featured three extremely short snapshots of a cave scene and fans made the connection with Uncharted instantly, stating that the girl in the ad was Cassie Drake. When you compare the screenshot to Cassie from Uncharted 4, there is a resemblance, but is it a new Uncharted game? We shall see.

Sony’s film division earned over $84 million from the Uncharted movie.

(Source: The Wrap)

  • This profit was acquired in Q4 2021.
  • The company experienced a $2.7 million profit loss in the same quarter of the previous year.
  • Without a major blockbuster like Spider-Man: No Way Home, the conglomerate is facing a potential loss of $900 million.

This information doesn’t exactly pertain to the Uncharted series specifically, but it serves as a way for us to see what sort of influence the Uncharted movie had on Sony Pictures, the conglomerate company that has a large stake in the film industry. We can see that this movie brought in significant profit, but Sony Pictures might experience some loss in profit in the next big thing doesn’t show up.

The Uncharted movie had the fourth biggest opening for a game adaptation in the United States.

(Source: Games Industry)

  • The Uncharted movie made $44.1 million during its opening weekend.
  • The top spot for the best-selling video game adaptation in the United States belongs to Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) at $58 million.
  • Detective Pikachu (2019) follows closely at $54 million.
  • The third spot belongs to Tomb Raider (2001) with $47 million in revenue.
  • The Uncharted movie was initially announced in 2008 but had a lot of trouble being realized.

Even though it doesn’t take the top spot for the best opening week for a video game adaptation in the United States, being among the top 5 is still a massive accomplishment because it is competing with some of the biggest franchises in Tomb Raider and Pokémon, which are much more widespread and have bigger fan bases.

Over 37 million people have played Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.

(Source: VG247)

  • In 2021, Naughty Dog made a retrospective blog post looking back on the history of the game.
  • In the post, they thank their player base for taking Uncharted 4 to over 37 million unique players.
  • This does not necessarily mean that 37 million people bought the game since it was made available on PS Plus at some point.

These numbers just point to the fact that Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End was a success and that people loved playing the adventure game from the first day of its release to today. 37 million unique players is a very high number, especially for a PlayStation exclusive, so that makes it just that bit more impressive.

Uncharted 4 sold 2.7 million units in its first week.

(Sources: Destructoid, VG Chartz)

  • Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune only sold 30,215 units in its first week.
  • Uncharted 2: Among Thieves sold 876,089 units in its first week.
  • Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception sold 1.3 million units in its first week.
  • This is a 55% increase in total sales compared to Uncharted 2.

Seems like there is a trend going on here, doesn’t it? It is not a surprise that the first game in the series achieved lackluster sales compared to the other games in the series, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the game is bad in any sense. Quite the contrary as the game has very high reviews and a portion of the community considers it to be the most enjoyable installment. Other than that, you can see that the final game in the series is the most popular by far, indicating that players enjoyed it the most.

The idea for Uncharted and The Last of Us adaptations appeared back in 2014.

(Source: The Motley Fool)

  • The original announcement for the Uncharted movie came in 2008 when Avi Arad was supposed to direct it.
  • Since then, the film has faced many setbacks and pushed-back deadlines, resulting in a few different directors.
  • The Last of Us movie was supposed to be directed by Sam Raimi and they considered casting Hugh Jackman and Maisie Williams as Joel and Ellie.
  • Nathan Drake was supposed to be played by Nathan Fillion before Tom Holland was cast.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Uncharted movie has been on some slippery slopes before reaching the silver screen. When you look at it realistically, good video game adaptations in the media were few and far between, so it might be a good thing that the movie was delayed for so long since it was released near the period when video game adaptations were becoming more watchable. The Last of Us never became a movie, but a series, and that has been a massive success as well.

The Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection had the lowest Steam debut to date.

(Source: GameLuster)

  • The collection was released in October 2022.
  • The reviews of the collection were very positive all around.
  • However, when it comes to the concurrent player count, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves had the lowest one out of all PlayStation exclusives ported to Steam.
  • During its debut period, Legacy of Thieves didn’t even manage to break 8,000 concurrent players.
  • Spider-Man Remastered, Horizon Zero Dawn, and God of War all had higher player counts ranging from 50,000 to 60,000.

The collection moved from a PlayStation exclusive to PC, giving players the opportunity of experiencing the games in all their glory, but it was short-lived. The collection barely managed to have 8,000 concurrent players, which is a huge disappointment for the series, at least when it comes to Steam.

Sony gave out the Uncharted: Nathan Drake Collection for free during the Covid-19 pandemic.

(Source: PushSquare)

  • Sony attempted to treat its community with the Play At Home initiative.
  • During this time, Uncharted: The Nathan Drake collection was made free on PlayStation, along with Journey, an indie adventure game based on exploration.
  • The initiative was started to ease the anxiety of being stuck in lockdown with nothing new to play, especially amid financial issues.
  • Sony also started a $10 million relief fund for indie developers that were hit hard by the pandemic.

The Covid-19 pandemic came with many trials and tribulations, but one of the main things that impacted your general way of life was the lockdowns. Quarantines can drive you crazy, so Sony decided to seize the opportunity and give fans the chance to enjoy a couple of games for free. This was a very popular move in the community, and the $10 million relief fund was the icing on the cake for their good deed.

