10 Best Movies & TV Shows Like Uncharted

2022's Uncharted served as an adaptation of the popular video game of the same name. Uncharted's cast is led by MCU actor Tom Holland as Nathan Drake and Mark Wahlberg as Victor "Sully" Sullivan, two treasure hunters looking for treasure left behind by the Magellan expedition. After realizing that his brother is missing, Nate has no option but to join Sully on his quest for the treasure, but several enemies come after them along the way. While the pairing ultimately find the treasure, Uncharted's ending sees them lose it again and raises questions about the series' future.

Now that Uncharted is streaming on Max, the movie has become popular once again, with audiences enjoying the action sequences and the unfolding adventure. Though Uncharted received mixed reviews, it was very successful at the box office and has grossed $407.1 million (via Box Office Mojo). While the movie did receive some criticism for its differences from the video game, a sequel was still confirmed. However, three years after Uncharted's release, Uncharted 2 is still in the works, with no filming dates, let alone a release date, set. Luckily, in the meantime, there are many great options to watch next.

10 The Lost City (2022)

The Lost City Is a Funny Adventure Movie

The Lost City is the perfect follow-up to Uncharted for audiences who want a more comedic take on an adventure movie. While Uncharted does have some funny moments, The Lost City is undeniably funny throughout, due to the combination of great jokes and great delivery by stars Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. The movie sees Bullock become a reclusive archaeologist turned romance writer, with Tatum as her handsome cover model. While Bullock's Loretta is the more uptight-intelligent character, she is perfectly balanced by Tatum's characterization of the funny and faux-heroic Alan.

The comedy makes use of the best treasuring hunting and mystery aspects of Uncharted, and it successfully adds its own layers of romance and humor.

The unlikely, but perfect, pairing also contrasts well with Daniel Radcliffe's intentionally ridiculous villain, who is convinced that Loretta knows the location of a hidden treasure. On the whole, The Lost City was very well received, and it is easy to see why. The comedy makes use of the best treasuring hunting and mystery aspects of Uncharted, and it successfully adds its own layers of romance and humor. While The Lost City's release may not have been as big as Uncharted, it is definitely worth a watch.

9 Black Sails (2014-2017)

A Pirate Series With Treasure Hunting

The series Black Sails, and particularly its first season, focuses on treasure hunting pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy in the second half of the 17th century. The series serves as a prequel to the novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and focuses on some of the same characters. Black Sails deals both with the pirates' search for the Urca de Lima treasure and with the reaction of various governments to piracy during this time period, making it a darker take on treasure hunting than the one presented in Uncharted.

Though the tone of Black Sails is somewhat different from Uncharted, this actually works in its favor as the show feels more targeted towards adult audiences. The series is able to explore unique storylines featuring some well-known fictional and real pirate characters, but it never loses the sense of adventure that makes Uncharted so fun to watch. On top of its entertainment value, Black Sails was very well received throughout its run. The series won three Emmy Awards out of 10 nominations, proving that audiences and critics alike enjoyed the show.

8 Assassin's Creed (2016)

Another Well-Known Video Game Adaptation

Before Uncharted became a successful video game adaptation, there was 2016's Assassin's Creed, which was inspired by the game of the same name. The film stars Michael Fassbender as Callum "Cal" Lynch, along with Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, and Brendan Gleeson in supporting roles. While the character Cal and the story of the Assassin's Creed movie were created independently of the games, there is very clear inspiration from games present throughout certain elements of the story in the same way as Uncharted.

Assassin's Creed follows Cal as he learns that he is descended from the historical Order of Assassins and that, using the animus, he has the power to access the skills of those ancestors. Similar to the games, the 2016 movie questions the balance between free will and order and humanity's place in that struggle. While Assassin's Creed may seem quite different from Uncharted in terms of plot, the two movies both work well for fans of popular video game adaptations, and, as a bonus, each is full of nonstop action.

7 Relic Hunter (1999-2002)

The Series Depicts A New Adventure Every Episode

Relic Hunter may not have become as popular as some of its filmic treasure hunting counterparts, but the series is still entertaining several decades later. Relic Hunter follows an archaeologist named Sydney Fox and her assistant, Nigel, who work for a fictional university named Trinity College and go on adventures to find historical artifacts. Along the way, Sydney often has to fight off various other groups who want to claim the different relics for themselves.

Unlike Uncharted's movie format, each episode of Relic Hunter is able to tell a new story.

What makes Relic Hunter such a great pairing with Uncharted lies precisely in the series format. The concept of the show itself has some definite similarities due to the treasure hunting and Sydney's action-packed fights with enemy hunters. Unlike Uncharted's movie format, each episode of Relic Hunter is able to tell a new story. This means that the series is the perfect next watch for fans of Uncharted who want even more of the treasure-hunting aspect, and with 66 episodes, there is plenty of adventure to go around.

6 The Mummy (1999)

Despite Their Differing Characters, The Movies Have Similar Tones

The 1999 action adventure movie The Mummy, starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, creates the perfect unexpected pairing for a treasure hunt movie. Fraser's Rick O'Connell is confident and suave and Weisz's Evelyn Carnahan is smart but sometimes bumbling, and their dynamic is a large part of what has made the movie so beloved throughout the years. The movie takes place in 1926 as Evelyn hopes to find the lost city of Hamunaptra and hires Rick to guide her there.

