Uncharted 5: Everything we’d like to see in the next adventure

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End came out three years ago and brought Nathan Drake and his treasure hunting days to a rather sweet end. Since then, we’ve had the standalone spin-off Uncharted: Lost Legacy with Nadine and Chloe joining forces with Nathan’s brother Sam Drake. Now thoughts turn to where the series could go next. It’s highly likely that we’ll be seeing another core game in the series, but now that Nathan has settled down with a family, it’ll most probably go in an entirely new direction. Naughty Dog are busy working on The Last of Us 2, and there’s been no sort of official announcement about a new Uncharted game in the works. Still, it’s natural to assume we’ll see one in future given that it is one of the most successful franchises for PlayStation. Since it's a pretty far off prospect at this point, we can probably bank on it being a next-gen title that’ll land on the highly anticipated PS5.

Back in April, OnlySP interviewed Nathan Drake’s voice actor Nolan North and asked about the potential for a fifth instalment in the series. “A lot of people want the fifth Uncharted, but that ship has kinda sailed,” North said. Admittedly this doesn’t sound too optimistic, but this doesn’t outright mean we won’t ever see another game in the Uncharted world. Talking about A Thief's End, North said, “It was a bittersweet end to the franchise, but we’re proud of what we’ve made, and if that’s the way that Sony and Naughty Dog decide to it leave it, then I’m fine with that.” The fourth instalment played out like a fond farewell to the treasure hunter we’d filled the shoes of for four games, but given how much they could do with the game’s world, and the wealth of established characters who could easily take us on a new experience, it’s hard to imagine the series won't ever return in some way.

With the news that the much-talked about Uncharted movie starring Tom Holland as young Nathan Drake is finally coming out in 2020, the series is still very much on our minds. While we may not have any solid details about the next game, that doesn’t stop us from wondering what it could be like, and what we’d love to see in the next adventure. So settle in as we list everything we’d like to see in the next Uncharted entry, which for now we'll called Uncharted 5. 

Take us on a journey in someone else's shoes

After four games in the series with Nathan Drake as the leading man, we’re more than ready to see a new lead character take us on an entirely different kind of Uncharted escapade. But who could it be? Well, in the epilogue of Thief's End, we are first introduced to Nathan and Elena’s daughter Cassie. Nathan and Elena agree to finally tell Cassie about their past, and the game comes to a sunsoaked end. Now that Cassie knows, surely it could perfectly set up a new adventure in her shoes. Maybe she decides to follow in her parents' footsteps and become a treasure hunter herself. I mean, after hearing stories like that, you’d be pretty tempted to go off on your own adventures, right? It might not sound like such an inspired route to take, but Cassie has the makings of being a very interesting lead who could give the series a serious refresh. There was also a family dog and just the thought of adventuring with a good doggo friend at your side is more than welcome. 

Another possible scenario is seeing Chloe and Nadine return as partners out on another expedition. At the end of Lost Legacy, Nadine even says she wants to give the treasure hunting racket another go. They were a fantastic duo who we’d happily see make a comeback. 

Shake up the gameplay

We would love to see the next adventure be a bit more innovative with the gameplay side of things. Lots of big action sequences and mechanics began to feel a little too familiar by the time we reached the end of the series, so it’d be great to see them try to bring something new to the table. A Thief's End felt a lot more refreshing in terms of its combat by bringing stealthy aspects into play in large open environments. In the Lost Legacy, it had a lot of similarities to the core series, but the most welcome new feature was that Chloe’s had unique skills that were reflective of her personality - like picking locks. We’d love to see them build on this by bringing more new skills and unique fighting styles to any scuffles we may well have - especially if we're in control of a new protagonist. Introducing something new is a great to revitalize a long-running series, and the next entry could well give the franchise a new lease of life by building on its established game-play styles in new and exciting ways. 

Take us to a new setting

We’ve seen a lot of new locations throughout the Uncharted series, from the Amazon rain forest in the first Uncharted, to Isanbul in Uncharted 2, London in Uncharted 3, and Madagascar in A Thief's End. Journeying to new locations really does make everything feel new and exciting, so we’d love to see the next game set in an entirely new location that presents unique challenges. A Thief's End looked absolutely gorgeous, so we’d love to see its take on new vistas with even better looking graphics. The world is Uncharted's oyster, so we really could end up getting stuck into a whirlwind escapade just about anywhere. 

Bring back photo mode

The fourth instalment was stunning. Incredibly detailed and gorgeously rendered, it's was impossible not to stop for a moment and just take everything in. As a veritable feast for the eyes, naturally lining up the perfect shot to capture the moment is a must, and if the look of A Thief's End is anything to go by, we'd love to see an improved photo mode along the lines of that in Horizon Zero Dawn to let us really show off just how beautiful the game will likely be. The camera had some nice features such as filters, borders and different levels of sharpness. Capturing a great action shot of Nathan leaping off a platform was fun and all, but giving Chloe different facial expressions in Lost Legacy was infinitely better, so we truly hope it this feature makes a comeback. 

See multiplayer make a return

Of course most players get Uncharted for the single player experience, but the multiplayer side of things became a much-loved part of the franchise. In fact, Naughty Dog recently announced it’s only just about to bring online support for Uncharted 2 and 3 on the PS3 to an end this September. A Thief's End offered up a variety of modes and maps that are great fun to play with a group of pals. Regardless of if or how the next instalment shapes up, we’d love to see them build on multiplayer and see it return in style.