Naughty Dog is undoubtedly one of the greatest video game development companies in the business. Founded in 1984, the company has become famous for its slew of incredible games including Crash Bandicoot, The Last of Us, and the Uncharted series. Most of their games are critically acclaimed, so it’s hard to suss out the “greatest of the great” from the “great but maybe a little flawed.”
Regardless, we’re here to do just that. By looking at the Metacritic numbers, we’re going to rank the fifteen best Naughty Dog video games and see what the greatest of the great truly are.
Updated by Thomas Bowen on October 5th, 2020: Now that some of the furor created by the release of The Last of Us Part 2 has died down a little, we thought that it would be a great time to see how the game stacked up when compared with some of Naughty Dog’s other fantastic titles.
The game has set numerous sales records around the world and is well on its way to matching the commercial success of the original game. Despite some of the game’s content leaking ahead of launch and some controversy surrounding the story, it’s yet another hit in a library of games that most developers would kill to have their names on. Is it the best game that Naughty Dog has ever made though? Read on to find out.
15 Jak And Daxter Collection – 81
The Jak and Daxter Collection brought the original trilogy to the PS3 back in 2012 and received mixed responses from critics. While some celebrated the improvements made to the games’ visuals, others felt that not enough had been done to bring the titles up to modern standards.
Whilst it’s certainly true that Jak and Daxter‘s earlier outings have not aged as well as some other games, they are still playable even today. The game’s 81 rating on Metacritic is perhaps a little harsh as the vast majority of critics seemed to really enjoy it. This was also the case with players, as demonstrated by the title’s 8.7 user score.
14 Uncharted: The Lost Legacy – 84
An Uncharted game without Nathan Drake? What kind of heresy is this? Naughty Dog clearly weren’t kidding around when they said that Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End would be Drake’s last outing. In hindsight, the game’s subtitle was also a bit of a giveaway.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy features series regular Chloe Frazer as its main protagonist. Although she lacks some of Drake’s charm, she does a fairly decent job of filling his shoes. The game might not quite reach the highs found in other Uncharted titles, but it did do enough to impress critics.
13 Jak 3 – 84
It might not look like much now, but Jak 3 was one of the most impressive looking titles on the market when it went on sale back in 2004. From a technical standpoint it’s arguably the best that the original trilogy had to offer. Unfortunately for Naughty Dog, some critics felt that the game just didn’t do enough to differentiate itself from the two games that had preceded it.
Although some reviewers praised the game’s variety of missions and gameplay types, others bemoaned a lack of innovation as well as criticizing the game’s short length. Despite these complaints however, the game still holds a respectable 84 rating on Metacritic. It’s far from a bad game, but it fails to live up to the high standards set by some of the other Jak and Daxter titles.
12 Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection – 86
Bluepoint Games did a fantastic job porting the PS3 classics to the current generation and this is reflected by the game’s Metacritic score. Some critics called it the best remastered collection ever made and it is hard to argue too much with that. Fans of the series seemed to agree with this verdict, as shown by the game’s 8.6 user score.
All three games look fantastic and feel right at home on the more powerful PS4 in spite of their age. The little quality of life updates improve upon the originals whilst still holding onto that Uncharted charm that made playing them so enjoyable back in the day. These things combine to make this the definitive way to experience the intrepid explorer’s first three adventures.
11 Jak II – 87
It’s telling that Naughty Dog’s eleventh highest scoring game is still sitting at an 87. Released back in October of 2003, Jak II earned immense amounts of critical acclaim, and some critics even praised it as one of the greatest games on the PS2 and one of the greatest platforming games in history.
While nearly all aspects of its creation were praised, some didn’t take too kindly to the checkpoint system or the game’s convoluted and often empty-feeling open-world city. It sits at an 87 on Metacritic, with the user score rounding out at a slightly worse 8.3.
10 The Last Of Us: Left Behind – 88
Left Behind was released as an expansion pack to The Last of Us, and it featured Ellie’s adventures with Riley before the events of the main game. While it didn’t quite reach the heights of the core game, it was still universally praised, especially as a piece of DLC. A few shortcomings were noted, including its lack of innovation (not surprising), the short length, and its unnecessary padding.
However, the story, character work, and gameplay were all praised, leading to its 88 Metascore. However, it’s also interesting to note that the user score sits at just 8.2, with many people criticizing the length and boring story (and, yes, a few criticizing Ellie’s relationship with Riley).
9 Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune – 88
The game that started it all: Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Uncharted was praised upon release for its cast and cinematic qualities, and it basically singlehandedly give rise to the whole “action cinema” genre of gaming.
