Lara Croft is a weird icon. Honestly, she shouldn’t have survived the nineties. Most mascots from that era—think Gex or Bubsy—died painful deaths in the bargain bin of history. But Lara is different. Since 1996, the British archaeologist has been through more reboots, redesigns, and corporate hand-offs than almost any other character in the medium. If you look at all the tomb raider games as a single timeline, you see more than just a series of puzzles and gunfights; you see the evolution of 3D gaming itself.
It started with a vision of "Tank Controls." Core Design, based in Derby, UK, basically stumbled onto a goldmine when Toby Gard sketched out a female protagonist to avoid lawsuits from the Indiana Jones folks. The first game was a revelation. It wasn’t about shooting everything that moved. It was about space. It was about the terrifying silence of a cavern where the only sound was Lara’s boots on the stone.
The Original Core Design Era: 1996–2003
The first five games came out at a breakneck pace. One every year. That’s insane by today’s standards.
In 1996, the original Tomb Raider dropped. It was revolutionary. You had to time your jumps perfectly, or Lara would plummet to her death with a sickening crunch. Then came Tomb Raider II in 1997, which took us to Venice and the Great Wall. This one leaned harder into combat, adding the iconic M16 and those stressful underwater levels with sharks. By 1998’s Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft, the difficulty spike was real. It was brutal. I remember getting stuck in the India levels for weeks because the level design became so non-linear and confusing.
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (1999) tried to ground the story back in Egypt. It’s actually many fans' favorite because it felt cohesive. But the fatigue was setting in. Core Design was tired. They actually tried to kill her off at the end of that game. Just buried her under a temple.
They didn't want to make more. But the money was too good.
Tomb Raider: Chronicles (2000) felt like a collection of B-sides. It’s fine, but it was clear the engine was ancient. Then came the disaster. Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (2003) on the PS2. It was supposed to be a gritty, urban reinvention. Instead, it was a buggy, unfinished mess that nearly killed the franchise. It’s a fascinating failure to look back on, honestly. You can see the ambition—RPG elements, stealth, a darker Lara—but it just didn't work.
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The Crystal Dynamics Rescue: Legend, Anniversary, and Underworld
Eidos moved the series to Crystal Dynamics in California. This was a massive shift. They ditched the grid-based movement and gave Lara fluid, acrobatic controls.
Tomb Raider: Legend (2006) was short, snappy, and fun. It brought back the globe-trotting energy. Then, to celebrate the ten-year mark, they released Tomb Raider: Anniversary. It was a remake of the 1996 original using the Legend engine. It’s actually a masterclass in how to remake a game. It kept the "feel" of the puzzles while making them work for a modern audience.
Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008) finished this specific trilogy. It featured some of the most beautiful environments in the series—the Mediterranean Sea floor, Thailand, Mexico. It felt like the series had finally found its footing again. But then, the industry changed. Uncharted happened. Nathan Drake was the new king of cinematic action, and Lara suddenly looked a bit old-fashioned.
The Survivor Trilogy: Gritty, Dirty, and Lethal
In 2013, everything changed. Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics decided to strip Lara of her dual pistols and her confidence. This was the "Survivor" era.
Tomb Raider (2013) was a total reboot. It was violent. Lara was stranded on Yamatai, an island full of cultists. This game was heavily influenced by the Uncharted style—lots of set pieces, lots of scripted escapes. People loved it, but some old-school fans missed the complex isolated puzzles.
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015) followed. It’s arguably the best of the modern bunch. The Siberian setting was gorgeous, and the "Challenge Tombs" finally brought back that sense of architectural puzzle-solving. Finally, Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) took us to Paititi in Peru. This one was darker. It looked at the consequences of Lara’s actions—the fact that she’s basically a wealthy Brit raiding other cultures' heritage. It was a heavy note to end on.
The Spin-offs and the Weird Stuff
We can't talk about all the tomb raider games without mentioning the weird ones.
- The Handhelds: Remember the Game Boy Color games? Tomb Raider (2000) and Curse of the Sword (2001) were surprisingly good 2D platformers.
- Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light: This was a top-down, co-op arcade game. It sounds like a bad idea on paper. It was actually brilliant.
- Lara Croft Go: A mobile puzzle game that captured the "feel" of the 1996 original better than almost any of the big budget sequels.
Why the Legacy Persists
Look, the reason these games stick around isn't just because Lara Croft is on the box. It’s because the core loop—exploration, discovery, and survival—is primal. We want to see what’s behind the door. We want to solve the mechanism that’s been dormant for a thousand years.
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The series is currently in a state of "unification." Amazon Games and Crystal Dynamics are working on a new entry that aims to bridge the gap between the confident, dual-pistol wielding Lara of the 90s and the gritty survivor of the 2010s. It’s a tall order. But if the history of these games proves anything, it's that you can't count Lara Croft out. She always finds a way out of the ruins.
Actionable Insights for Replaying the Series
If you’re looking to dive back into all the tomb raider games, don't just play them in order. You'll burn out. Instead, follow this roadmap to see the highlights:
- The Remastered Collection (I-III): Aspyr recently released a remastered trilogy of the original games. Play these first if you want to understand the DNA of the series. Use the "Modern Controls" setting if you find the old tank controls too frustrating, though the "Tank" controls are actually more precise for the grid-based jumps.
- The Legend/Anniversary/Underworld Trilogy: These are currently very cheap on PC and play great on the Steam Deck. They represent the "middle ground" of the series and are perfect for a weekend binge.
- The 2013 Reboot: If you want a cinematic experience that feels like a modern blockbuster movie, start here. It’s the most accessible entry point for someone who hasn't played a game since the 90s.
- Skip the Angel of Darkness: Unless you are a completionist or a glutton for punishment, just watch a YouTube summary of the story. The controls are genuinely broken, and it’s more frustrating than fun.
The best way to experience the evolution is to look at the tomb design. In 1996, a tomb was a series of blocks. In 2024, it's a living, breathing ecosystem. But the feeling of finally opening that final door? That hasn't changed a bit.