Costume Guide
Henley shirt, cargo pants, the ring necklace, a shoulder holster, and just enough confidence to convince people you’ve done this before.
Nathan Drake is one of gaming’s most recognisable characters, and his costume is basically just regular clothes with two specific additions. That’s both the appeal and the challenge. The henley, cargo pants, and boots are easy. But without the ring necklace and the holster, you’re just a guy in a henley. Those two items do all the heavy lifting. Nathan first appeared in the Uncharted video game series developed by Naughty Dog, and was played by Tom Holland in the 2022 film adaptation.
Affiliate links. We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Put the henley on first, then the cargo pants and boots. Fasten the watch. Put the ring necklace on and let it rest visibly on the outside of the shirt. That detail matters more than any other single thing in this build. Then fit the shoulder holster over the top and adjust it until it sits naturally. That’s the complete look.
Nathan Drake doesn’t pose. He reacts. For Halloween, the in-character move is to look slightly inconvenienced by everything happening around you while still fully committing to whatever is being asked of you. A mildly exhausted expression with the ring held up for anyone who asks is the whole performance. Keep it understated and it lands every time.
The Ring Necklace: Wear It on the Outside
This sounds like a small thing. It’s not. The ring necklace worn tucked inside the shirt is invisible. Worn on the outside, over the henley, it’s the first detail anyone familiar with Uncharted will clock from across the room. Nathan wears it outside his shirt throughout the games and the film, and that’s not an accident. It’s a character flag. Position it so the ring itself rests on the chest, visible at all times. If people keep asking what you’re dressed as, the necklace is probably tucked in. Fix that first before adjusting anything else.
Distress the Clothes If You Have Time
Nathan Drake’s clothes are always slightly roughed up. Not destroyed, just lived-in. If you have the time and don’t mind doing it, lightly scuffing the knees of the cargo pants with sandpaper and doing the same to the boots gives the whole costume a more accurate look. A small smudge of brown or grey stage makeup on the forearms and jaw adds to the effect without making you look like you fell over on the way in. This is optional. The clean version of the costume works fine. But if you want to commit, this is where the detail is.
Treasure Hunters and Explorers
Four treasure hunters from four completely different genres. This works well because each character has a distinct silhouette, and the shared concept of “person who finds things that should probably stay unfound” does all the group-binding work. No explanation needed at the door. Wide recognition across different age groups too, which helps at mixed Halloween events.
Action Heroes Group
Four action movie and game protagonists who are all essentially men with guns and strong opinions about how things should go. Visually they’re distinct enough that it reads clearly as a group, but the shared energy of barely-contained competence ties it together. This only really works if everyone commits fully. One person in half a costume and the whole thing just looks like a coincidence.
The Nathan Drake DIY costume is almost entirely buildable from things you might already own, with one exception. The ring necklace is the only item you genuinely need to buy. It’s character-specific and there’s no real substitute for it. Everything else, the henley, the cargo pants, the watch, the boots, is practical clothing that plenty of people already have sitting in their wardrobe. The holster is the second most important dedicated purchase, but if you’re on a tight budget and already have a plain leather belt bag or similar prop, it can work as a stand-in. Realistically, if you own the right clothes, the whole build comes down to two purchases.
Nathan Drake’s most effective in-character prop costs nothing: a folded paper map or an old journal carried in one hand. It’s a small detail, but holding a worn journal while looking slightly confused about where you are is genuinely funny and entirely on-brand for the character. A compass on a lanyard is a second option, easily found at any outdoor or camping shop for a few dollars. Neither of these is necessary. But the ring necklace plus the holster plus one small explorer prop is the complete picture, and it’s cheap enough to not think twice about.
Six pieces: henley long sleeve t-shirt, cargo pants, Nathan Drake’s ring with necklace strap, brown strap watch, shoulder and belt holster with double mag pouch, and tactical boots. The ring necklace and the holster are the two essential purchases. The rest can come from your own wardrobe. Full build runs $40 to $80 depending on what you already own.
His catchphrase is “Oh crap,” delivered in reaction to basically everything going wrong, which is most of his life. His most quoted game lines include “Oh man, I’m so tired of climbing this stuff” and “Everything I touch turns to crap,” both of which reflect his exhausted, self-aware approach to being in constant mortal danger. His personal motto, Sic Parvis Magna, meaning Greatness from small beginnings, is inscribed on the ring he wears throughout the series. For Halloween in-character delivery: respond to any inconvenience with a heavy sigh and the phrase “Oh crap.” That covers about 80 percent of Nathan Drake’s personality in two words.
A henley long sleeve t-shirt in a muted earthy tone. Tan, brown, or grey. Plain, no graphics. The henley collar with the small button placket is the detail that makes it look right rather than just a random long sleeve shirt.
Slim or straight fit cargo pants in a neutral earthy colour. The fit is the important part. Baggy cargos read wrong for this costume. Check what you already own before buying a new pair.
Yes. Probably the easiest video game Halloween costume build because most of it is just real clothes. The ring necklace is the only truly character-specific purchase. Buy that and the holster, check your wardrobe for the rest, and you’re done.
Nathan Drake is the main character of Naughty Dog’s Uncharted game series. Treasure hunter, self-proclaimed descendant of Sir Francis Drake, and someone who statistically climbs more things than any human being should. Tom Holland played a younger version of him in the 2022 film. The character is beloved largely because he treats every near-death experience with the energy of someone who has missed their train.
Sir Francis Drake’s ring, worn on a necklace, inscribed with Sic Parvis Magna. It’s the most character-specific item in the entire Nathan Drake costume and the thing Uncharted fans will spot first. Without it, the outfit is just cargo pants and a henley. With it, the whole costume clicks into place.