When Sony shut down the Uncharted 2, Uncharted 3, and The Last of Us multiplayer servers on September 3, 2019, thousands of players lost access to beloved online experiences. Six years later, those games are coming back from the dead thanks to passionate community preservation efforts. Projects like Uncharted Reloaded are giving PS3 owners the chance to relive multiplayer memories on games that officially died years ago, highlighting how dedicated fans are keeping gaming history playable when publishers walk away.
The Uncharted Reloaded Project
A modder known as Force launched the Uncharted 2 multiplayer revival project in March 2025, seemingly out of nowhere. The custom server implementation allows players with physical or digital PS3 copies to access competitive multiplayer and cooperative modes that have been unplayable for over five years. Players join through a Discord server where they get their PlayStation Network names approved before gaining access to custom matches.
Uncharted 3 multiplayer came online first, with Uncharted 2 following shortly after. The preservation team has also announced plans to bring The Last of Us multiplayer back and is working on emulator support through RPCS3, which would let people play without needing original PS3 hardware. Free DLC that was region-locked or difficult to obtain is now available through the custom servers, giving players access to content they missed the first time around.
Why These Games Matter
Uncharted 2 Among Thieves multiplayer wasn’t just a tacked-on mode. When it launched in 2009, the competitive and cooperative offerings surprised everyone by being genuinely excellent. The parkour traversal, third-person shooting, and cinematic set pieces that made the single-player campaign special translated beautifully to online play. Co-op missions let three players tackle scenarios designed specifically for teamwork, with objectives and enemy placements that required coordination.
The competitive multiplayer featured multiple game modes across diverse maps with unlockable characters, skins, and loadouts. Players spent hundreds or thousands of hours mastering movement mechanics, weapon balance, and map knowledge. When Sony pulled the plug in 2019 alongside other PS3 titles, those communities lost not just games but social spaces where friendships formed and memories were made. No remaster or remake has brought these specific multiplayer modes back, making preservation projects the only way to experience them.
LittleBigPlanet and Beyond
Uncharted isn’t the only classic PS3 franchise getting resurrected. LittleBigPlanet servers have also been targeted for revival efforts, allowing players to create and share custom levels again. The creative community-driven nature of LittleBigPlanet made its server shutdown particularly painful since millions of user-generated levels became inaccessible. Fan-run servers aim to restore not just the gameplay but the entire ecosystem of creation and sharing that defined the franchise.
The Technical Challenge
Bringing dead online games back requires reverse engineering how the original servers communicated with game clients. Modders analyze network traffic, decompile game code, and recreate authentication systems that verify players without Sony’s infrastructure. For PS3 games, this involves working with older networking protocols and security measures that publishers designed specifically to prevent unauthorized servers.
The projects face ongoing technical hurdles. Solo co-op functionality hasn’t been implemented yet for Uncharted 2 Reloaded. Certain features remain unavailable while the development team works through compatibility issues. Players report occasional connection problems and bugs that weren’t present on official servers. Despite these limitations, the community rallies around preservation efforts and accepts rough edges in exchange for being able to play at all.
Community Drama and Growing Pains
The Uncharted Reloaded beta hasn’t been without controversy. In mid-2025, the project faced a crisis when moderators implemented strict rules that resulted in banning large portions of the beta testing community. Public backlash was severe enough that some thought the entire project might shut down. The development team eventually walked back the harshest policies, but the incident left lasting damage to the project’s reputation.
Managing these community-run servers requires more than technical skill. The teams need to handle player disputes, enforce rules, prevent cheating, and maintain infrastructure with zero budget and volunteer labor. When passionate fans disagree about how projects should operate, drama inevitably erupts. Despite these challenges, Uncharted Reloaded appears to have stabilized and continues growing its player base throughout 2025.
The Broader Preservation Movement
Fan-run servers for discontinued games aren’t new. PC gaming has a long history of community members keeping multiplayer titles alive after official support ends. What makes PS3 preservation special is the closed nature of console ecosystems. Sony controls authentication, network infrastructure, and even which games can connect online. Bypassing these restrictions requires significantly more work than running a PC game server.
The movement gained urgency as more PlayStation 3 games approached or exceeded 15 years old. Sony has shown minimal interest in preserving PS3 titles, with backward compatibility remaining unavailable on PS5 outside of cloud streaming. Native PS3 emulation rumors circulate regularly but haven’t materialized into official support. This leaves preservation entirely in community hands, with all the legal uncertainty that entails.
Legal Gray Areas
These revival projects exist in legally ambiguous territory. Sony owns the rights to Uncharted, LittleBigPlanet, and The Last of Us. The company could theoretically issue cease and desist orders to shut down unauthorized servers. So far, Sony hasn’t taken action against PS3 multiplayer preservation efforts, possibly recognizing that these old games generate zero revenue and targeting fan projects would create terrible publicity.
The situation differs from projects that distribute copyrighted game files. Uncharted Reloaded requires players to own legitimate copies of the games. The custom servers only provide networking infrastructure, not the games themselves. This distinction might offer some legal protection, though no court has definitively ruled on whether recreating authentication servers constitutes copyright infringement or fair use.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I play Uncharted 2 multiplayer in 2025?
You need a physical or digital copy of Uncharted 2 for PS3, a PlayStation 3 console, and approval from the Uncharted Reloaded Discord server. Join the Discord, get your PSN name approved, and follow setup instructions to connect to custom servers.
Can I play on PS4 or PS5?
No. The multiplayer revival requires actual PS3 hardware currently. Developers are working on RPCS3 emulator support for future updates, which would let people play on PC without owning PS3 consoles.
Is this legal?
It’s a gray area. Players must own legitimate game copies, and the projects don’t distribute copyrighted content. However, Sony could potentially claim that recreating authentication servers violates their rights. So far, they haven’t taken legal action.
What other PS3 games have been revived?
Besides Uncharted 2 and 3, preservation teams are working on The Last of Us multiplayer and LittleBigPlanet servers. Other PS3 titles like Killzone 2, Resistance, and various racing games could potentially receive similar treatments.
Why didn’t Sony keep these servers running?
Operating servers costs money with no revenue return for 15-year-old games. As player counts dwindle, publishers shut down multiplayer infrastructure to cut costs. Sony hasn’t provided backward compatibility alternatives for PS3 multiplayer modes.
Can I use my old save data and unlocks?
This varies by project. Some custom servers can access original save data if stored locally on your PS3. Progress tied to Sony’s servers is likely lost forever. You may need to start fresh with new accounts on custom servers.
Are the servers stable?
They’re improving but not perfect. Expect occasional connection issues, missing features, and bugs. These are volunteer-run operations without the resources of professional game companies.
Will Sony bring these back officially?
Extremely unlikely. Sony has shown no interest in maintaining PS3 multiplayer infrastructure or developing native backward compatibility for PS5. Community preservation appears to be the only option.
The Future of Game Preservation
Projects like Uncharted Reloaded demonstrate what’s possible when communities refuse to let games die. As more titles from the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii era lose official support, preservation becomes increasingly urgent. These weren’t just games but online communities where people spent years of their lives. When publishers shut servers down, they erase cultural artifacts and social spaces that mattered deeply to players. Fan preservation efforts ensure that future generations can experience gaming history instead of just reading about it. The work is technically difficult, legally uncertain, and requires sustained volunteer effort. But for people who loved Uncharted 2 multiplayer, being able to play it again in 2025 makes every challenge worthwhile. These aren’t just old games being kept alive. They’re memories being preserved, friendships being rekindled, and proof that gaming communities care more about preservation than corporations ever will.