While the game may seem dated today, this was unbelievable stuff back in 2007. While critics found it a little derivative of Tomb Raider, it was still praised for its action elements, fun characters, and ridiculous adventure story. However, the users weren’t as kind to the game as the critics, and the user score sits at a surprisingly low 8.0.
8 Crash Team Racing – 88
Kart racing games were all the rage back in the late 90s, thanks primarily to Nintendo’s absolute classic Mario Kart 64. Naughty Dog got in on the action and released Crash Team Racing, a kart racer based on their iconic Crash Bandicoot series. It served as the answer to Mario Kart, as it was endlessly praised for its cast of characters, graphics, gameplay, and buttery smooth controls.
In fact, many critics declared it a better game than MK64, which was insanely high praise, indeed. This is also the first time (on this list at least) that the users agreed with the critics, scoring it a cumulative 8.9.
7 Jak And Daxter: The Precursor Legacy – 90
Breaking the elusive 90 barrier is Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, the first entry in the iconic Jak and Daxter series. Released on December 3, 2001, The Precursor Legacy was instantly praised as one of the greatest games available on the PlayStation 2, with many critics singling out its graphics as the best in the history of gaming. Others praised aspects include its endearing cast of characters, voice acting, and platforming elements, and it basically made platforming cool and again—for a while, at least. The user score also sits at 8.8, signaling the game’s status as a universal icon of gaming.
6 Crash Bandicoot: Warped – 91
Crash Bandicoot: Warped is an all-time PlayStation classic. Released way back in 1998, Warped was endlessly praised for its production values, which included stellar graphics, crisp and alluring sound design, and brilliant music.
But a game is not a game without good gameplay, and Warped delivered that in spades, building on everything that made Crash Bandicoot such a success and expanding on it in various imaginative ways. The user score also sits at 9.0, meaning that darned near everyone that plays this game considers it near gaming perfection. It’s a masterpiece.
5 Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception – 92
Drake’s Deception represented a rather divisive then-ending to the Uncharted series. Unfortunately, it had to follow Uncharted 2, and that is not something any game would want to do.
Critics praised the game on its terms as a video game, and, as a video game, it was a masterpiece. Great story and voice acting, same old Uncharted gameplay magic, and wondrous graphics. However, general players were left slightly disappointed, evident by the rather low 8.4 user score. To them, it was a good game, but it was also a little same-old-same-old, ya know?
4 The Last Of Us Part II – 93
Given the huge success of The Last of Us, it was somewhat inevitable that fans would receive a sequel. The only surprising thing really is that it took seven years for it to arrive. Thankfully, it was worth the wait. The Last Of us Part II received widespread acclaim for its stunning visuals and subversive narrative. It’s easily one of the PS4’s best looking titles and is also one its best selling too.
Despite achieving both critical and commercial success however, many series fans were disappointed with the direction that Naughty Dog chose to take the story. The game currently holds a user rating of 5.6 on Metacritic, making it the worst performing title in the Naughty Dog library. Although some of this is down to review bombing, it goes to show that not everybody was impressed with this long awaited sequel.
3 Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – 93
Naughty Dog decided that they weren’t quite done with Nathan Drake, and Uncharted 4 was assembled and released to widespread critical acclaim. Like all the other Uncharted games, A Thief’s End was praised for its unbelievable production values (especially the GORGEOUS graphics and animations), gripping and emotional story, imaginative settings, and blockbuster action sequences.
However, general players were again left slightly underwhelmed, and the user score also sits at 8.4, tying it with Uncharted 3. Naughty Dog claims that they have now retired the Nathan Drake saga. It seems like general audiences are done with him, as well.
2 The Last Of Us – 95
What gamers aren’t sick of is The Last of Us. That makes sense considering there’s only been one of them (well, two soon enough!). The Last of Us was Naughty Dog’s first original IP since Uncharted, and it also remains their last original IP. But that’s okay, because it’s an absolute masterpiece of a game, and it contains what is arguably the greatest story in the history of gaming.
No, that’s not hyperbole. It sits at a rightfully high 95 on Metacritic, and the users are right there with the critics, scoring it a cumulative 9.2. There’s no getting around it; The Last of Us is one of the greatest video games ever made.
1 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – 96
When it comes to Naughty Dog’s masterpiece, it always boils down to two games: The Last of Us and Uncharted 2. While the Metacritic scores are insanely close and virtually the exact same, Uncharted 2 actually gets the edge by a mere point, making it the highest-rated Naughty Dog game ever made.
It’s really no surprise; what this game did for blockbuster gaming is simply unspeakable. Even to this day, its action sequences remain as heart-pounding and fresh as they were ten years ago. The user score sits at a slightly worse 8.9, indicating that while they agree Uncharted 2 is a masterpiece, they believe that the greatest Naughty Dog game is actually The Last of Us. What do you think?
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