Real World Locations in Uncharted Games

“Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End” (2016) Reunited with Sam, he and Nate’s first exploit together in “Uncharted 4” comes when they venture to Italy. They’re gate-crashing a black-market auction in search of another St Dismas cross. It’s not a familiar, Italian city, but we are treated to some stunning views of rural Italy while platforming along the cliffs to infiltrate the villa. The villa itself is huge and decadent, laid out more like a “Hitman” level complete with disguises and distractions. It’s also sunset, which further adds to the beauty of Nate’s surroundings, and you’ll get to enjoy a daring escape in a supercar. The Rossi Estate may not exist in real life, but many similar places do and they’re all stunning.

“Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception” (2011) While on the hunt for the City of Brass, the gang has to split up. Chloe Frazer and Charlie Cutter head for Syria, while Nate and Sully follow a different lead to France, each hunting one half of an important amulet. The French amulet is located in a crypt underneath this grand chateau somewhere in eastern France. France is a picturesque and idyllic location that has long been a popular vacation spot with tourists in Europe and beyond, so it was nice to see it recreated here in “Uncharted’s” only sojourn to the country. Though the chateau is falling apart and overgrown, it’s still a grand location and fun to explore – until Nate burns it to the ground.

“Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End” (2016) Immediately after leaving Italy, Nate, Sam, and Sully head for Scotland to finally discover the grave of Henry Avery. Of course, Avery wasn’t buried in Scotland at all. Instead, this cathedral, Saint Dismas Cathedral, hides a centuries-old obstacle course designed to test the mettle of would-be pirates. As Saint Dismas is still a relatively unknown figure in Christianity, there is no cathedral to him in Scotland. However, a likely candidate for what this part of the game is based on is St Andrew’s Cathedral along Scotland’s east coast. It’s not as large or expansive as the in-game cathedral, since it’s not a video game level in real life, but it’s still a major Scottish landmark.

Western Ghats

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“Uncharted: The Lost Legacy” (2017) This large mountain range lines India’s west coast and is a tropical stretch of verdant wetlands, and playing through “The Lost Legacy” you can practically feel the humidity through the screen. It’s an amazing location, especially during the large open-world section where Chloe and Nadine explore many temples and structures belonging to the Hoysala Empire. Though the specific landmarks Chloe and Nadine invariably destroy don’t exist, there are many Hoysala ruins in the Western Ghats and further east, into Karnataka. You also encounter plenty of wildlife, including mischievous monkeys and some friendly, Indian elephants that you can pause for photo-ops with.

“Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End” (2016) Yet another “Uncharted 4” location that doesn’t really exist, there is no such city as King’s Bay in Madagascar. But King’s Bay is based on Madagascar’s actual capital city, Antananarivo, though it thankfully wasn’t destroyed by a monumental car chase. Once you leave the city into the stunning, open world section of the game, you’ll get to see Madagascar’s unique landscape yourself. Its orange vistas, rock formations, and that huge volcano are a sight to behold. Madagascar does have many volcanoes just like this one, both on the main island and off its coast. The only thing missing was some more of the country’s wildlife, though you do get to interact with a ring-tailed lemur in the market.

“Uncharted 2: Among Thieves” (2009) Technically, it’s called Topkapi Palace Museum, but other than that the game is more or less correct about it. At least, it knows it’s a large museum in Istanbul, the capital of Turkey. Nate’s there to perform a daring heist, alongside Chloe Frazer in her first franchise appearance and Harry Flynn, for an oil lamp that might point them towards Shambhala. While we don’t get to see the museum during the day, you still get a taste for the unique Ottoman architecture, as it was built by Mehmed the Conqueror in the fifteenth century. Plus, you’ll be able to see the same architecture over and over again because the level automatically fails if you’re detected.

The Amazon

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“Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune” (2007) Though you spend most of the game on a fictional island off the coast of South America, for a few chapters you do descend into the heart of the Amazon jungle itself. The Amazon certainly exists, it’s the largest rainforest in the world, encompassing a huge part of the South American landmass almost from coast to coast. However, one thing that does not exist is the German U-Boat Nate and Sully stumble across at the top of an Amazonian waterfall. There was minimal German activity in the Pacific Ocean during the Second World War, and there definitely weren’t any U-Boats sailing down the river.

“Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception” (2011) Every “Uncharted” game has a bombastic opening sequence, with the third game starting with a deal gone awry in old London town. Nate’s trying to sell Sir Francis Drake’s ring to some shady figures, who turn out to be the game’s villains. We don’t see many of London’s iconic landmarks, but we do see its rainy streets, black cabs, and a real, English pub. Nate and Sully get into a pub brawl, of course, and the duo eventually heads underground. We find a huge vault full of stolen treasures and artwork, including the map that will eventually lead them to Iram of the Pillars. Still, it would have been nice to see them take a ride on the Tube or steal from Buckingham Palace.

The Himalayas

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“Uncharted 2: Among Thieves” (2009) Home of the world’s tallest mountain, the entire second half of “Uncharted 2” takes place in the Nepalese wilderness, up in the peaceful Himalayas. Although, they didn’t stay peaceful for long when Nate got involved. You go to a small Tibetan village while Nate recovers from his gutshot. It’s very fun to climb through the mountains, explore the icy caves, and eventually descend into Shambhala itself following in the footsteps of Marco Polo. Who doesn’t want to say they hiked through the Himalayas?

Rub al’ Khali

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“Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception” (2011) In one of the franchise’s most action-packed sequences ever, Nate falls from the back of a plane and eventually finds himself stranded in the middle of the Rub al’ Khali desert. The Rub al’ Khali, located right in the heart of the Arabian peninsula, is the biggest stretch of continuous sand in the entire world. You get a small taste of the desert as Nate wanders through it aimlessly, unable to tell which direction is which and finding himself walking for hours in a circle. He’s eventually rescued, but for a while, it looked like this might be one situation Nate can’t escape from. Even in these dire straits, though, the desert was incredible to see from above.