Among PlayStation's first-party studios, Naughty Dog has a legacy spanning several decades, comprised of trend-setting titles like Jak and Daxter and The Last of Us. The variety and creativity of titles the studio has been able to pump out is undoubtedly impressive, especially given the studio always hits a top-notch level of polish, keeping players engaged and always excited to see what is coming next.
However, while Naughty Dog used to tease its next project before the launch of its current game (The Last of Us was revealed around Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, for example) this is not the case as of now. The developer's most recent title The Last of Us 2 is well over a year old, and while Naughty Dog is confirmed to be working on a big multiplayer project based on The Last of Us, little else is known about its future plans. A leak earlier in the year may have shed some light on what is in the works, but all of this is purely speculation at this point and should be taken with a grain of salt.
Uncharted PC Port
Uncharted has been quiet for a few years, with the last major release being in 2017 with Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. The ending of the fourth game seemed to set up a potential continuation starring Nate's daughter in future installments. While rumors persist for a proper follow up to the series, other rumblings have made the rounds that Naughty Dog and Sony are working on an eventual PC port for Uncharted. While it is best to wait for confirmation on this, this wouldn't be a stretch considering the recent push for PC ports of PlayStation games like Death Stranding and Horizon: Zero Dawn.
The Last of Us 2: Abby DLC
The Last of Us 2 introduced a bunch of new characters to the mix, but no other inclusion created as much controversy or debate as Abby. Her role in the narrative was pivotal, affecting the events of the game in major ways and even serving as a second playable character alongside Ellie, who returned from the first installment. Within the aforementioned leak are details about Naughty Dog potentially working on a standalone DLC expansion focused on Abby. It is unclear if this will be set before or after the main story of The Last of Us 2, but it would surely help develop the character even further. Whether Naughty Dog decided to delay the DLC in response to the mixed reception of Abby could have factored into not seeing anything about it by now.
The Last of Us Multiplayer Project
The first game featured a surprisingly deep and addictive multiplayer component called "Factions Mode," and fans naturally expected something similar in the second game. Naughty Dog has confirmed that a similar multiplayer mode was in the works for The Last of Us 2, but ultimately missed the game's release in order to further improve and expand upon the experience. News on the project has been silent for quite some time, with Naughty Dog assuring players that the side project is still progressing smoothly and will be on the way soon. It remains to be seen just what this new multiplayer game will be in the end, but after all this development time, surely it has ballooned into something much bigger and more ambitious than initially expected.
New IP/Codename "Stray's Cross"
Perhaps the most unique and intriguing of all the rumored Naughty Dog games on the horizon is Stray's Cross, the codename for an unannounced new IP from the studio. Naughty Dog hasn't made a new IP since 2013 with the launch of The Last of Us on PlayStation 3, which is coming close to ten years ago. The developer is praised for its imagination and ability to create compelling worlds inhabited by interesting characters. Jak and Daxter is as distinct as Uncharted and Crash Bandicoot were from one another, so the prospect of a brand-new era of ideas from the developer is an engaging concept.
Unfortunately, Stray's Cross is just a rumor as of this writing. Nothing concrete is known regarding plot, gameplay, or setting, with fans only able to make guesses as to what this rumored title will be (if it even exists). Naughty Dog has been developing games mostly restricted to Planet Earth for quite some time now, with playable characters being human beings and locations being inspired by real-world places. Stray's Cross is rumored to be a sci-fi game, set in the far reaches of space not far off from what Bethesda is working on with Starfield.
With the power of the PS5 at its disposal and the limitless possibilities of the sci-fi genre, its easy to understand why fans are excited for what Naughty Dog can cook up with a project like this. There is currently nothing tangible to go on, not even a leaked screenshot of the game in action, so it may be quite some time before anything concrete is shown off. But based on Naughty Dog's prior track record, should this title be real, gamers everywhere should be in for a wild ride.