The Uncharted franchise puts Nathan Drake through the wringer. There is no way any mortal human could have made it through the four mainline games and spin-offs, as the following entries will show. Video games, much like movies, obviously require a suspension of disbelief to be enjoyed.
However, even by the rules set by the series, there is no way Nathan Drake should have made it through some of these scrapes. Most video game characters get shot or beat up during the course of gameplay, but the damage Nathan Drake takes in some of these cutscenes takes his durability to a whole other level. Whether him living through these injuries makes sense or not, we are all glad he made it through to give us all these wonderful Uncharted adventures.
7 Washing Up On The Rocks (Uncharted 4)
Uncharted 4 starts with a boat chase. A man is finally knocked out of the boat and picked up by a massive wave before the game flashes back to Nathan Drake's past. Only about two thirds through the game do we see him wash up on a rocky shore. This boat chase happens during a violent storm with explosions going on everywhere.
The waves are also thrashing about wildly. All of this happening near jagged rocks is a recipe for mortal injury. Nathan Drake is certainly winded and fatigued after washing up on the rocks, but there is a big chance he would have cut his head open on one of the sharp rocks and bled to death.
6 Getting Shot And Ending Up In A Train Wreck (Uncharted 2)
Like Uncharted 4, the second mainline entry also starts in medias res, showing Nathan Drake in a potentially fatal situation. This time, he is bleeding and on a train car hanging off the edge of a cliff. Only later on do we find out how he ended up in this predicament.
After one of the most intense train set pieces ever, Nathan Drake takes a bullet in the gut and the train derails. Despite the wreck and his injuries, Nathan still musters the strength to climb out of the broken train. The frostbite from the cold Himalayan mountains should have done him in if the physical injuries were not already enough.
5 Getting Beat Up By Nadine Ross (Uncharted 4)
Have you ever seen an honest-to-goodness fight between two people who are really out to hurt each other? If you have, you would know they only last about five seconds. It only takes a couple of strong punches to do permanent damage.
This makes the fights between Nathan Drake and Nadine Ross in Uncharted 4 all the more unbelievable. Nathan Drake can hold his own in a combat situation, but Nadine Ross is shown to be a true pro. In their first encounter, she really does a number on him. This should have been enough to stop Nathan Drake right then and there. If it didn't kill him, he would have certainly needed time in the hospital to recover.
4 Backing The Jeep Off A Cliff (Uncharted 1)
After an intense rail shooting sequence, Nathan Drake and Elena find themselves in the jeep with its tires hanging off the back of a steep drop into water. Instead of giving into the villains who have them at gunpoint, Nathan Drake backs the jeep off the edge, throwing himself, Elena, and the vehicle into the water below.
Games love to treat water like it's a giant pillow. In reality, it would not be much softer than falling onto concrete unless one knew how to dive properly. Even if they could survive the fall, it is likely they would have fallen out of the vehicle mid-drop and then got crushed as the vehicle landed in the water.
3 Getting Pushed Off A Cliff (Uncharted 4)
After the big revelation about Sam Drake's lie, Rafe Adler attempts to shoot Nathan. Sam jumps in the way and takes the bullet for him. However, Nathan still ends up falling off a cliff into a river below. This only comes a few hours after the previous boat chase, so he should still be reeling from that damage.
He is knocked unconscious but gets up after Elena saves him. There is a quick flashback scene after he falls continuing on the flashback from the beginning of the game.
2 Falling Out Of A Cargo Plane And Getting Stuck In The Desert (Uncharted 3)
Uncharted 3 has a lot of big set pieces in quick succession. One of them ends with Nathan Drake fighting enemies while struggling not to fall out of a cargo plane. He is eventually flung out of the burning vehicle, but is able to maneuver himself over to a piece of cargo and activate its parachute.
As unlikely as this is, he still did not sustain any injuries. What really should have killed him was the trek around the burning desert without proper supplies. One can survive about three days without water. Even if he did manage to find people, like he does in the game, he would not be in fighting shape from the lack of sustenance and would likely require hospitalization immediately.
1 Getting Dragged By A Truck (Uncharted 4)
This one actually hurts us to watch. During the car chase in Madagascar, Nathan Drake uses his rope to latch onto a truck. He is then dragged along the dirt while he slowly climbs toward the vehicle. Being dragged by this truck at the high speed would do way more than just kill him.
Nathan Drake would be absolutely unrecognizable by the end of it. He would break just about every bone in his body and his limbs would be scattered in different places. Even though it is just one moment of a bigger set piece, it is absurd to even think of this being something he could live through.