While the pair, along with Evelyn's brother, make their way to the city of the dead, they must race against other groups to get there first and avoid the supernatural watchers who guard the city. Most importantly, the group has to survive the mummy himself, adding an element of the supernatural to the already exciting adventure movie. The Mummy's combination of exciting plot and charismatic performances create something special within the treasure hunt genre, as few of its successors have been able to capture that same charm.

5 Blood & Treasure (2019-2022)

The Series Has Great Action

The CBS and Paramount+ series Blood & Treasure combines aspects of both the treasure hunt genre and the spy genre for a very unusual but great result. The series centers on a former FBI agent who works with a former art thief to track and repatriate stolen antiquities and, more importantly, stop terrorists who plan to use the antiquities to their own advantage. While the terrorists plan to use the stolen artifacts to fund their plans, the main characters, Danny and Lexi, attempt to remain hot on their tails.

The series cleverly incorporates historical aspects, action sequences, and adventurous travel while remaining focused on the fight between the good and evil characters.

Though Blood & Treasure received mixed reviews from critics, audiences were much more positive. The series currently holds an 87% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, proving that it is definitely worth a watch. The series cleverly incorporates historical aspects, action sequences, and adventurous travel while remaining focused on the fight between the good and evil characters. Though the series ultimately only ran for two seasons, it was an audience favorite while it was on.

4 The Lost City of Z (2016)

Tom Holland Stars In Another Treasure-Centric Movie

After Tom Holland's exciting performance in Uncharted, instead of following up with the Spider-Man movies, watch The Lost City of Z instead. The star-studded movie is led by Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattison, and Sienna Miller along with Holland as explorers of the Amazon rainforest who believe there to be a secret city hidden in the Brazilian jungle. The movie is based on the true story of the explorer Percy Fawcett (Hunnam) who was determined to find the lost city after years of failure and multiple expeditions.

The Lost City of Z is based on the non-fiction book of the same name by David Grann, who has also written the well-known books Killers of the Flower Moon and The Wager.

Though both Uncharted and The Lost City of Z do share the theme of treasure hunting and adventure, the two movies have very different tones. However, this difference is perfect because it allows Tom Holland to showcase very different sides of his acting abilities. While The Lost City of Z understandably still has to be entertaining, the movie is much more focused on the seriousness of undertaking major and dangerous journeys and the historical situations of the characters. The Lost City of Z is great precisely because it takes a different approach to many popular adventure movies.

3 Outer Banks (2020-)

A Great Teen Adventure Show

Outer Banks feels like it could take place in the same universe as Uncharted, due to the show's light and often humorous tone and non-stop adventure. The Netflix series currently has four seasons, and a fifth and final season of Outer Banks is still in the works. Outer Banks follows a group of teenagers in the Outer Banks of North Carolina who become involved in a centuries-old treasure hunt to find lost gold. While the series began with facets of the characters' everyday lives, it has become increasingly international and the stakes have risen.

Since Outer Banks' premiere in 2020, it has undoubtedly become one of Netflix's most successful and popular series. To this point, its most recent season actually holds a stunning 100% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Where some critics of Uncharted have criticized the casting and dynamic between Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, Outer Banks' cast has consistently great chemistry and enlivens even the most tense moments of the show. As an added bonus, Rudy Pankow, who plays JJ, even appears briefly as Sam Drake in Uncharted.

2 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)

The Video Game Adaptation Falls Into The Same Genre

Just as Uncharted became a sensation due to its history as a popular video game, so did the 2001 movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. The titular character, Lara Croft, is played by Angelina Jolie, and despite negative reviews of some aspects of the movie, her performance has been praised as a high point. Similar to the game, Lara Croft is an adventurer with a background in archeology, and she fearlessly attempts to stop the Illuminati from assembling a powerful artifact known as The Triangle.

Though Lara Croft: Tomb Raider received mostly negative reviews from critics, nothing can detract from how fun the movie is. It may not be the most serious take on the adventure genre, but its entertainment value was certainly there for audiences, as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider became one of the most financially successful video game adaptations of its time. It was also followed by a sequel, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life in 2003, giving audiences yet another chance to enjoy the popular video game character in action.

1 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

A Classic Treasure Hunt Adventure

If any movie could be considered an inspiration for the adventure video games and movies of the past decades, it is certainly Raiders of the Lost Ark. Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones is the archetypal adventure hero and treasure hunter, and the perfect character to pair with Tom Holland's Nathan Drake and Mark Wahlberg's Sully. Overall, Raiders of the Lost Ark and the following movies in the Indiana Jones series are necessary watches for any fans of treasure hunting movies.

Raiders of the Lost Ark perfectly combines the best of action and adventure movies with bits of romance and humor in a way that numerous genre movies have attempted to do since.

The Steven Spielberg film sees Indiana Jones travel to Egypt to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can, but he must face plenty of obstacles along the way. Raiders of the Lost Ark perfectly combines the best of action and adventure movies with bits of romance and humor in a way that numerous genre movies have attempted to do since. While waiting for an Uncharted sequel, Raiders of the Lost Ark and the whole Indiana Jones series show just how comforting and fun treasure hunting movies can be.

Source: Box Office Mojo

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