From turning into a staple identify within the 3D platformer style with Crash Bandicoot to creating some of the beloved tales in video video games with The Last of Us, Naughty Dog is with out query one of many largest and most revered names in recreation improvement. Jumping from style to style with every main franchise it creates, the workforce’s now-iconic paw print emblem has turn out to be synonymous with large productions, heart-wrenching storytelling, and characters that transcend the medium.
Naughty Dog’s rise from the home of colourful, light-hearted platforming to the go-to studio for gripping, mature storytelling has been lined with practically two dozen video games, starting from fantasy RPGs to academic math video games. So, let’s run via each title Naughty Dog has launched via 2024.
How Many Naughty Dog Games Are There?
In complete, there are 23 Naughty Dog video games, with its first hitting cabinets in 1985 and its most recent launching in 2022. The record beneath contains all recreation releases, standalone expansions, and remakes. Remasters (together with the recent Last of Us 2 Remaster) and DLC will not be included.
All Naughty Dog Games in Order
1. Math Jam – 1985
The venture that paved the way in which for the Naughty Dog we all know as we speak, Math Jam was a collaborative venture between each of the studio’s founders: Jason Rubin and Andy Gavin. Developed for the Apple II below the studio identify JAM, Math Jam was self-published by the duo whereas they had been nonetheless in highschool.
It taught basic arithmetic and was purely academic. However, each Rubin and Gavin determined their subsequent recreation was going to maneuver away from instructing and enterprise absolutely into the leisure facet of video video games…
2. Ski Crazed – 1986
Rubin and Gavin’s second recreation, Ski Crazed, launched in 1986 once they had been simply 16 years old. Also launched for the Apple II, it noticed gamers launch their avatars down numerous ski slopes whereas avoiding hazardous obstacles and trying to rack up excessive scores.
3. Dream Zone – 1987
Rubin and Gavin’s third recreation hit cabinets in 1987 and noticed the duo tackle the point-and-click journey style. Titled Dream Zone, it sees gamers journey to a satirical fantasy realm primarily based contained in the protagonist’s goals, the place they have to take care of the land’s vary of eccentric imaginary inhabitants en route to flee.
4. Keef the Thief – 1989
Officially donning the Naughty Dog moniker for the primary time and partnering with EA, Rubin and Gavin’s fourth venture was one other comedic point-and-click journey recreation, this time titled Keef the Thief. Much because the title suggests, the primary premise was to steal objects, with Keef exploring a big metropolis and its surrounding wilderness whereas interacting with NPCs.
5. Rings of Power – 1991
Two years after Keef the Thief, Naughty Dog partnered with EA as soon as once more to launch Rings of Power on the SEGA Genesis. Putting gamers within the sneakers of a sorcerer known as Buc, the sport was an isometric RPG set within the fantasy realm of Ushka Bau, the place a magical employees shattered into eleven items that the participant should search out and gather. Along the way in which, they meet and recruit a celebration, resulting in a closing with a malevolent demon named Void.
6. Way of the Warrior – 1994
Taking a swing on the combating style, Naughty Dog’s sixth venture was Way of the Warrior for the 3DO. The recreation had gamers choose a fighter and battle their means via a hellacious match, defeating their rivals and spreading their legend all through the annals of historical past.
7. Crash Bandicoot – 1996
Naughty Dog’s first breakout success, Crash Bandicoot was the corporate’s seventh recreation and their first on a PlayStation console. It stars the titular Crash Bandicoot, a mutated science experiment that escapes the laboratory of his creator, the villainous Doctor Neo Cortex.
A colourful 3D mascot platformer that duties gamers with conquering brief however difficult phases and defeating Cortex’s band of mutated animal henchmen, the sport sees Crash leap, slide, and spin his means via a zany world filled with hazard. It was an enormous success for Naughty Dog and Sony, spawning a serious franchise that’s nonetheless energetic to today.
8. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back – 1997
The second recreation within the Crash Bandicoot franchise, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back picks up a yr after its predecessor, with Crash as soon as once more having to cease Neo Cortex’s villainous plans. This time round, Crash is trying to find a collection of magical crystals that Cortex must build his new outer-space Cortex Vortex vessel. Cortex Strikes Back is about over 25 phases, with every degree that includes contemporary mechanics, hazards, enemies, and managers.
9. Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped – 1998
The third and closing entry in Naughty Dog’s Crash Bandicoot trilogy, Crash Bandicoot: Warped is about instantly after the occasions of Cortex Strikes Back, with Neo Cortex’s house station crashing into the Earth and giving rise to a malevolent new menace: Aku Aku’s evil brother, Uka Uka. To fight this new foe, Crash and his younger sister, Coco, journey via time, discovering crystals to forestall Cortex and Uka Uka from executing their evil plans.
