Best Naughty Dog Game Characters

Naughty Dog has an amazing catalog of games spanning multiple franchises. A few characters from these games are among the most memorable and iconic in modern gaming. The studio’s shift to cinematic, narrative-driven games, starting with Uncharted and continuing with The Last of Us, has created some very compelling characters that feel real.

Backed by talented voice actors and emotional storytelling, these characters usually stand out due to their narrative journeys and character development, and have earned a place in gaming history.

10

Crash Bandicoot

Appears In: Crash Bandicoot Series, Crash Team Racing

Crash Bandicoot was once the character most notably associated with Naughty Dog, but that isn’t exactly the case anymore. Despite Sony publishing the first three games, the rights to Crash were owned by the gaming department of Universal, which later merged with Activision, and then Microsoft, who now hold them.

As for Crash himself, he does get overshadowed by the studio’s newer creations which, understandably, have more character development given their narrative-focused styles. However, Crash was PlayStation’s answer to Mario, and Naughty Dog succeeded in creating a mascot for the PlayStation One.

9

Sam Drake

Appears In: Uncharted 4, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Sam Drake debuted in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End as Nathan Drake’s brother, and was an intriguing character in it, convincing Nathan to go back to his treasure-hunting days after being retired.

The Drake siblings had great chemistry, and the game did a good job of making us believe that Nathan had a brother all this time, despite him never being mentioned in any of the previous games. He returned in Uncharted: Lost Legacy’s third act as a supporting character, and once again had great chemistry with both Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross.

8

Jak

Appears In: Jak And Daxter Quadrilogy, Jak X: Combat Racing

The Jak and Daxter series of games were developed by Naughty Dog from 2001-2005, with three other studios developing a spin-off, a sequel, and a remastered collection each after that. Jak receives some dark character development in Jak 2, which made him a lot more interesting.

The series was an action platformer akin to the new Ratchet and Clank games, and Jak is also considered a Naughty Dog mascot, almost as popular as Crash Bandicoot. Along with his trusty sidekick Daxter, they’ve been referenced in plenty of other PlayStation Studio games.

7

Victor Sullivan

Appears In: Uncharted 1, Uncharted 2, Uncharted 3, Uncharted 4, And Uncharted: Golden Abyss.

Victor Sullivan has been Nathan Drake’s trusty friend and mentor in all mainline games and has always had his back. He has a certain charm to him, and is somewhat of a comfort character in the series.

Victor often keeps Nathan grounded and focused, and is always there for some good advice, given how long these two characters have known each other. Thanks to the flashback sequences in Uncharted 3, Victor received even more depth.

6

Tommy Miller

Appears In: The Last of Us: Part I, The Last of Us: Part II

Tommy was introduced in The Last of Us, and had good characterization, but his role in its sequel developed him greatly. He was pretty badass in The Last of Us: Part 2, taking on hordes of the WLF all by himself and surviving.

He’s a great parallel to Joel, as they go on to live different lifestyles in different communities for the several years leading up to the first game. He also has parallels to Ellie in the sequel, going on a similar journey for revenge which leaves him broken.

5

Abby Anderson

Appears In: The Last of Us: Part II

Abby might be an extremely divisive character, but once you ignore the way she does that one questionable thing, she becomes a pretty layered character that is often relatable. We get to see her side of things in-depth, and even feel bad for her by the game’s epilogue.

Her gameplay sections are great, being much more intense and having platforming and action set pieces that are more Uncharted-like. Her story of loss, redemption, and then loss again really made the game feel as harrowing as it is.

4

Chloe Frazer

Appears In: Uncharted 2, Uncharted 3, and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Chloe was a big supporting character in Uncharted 2, and returned for a smaller role in Uncharted 3 before becoming the protagonist and the main focus of Uncharted: Lost Legacy, where she really got to shine and prove herself as a capable protagonist of her own.

She’s a fan-favorite character who’s a treasure hunter, and her morally grey aspirations give her an interesting personality that bounces well off of Nathan.

3

Nathan Drake

Appears In: Uncharted 1, Uncharted 2, Uncharted 3, Uncharted 4, And Uncharted: Golden Abyss.

Nathan Drake was the face of Naughty Dog during the late 2000s, being an extremely charismatic and likable character who was a big reason the Uncharted series became as popular as it did. Nolan North’s voice acting also really helped set the perfect tone for the character.

Although he was clearly inspired by Indiana Jones, both the games and the character really left their own mark on the action-platformer genre. He has a good amount of depth that was explored in each of the games, and received a perfect sendoff in Uncharted 4.

2

Ellie Williams

Appears In: The Last of Us: Part I, The Last of Us: Part II

Ellie goes through some incredible character development during the events of The Last of Us Part 1 and Part 2, and seeing her at two different and crucial stages of her life is one of the big reasons she feels as real and compelling as she does.

Her relationship with Joel is, of course, the highlight of the games, but Part 2 really expands on her character growth in numerous ways. Her journey in Seattle is absolutely brutal, and has one of the best portrayals of trauma and loss in gaming.

1

Joel Miller

Appears In: The Last Of Us: Part I, The Last Of Us: Part II

Like Uncharted before it, The Last of Us defined Naughty Dog in the 2010s, and Joel is not just one of the studio’s best characters, but also one of the most nuanced characters in all of gaming. His and Ellie’s relationship and journey are at the heart of both games, and neither would’ve had as much of an impact without Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson’s stellar performances brimming with chemistry.

He’s a flawed anti-hero. His decision at the end of the first game is selfish, but it’s also completely human and understandable. That’s what makes him so great. He’s not perfect, but he’s real.