The best Tomb Raider games of all time, ranked

❘ Published: 2024-02-16T14:17:42

Crystal Dynamics / Aspyr

The Tomb Raider series is one of the most iconic in all of gaming, but what are the best ones to play? Here are the best Tomb Raider games, ranked.

After the recent release of the Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered collection, Lara Croft has entered the cultural conversation once again. Since her debut in 1996, Ms Croft has delighted and excited fans from all over the world.

And with Lara starring in such a long library of games, it’s obvious there are going to be some golden idols in here and some that are not worth visiting. So, what are the best Tomb Raider games of all time? Here is our ranked list.

10. Tomb Raider: Underworld

Tomb Raider: Underworld, the final game in the first reboot trilogy, is arguably the weakest of the three. This is largely down to it feeling a little unfinished and, as a result, it lacks some polish. Even playing the game today, you’re still prone to finding bugs, camera issues, and messy physics.

Locking the bonus content, which included two pieces of story content, to the Xbox 360 platform was also an unpopular move. It meant players on other platforms couldn’t get the full experience. All in all, Tomb Raider: Underworld is still a fun entry in the wider Tomb Raider canon if you can reconcile these issues, but many other titles still outshine it.

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9. Tomb Raider (2013)

After a period of relative quiet, Tomb Raider’s second reboot occurred in 2013 to much critical acclaim. The first part of the “Survivor Trilogy”, Tomb Raider 2013, acts as an origin story for the character as she embarks on a journey that turns her into the battle-hardened explorer we see in the classic games.

The 2013 reboot was a dramatic shakeup in terms of structure, introducing semi-open hub areas to encourage backtracking and exploration. The franchise’s trademark platforming and puzzle-solving elements are still here, but there is a greater emphasis on survival. While not a bad game at all, its move towards the “Uncharted-ification” of the series has proved to be controversial with fans.

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8. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

As Square Enix experimented with new ways to shake up the franchise after the release of Tomb Raider: Underworld, the short-lived Lara Croft spin-off series was born. Rather than following the traditional action-adventure 3D platforming the series had until that point, Guardian of Light took a more arcadey approach to its action and exploration, as well as introducing a cooperative element to the game.

With Keeley Hawes returning to voice Lara, this fresher take on the character provided a new way to enjoy the Tomb Raider series through its isometric puzzle-solving and action. The game takes advantage of this perspective shift, too; being able to see a wider view of the levels brings in new opportunities for exploration and puzzles that the original games simply couldn’t do.

7. Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation

By the time Core Design got around to development on the fourth entry to the series, the annual releases had caught up with much of the design team, and franchise fatigue had begun to set in. Despite struggling to keep the series fresh with new ideas, The Last Revelation became very enjoyable for fans, even if it wasn’t as strong as the earlier games.

In particular, the most common complaints about The Last Revelation comes from its repetitive backtracking and pacing issues. However, the game also introduces some really high-concept ideas to its puzzles that make it an iconic entry to the series. It’s a great indicator of how far the series had evolved over just four games to where, despite the troubled development cycle, it didn’t stop Core Design from releasing an enjoyable product.

6. Tomb Raider 3

There’s a love/hate relationship with Tomb Raider 3 among many players. Compared to the previous two in the series, it’s longer, more detailed, and far more complicated. Even with the recent release of the Tomb Raider I-III Remastered collection, it’s still clearly a very complex title that has not aged gracefully over the years.

In its defense, though, Tomb Raider 3 has some of the most interesting locations across the original trilogy. Each stage looks absolutely gorgeous and is packed with so many interesting details that came about as a result of Core Design’s evolution. The game is hard and can sometimes be outright cruel with its difficulty, but it is the best way to round out the original three releases. Just remember to pick Nevada first.

5. Rise of the Tomb Raider

After the success of the 2013 reboot, Crystal Dynamics soon began work on a sequel that further explored Lara’s journey to becoming the eponymous Tomb Raider. Now, Rise of the Tomb Raider is often agreed upon by fans as the best of the Survivor Trilogy. There’s better exploration, more interesting puzzles, and the level design feels closer to a modern interpretation of the stages you’d get in those classic Tomb Raider games.

The following year, a new edition of the game called Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration was released, which included new content inspired by the series’ past. This brought in classic outfits, new expansion content, and even a combat-free mode where players were free to explore Croft Manor. In the end, it felt like Rise of the Tomb Raider was a worthy entry to the franchise, striking a great balance between new and old.

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4. Tomb Raider 2

Lara’s first-ever sequel expanded upon the mechanics of the first Tomb Raider with fresh puzzles, locations, and enemies. While Tomb Raider 3 became notorious for its bump in difficulty, the second game was a middle ground between the tricky platforming of the original without the perceived unfairness of later titles. New traversal options, such as being able to climb ladders and walk through shallow water, also add new opportunities for exploration and puzzle-solving.

The differences between Tomb Raider 2 and its predecessor are minimal, but at the end of the day, it’s more Tomb Raider, and that’s not a bad thing. Whether you prefer this over the original is purely down to personal preference, based on how enticing you find the environments and level design.

3. Tomb Raider: Anniversary

After the tenth anniversary of the Tomb Raider series, a remake was announced for release the following year. Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a full-blown remake of the original game, bringing over the original levels and story from the 1996 game. However, it was also structured into the series’ canon that began with Legend, tying in this new version of Lara with the classic lore.

For players who were put off the original games due to their age (a problem hopefully also lessened with the new Tomb Raider I-III Remastered collection), Anniversary serves as the perfect middle-ground. Those who want to experience Tomb Raider 1’s story and levels but want the improvements that Legend brought with regards to its controls and design can do so here. For this reason, the nostalgia is doing a lot of heavy lifting – but Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a great entry point to the entire franchise.

2. Tomb Raider (1996)

The first game in the Tomb Raider series introduced the world to Lara Croft and showed us a novel way of creating a platformer. Following the explorer across four locations as she searches for the mysterious Scion of Atlantis artifact, the game quickly became famous for its challenging puzzles and creepy atmosphere.

Not only that, but Lara’s iconic design made her a breakout gaming mascot pretty much from the offset. Her humor, intelligence, and strength helped to immerse players into the narrative, providing them with a female role model that many gamers could look to. In time, Lara became a cultural icon that matched other famous female characters that came before, such as Chun-Li, Samus Aran, and Princess Zelda.

1. Tomb Raider: Legend

Tomb Raider: Legend was the first reboot in the series, as well as the first helmed by Crystal Dynamics. It featured a new backstory for Lara, revitalized gameplay, and made a larger focus on action and combat. The tank controls were also abandoned in favor of the more modern free movement preferred by contemporary 3D games of the time.

After the last few games in the series had failed to win over the appreciation of fans and critics, Legend was seen as a return to form for the character. The hardware improvements on the Xbox 360 and PS3 also allowed more detail to come through in the world and character models. Additionally, Keeley Hawes’ portrayal of Lara is often praised as the most iconic in the series, with her returning to the role many times afterward, including a guest appearance last year as an operator in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

In the end, Tomb Raider: Legend brings together the entire series. For fans of the classic games, and fans of the newer titles, Legend was the common ground most people could agree on was perfect.

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