Much like Cortex Strikes Back, Warped contains 25 new ranges in addition to a bunch of extra hazards to beat, enemies to beat, and mechanics to be taught. It additionally welcomes a model new playable protagonist, with gamers capable of step into the sneakers of Coco.
10. Crash Team Racing – 1999
A spin-off of the mainline Crash Bandicoot collection, Crash Team Racing transports the character to the world of arcade racing. You take the wheel as iconic Crash Bandicoot characters – Crash, Cortex, Coco, Doctor N.Gin, and others – and race throughout a collection of hazardous programs in an effort to win races in single- and multiplayer modes.
11. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy – 2001
Leaving Crash Bandicoot behind, Naughty Dog moved on to a brand new 3D mascot platformer franchise in 2001 with Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. Following titular finest pals Jak and Daxter, the sport sees the pair embark on a journey to rework Daxter again right into a human after he’s submerged in a mysterious substance often known as darkish eco and turned into an otter-weasel hybrid.
Along the way in which, the pair turn out to be embroiled in a plot to save lots of the world, with the villainous Gol and Maia hatching a plan to make use of darkish eco to change the realm. Unlike Crash Bandicoot’s strictly linear ranges, Jak and Daxter presents gamers giant worlds to discover, with every map containing quite a lot of Precursor Orbs they’ll gather in any order to progress.
12. Jak 2 – 2003
Ditching each Daxter’s identify from the title and the quirky, upbeat tone, Jak 2 is a a lot darker reinvention of Jak and Daxter’s world. Taking place after the conclusion of the primary recreation, it sees Jak and Daxter unwillingly flung into the far future, the place they arrive in a dystopian metropolis often known as Haven City. After their arrival, Jak is arrested and subjected to harrowing experiments for 2 years, awakening a sinister monster inside him often known as Dark Jak.
Daxter ultimately rescues Jak, setting the pair off on a brand new journey throughout Haven City, the place they be a part of forces with an area insurgent militia trying to overthrow the futuristic metropolis’ corrupt chief, Baron Praxis. Alongside switching the fantasy setting out for a futuristic sci-fi aesthetic, Jak 2 made a number of gameplay modifications, including weapons, flying automobiles, and the power to rework into Dark Jak.
13. Jak 3 – 2004
Capping off the Jak and Daxter trilogy, Jak 3 opens with its lead duo being dumped in The Wasteland past the partitions of Haven City. Banished from their home and left to die, they take refuge within the metropolis of Spargus hidden deep throughout the desert. As the pair begin to earn their preserve, they find out about sinister plans unfolding in Haven City, starting an journey to save lots of their home.
Jak 3 layers a number of new options on prime of Jak 2’s gameplay, together with extra automobiles to traverse the desert, new mild eco powers, and a variety of contemporary weapons.
14. Jak X: Combat Racing – 2005
Much like Crash Team Racing, Naughty Dog determined to comply with up its work on the Jak and Daxter trilogy by releasing an arcade racer tie-in. Jak X: Combat Racing is precisely what it says on the tin: You play as Jak, or considered one of his closest allies or enemies, and race throughout a collection of tracks in single- or multiplayer.
15. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune – 2007
Naughty Dog’s first foray onto the PlayStation 3 and considered one of its most seminal releases, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune was a serious shift in tone for the corporate. Moving away from cartoon mascot platformers, Naughty Dog started to concentrate on cinematic blockbusters, telling the story of an Indiana Jones-esque treasure hunter named Nathan Drake.
Hunting for the misplaced metropolis of El Dorado within the depths of the Amazon rainforest, Drake battles in opposition to pirates and different enemies whereas following within the footsteps of his ancestor, Sir Francis Drake. A 3rd-person, cover-based shooter with platforming components, Uncharted not solely paved the way in which for considered one of gaming’s largest fashionable franchises but in addition influenced Naughty Dog’s transformation right into a studio synonymous with extremely produced online game storytelling.
16. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – 2009
A sequel launched two years later, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves sees Nathan Drake return to hunt for the misplaced metropolis of Shambhala within the Hymalian mountains. Betrayed by an old pal throughout a heist, Drake groups up with Sully and newcomer Chloe to trace down the Cintamani Stone, hoping to forestall struggle prison Zoran Lazarevic and his personal militia from accessing Shambhala.
Along the way in which, gamers are met with a wholesome dose of third-person cover-based fight and platforming, in addition to the sort of bombastic set items that make Drake blurt out a litany of expletives in fast succession.
17. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception – 2011
The third entry within the Uncharted collection, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception follows Nathan Drake as he makes an attempt to uncover The Atlantis of the Sands within the Rub’ al Khali desert. Set two years after the earlier recreation, Drake’s Deception picks up with Drake and Sully battling in opposition to the villainous Katherine Marlowe and her personal military. Learning she intends to uncover the secrets and techniques of the Atlantis of the Sands, Drake begins a race to get there first, launching into an journey that forces him to confront demons from his previous.
Drake’s Deception was the final Uncharted recreation of the PlayStation 3 era, providing gamers yet one more Nathan Drake journey earlier than Sony moved on to PlayStation 4 two years later.
18. The Last of Us – 2013
Arguably one of many most iconic video games of all time, Naughty Dog took a break from Uncharted to deliver followers The Last of Us in 2013. Set in a harsh post-apocalyptic world the place a parasitic fungus is remodeling people into bloodthirsty monsters, The Last of Us follows a hardened smuggler named Joel and an immune teenager named Ellie as they try to trace down a bunch of survivors often known as The Fireflies.
What follows is an emotionally gripping story of grief, survival, and hope, as Ellie and Joel type an unbreakable bond whereas battling in opposition to the monsters that plague their world, each contaminated and human. A 3rd-person shooter with heavy stealth components, The Last of Us has gone on to turn out to be Naughty Dog’s flagship franchise, even receiving its personal HBO adaptation in early 2023.
19. The Last of Us: Left Behind – 2014
Initially launched as DLC earlier than turning into a standalone expertise, The Last of Us: Left Behind acts as a prequel to The Last of Us. The story flits between two timelines: the primary is about through the occasions of the primary marketing campaign, with Ellie defending Joel whereas he recovers from the accidents he sustained in The University chapter. The second takes place three weeks earlier than the occasions of the sport, with Ellie exploring an deserted mall together with her finest pal Riley.
While the trendy timeline options loads of motion sequences, the flashbacks take a decidedly completely different method, focusing closely on exploration and storytelling. The enlargement fleshes out Ellie’s backstory, including extra context to her character and the story she reveals to Joel through the closing scene of the primary recreation.
20. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – 2016
The explosive finale to the Uncharted saga, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End catches up with Nathan Drake years after the occasions of Drake’s Deception. Now retired from treasure searching and residing a daily life together with his spouse Elena, Drake is dragged again into the sport after his brother, Sam, arrives on his doorstep with a tantalizing provide: He’s going after Henry Avery’s misplaced treasure and wishes the experience of Nathan Drake to search out it.
A Thief’s End wraps up Nathan Drake’s story whereas utilizing the ability of the PlayStation 4 so as to add new strings to Uncharted’s bow, together with a grappling hook, non-linear ranges, and vastly upgraded visuals.
21. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy – 2017
A standalone enlargement for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy passes the reins of the franchise to 2 new leads: Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross. Following the unlikely companions as they journey to India searching for the Tusk of Ganesh, Lost Legacy expands upon Uncharted 4’s open-ended ranges, setting the sport inside a big map and permitting gamers to finish important targets in any order they like.
You can take a look at our information to the Uncharted games in order for extra particulars in regards to the timeline.
22 The Last of Us: Part II – 2020
The long-anticipated follow-up to the primary Last of Us, The Last of Us: Part II removes Joel from the primary protagonist function and arms the reins to Ellie. After settling within the small city of Jackson, Ellie’s life is shipped right into a downward spiral when a bunch of mysterious survivors arrive on the settlement’s outskirts throughout a snowstorm and undertake a mission that modifications her life ceaselessly.
Swearing revenge, Ellie pursues the group, tailing them again to Seattle the place she begins trying to find their chief: a ruthless survivor by the identify of Abby. Expanding the stealth mechanics and together with smarter enemy AI that may observe Ellie’s each transfer, The Last of Us: Part II upgrades and enhances the collection’ gameplay in each conceivable means. While its story has been divisive, it’s undeniably a considerably enhanced post-apocalyptic survival expertise.
23. The Last of Us: Part I – 2022
Released in late 2022, The Last of Us: Part I is a shot-for-shot, rebuilt-from-the-ground-up remake of the primary Last of Us, together with the entire unique chapters and Left Behind enlargement. Utilizing the ability of the PlayStation 5, it provided next-generation graphics, state-of-the-art accessibility choices, and improved gameplay.
Callum Williams is a contract media author with years of expertise as a recreation critic, information reporter, guides author and options author.