Neil Druckmann regretted announcing Uncharted 4 and TLOU2 early.

(Source: Yahoo Finance)

  • In an interview, Neil Druckmann said that he regretted announcing their two newest titles so far in advance because of work-life issues.
  • Announcing the games in advance put more strain on the employees, who suddenly had a lot more pressure put on them.
  • They would have to work around the clock and crunch hours to make sure the games were released on time.
  • Because of these issues in the past, Naughty Dog is going to go radio silent on new releases until a more manageable schedule allows them to announce their next games.

The popularity of Naughty Dog games has brought a lot of attention to the studio and to the co-president of the studio. In an interview, he said that he felt regret about putting so much strain on his employees to meet deadlines, so they were going to tone it down with game announcements in the future. While the studio did face some considerable scrutiny and community backlash for their working conditions, it is comforting to see Neil thinking about his employees and looking out for their wellbeing.

To sum up

And this is where our adventure into the Uncharted series comes to an end. As you can see from the information we have provided, Uncharted is a globally-popular series that has been around for many years, and, if time serves it well, it might just continue into something we have never seen before. We’ve also talked about the Uncharted movie quite a bit here since it served as a great way to give the series some extra life and let fans enjoy their favorite characters outside of the video game. If what the rumors say is true, we’re in for a real treat in the future. We hope that you have enjoyed the information we have provided and that you have learned something new about this iconic series!

Sources

  • “Uncharted”. VG Chartz, 2023, https://www.vgchartz.com/gamedb/?name=uncharted
  • “Uncharted 2 sells 3.5 million”. GameReactor, 2010, https://www.gamereactor.eu/uncharted-2-sells-35-million/
  • “The Last of Us & Uncharted 4 Generated $1B Revenue”. SegmentNext, 2021, https://segmentnext.com/the-last-of-us-uncharted-4-1b-revenue/
  • “Uncharted Movie Surpasses Staggering $400 Million at Box Office”. PlayStationLifestyle, 2022, https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2022/05/23/uncharted-movie-400-million-box-office/
  • “Naughty Dog Say They Are “Done” With Uncharted And Possibly The Last Of Us”. DualShockers, 2023, https://www.dualshockers.com/naughty-dog-done-with-uncharted-series/
  • “Uncharted is ‘done’, Last of Us 3 possible, says Naughty Dog head”. Games Hub, 2023, https://www.gameshub.com/news/news/uncharted-is-done-last-of-us-3-possible-says-naughty-dog-head-39383/
  • “Sony’s new PS5 ad could be teasing Uncharted 5”. VGC, 2023, https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/sonys-new-ps5-ad-could-be-teasing-uncharted-5/
  • “Uncharted Fans Are Convinced a Sequel Is Coming With [SPOILER] Replacing Nathan Drake”. CBR, 2023, https://www.cbr.com/uncharted-sequel-tease-cassie-drake-replace-nathan-drake/
  • “Sony Pictures Hits $84 Million in Q4 Profits Thanks to ‘Uncharted’ Box Office”. The Wrap, 2022, https://www.thewrap.com/sony-pictures-q4-earnings-uncharted/
  • “Uncharted has 4th biggest opening for a game adaptation in the US”. Games Industry 2022, https://www.gamesindustry.biz/uncharted-has-4th-biggest-opening-for-a-game-adaptation-in-the-us
  • “Over 37 million players have downloaded Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End”. VG247, 2021, https://www.vg247.com/37-million-players-uncharted-4
  • “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End: The 5-Year Anniversary Retrospective”. Naughty Dog, 2021, https://www.naughtydog.com/blog/uncharted_4_a_thiefs_end_the_5_year_anniversary_retrospective
  • “Uncharted 4 moved 2.7 million units in its first week”. Destructoid, 2016, https://www.destructoid.com/uncharted-4-moved-2-7-million-units-in-its-first-week/
  • “Uncharted: A Sales History – News”. VG Chartz, 2012, https://www.vgchartz.com/article/250142/uncharted-a-sales-history/
  • “Why Sony Wants To Turn “Uncharted” and “The Last of Us” Into Movies”. The Motley Fool, 2014, https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/08/24/why-sony-wants-to-turn-uncharted-and-the-last-of-u.aspx
  • “Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection Has Lowest PlayStation Game Steam Debut To Date”. Game Luster, 2022, https://gameluster.com/uncharted-lowest-playstation-pc-debut-to-date/
  • “Sony Makes Uncharted: Nathan Drake Collection and Journey Available for Free on PS4”. PushSquare, 2020, https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2020/04/sony_makes_uncharted_nathan_drake_collection_and_journey_available_for_free_on_ps4
  • “Sony Embarks $10 Million to Support Indie Developers Impacted by Coronavirus”. PushSquare, 2020, https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2020/04/sony_earmarks_usd10_million_to_support_indie_developers_impacted_by_coronavirus
  • “Is There Room for an Uncharted 5?”. CBR, 2023, https://www.cbr.com/uncharted-5-cassie-nathan-drake-protagonist-naughty-dog/
  • “Naughty Dog Exec Kind Of Regrets Announcing Uncharted 4, TLOU2 So Early”. Yahoo Finance, 2023, https://finance.yahoo.com/news/naughty-dog-exec-kind-regrets-184328018.html