Few video game protagonists have stood the test of time to last as long as the likes of Mario or Sonic The Hedgehog. One of these characters would beLara Croft. WhenTomb Raiderburst onto the scene in 1996, it was very rare fora female protagonist to be the leading playable characterin a video game, with the only noteworthy exception being Samus from theMetroidseries.
Tomb Raiderexploded into a mega-franchise that continued for many years, then found itself rebooted with a new series of games that enjoyed tremendous success during the 2010s. Which are thebestTomb Raidergames? Which are the worst?
Updated June 02, 2025 by Mark Sammut:In February 2025, a new Tomb Raider compilation hit store shelves, covering three of the more divisive entries in the franchise. Tomb Raider 4–6 Remastered is primarily for diehards who want to replay The Last Revelation and Chronicles and don’t mind giving The Angel of Darkness another try.
Every Tomb Raider Game
Tomb Raiderhas a long and storied history, one that spans more than 15 games across a plethora of platforms and console generations. Lara Croft has been around the world multiple times, and that looks set to continue. The table below listsevery Lara Croft game, along with its original release date, developer, and publisher.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
Aspyr
Certain games were released on both home and handheld consoles; in these cases, the former will be the priority since the latter are, generally, not the same.
When Lara made the leap from the PlayStation to the PlayStation 2, fans were met with a grittier and darker game that disappointed plenty of players. The lack of polish to the controls, a camera the players ended up fighting more than the in-game enemies, and a plethora of bugs and glitches madeThe Angel of Darknessa mess to play.
The developers openly admitted to suffering from a severelack of leadershipwith too much ambition for the project leading to many production issues resulting in the game players were given in 2003.The Angel of Darknesshas neat ideas and a potentially interesting story, but it is difficult to recommend in its current form. Out of all of Lara Croft’s adventures, this would be the best candidate for a remaster or remake.
The developers at Core Design had already become fatigued byTomb Raiderby the timeChroniclesrolled around. Consequently, they attempted to kill off Lara Croft in the previous game but Eidos was determined to keep the franchise going as a cash cow. This led to the final game for Lara on the original PlayStation.
With a mixed reception, the consensus is thatChronicleswas nothing bad but very uninspired, forgettable, and with little to no difference to distinguish it from previous installments. This is just another PS1Tomb Raidergame, an adventure that goes in one ear and out the other.
Tomb Raider’s only new game to be released in the 2020s so far,Reloadedwent by largely unnoticed, which makes sense since the franchise is predominantly a console staple rather than a mobile heavyweight (despite producing quite a few projects for the latter). Several big IPs have tried their hand at iOS and Android gaming, and while there are a couple of great releases, they tend to fall by the wayside quite quickly.Tomb Raider Reloadedis no exception, although that does not mean the game has nothing to offer. In fact, it is a decent mobile project, even if it might struggle to satisfy long-time fans who want a traditional Lara Croft adventure.
Reloaded’s gameplay loop revolves around short-burst stages filled with traps and enemies. The controls and mechanics are stripped down quite a bit, but they do complement this type of release. Unfortunately, like so many mobile games before and after it,Reloaded’s monetization is frustrating at the best of times. That said, the Netflix version removes a lot of the ads and greatly improves the overall experience.
Swapping from a third-person adventureto aZelda-esque overview, Lara jumped to the Nintendo Game Boy Advance with a mildly successful title.Tomb Raider: The Prophecywas praised for its impressive graphics and sound for a Game Boy Advance title.
However, it received criticism for its dull gameplay, little to no story to drive the repetitive action set pieces, and various other complaints. It all led to a title that even die-hardTomb Raiderfans have forgotten had existed over the years. While it is far from brilliant,The Prophecyis a serviceable handheld entry in the franchise.
Arguably the hardestTomb Raiderproject to find,Apocalypsewas a 4-episode game released through Sky Gamestar, a service that allowed customers to play quite an extensive list of titles by paying either for a session or daily. The service launched in 2001 and ended in 2015, making its library difficult to access legitimately. While unknown to people outside the UK, Sky Gamestar had games based on quite a few recognizable IPs (Ben 10,Avatar,Codename: Kids Next Door,Dexter’s Laboratory,Ed, Edd n Eddy,Hulk, andScooby-Doo!), along with popular originals likeBeehive Bedlam.
For years,Tomb Raider: Apocalypsewas considered lost media, as were many Gamestar projects; however, 2023 changed all of that, as most of the service’s games were discovered and made available in some form or another. Regardless of quality, the fact thatApocalypsecan be experienced nowadays is fantastic. That said, is it actually worth playing? Well, the game is an acquired taste, especially since it does not play like any of the otherTomb Raiderreleases. Anold-school cinematic platformer,Apocalypsevery much seems ripped from the late ’80s and early ’90s, albeit with OK visuals that benefit from the episodes visiting quite a few different locations. The gameplay is fine but slow and punishing, and it gets repetitive quite quickly. Still,Apocalypseis quite substantial, containing dozens of levels across its episodes.
This mobile spin-off took its liberties to present the series to a casual audience. Essentially aTomb Raiderversion of the mobile gameTemple Run,Relic Rundoes contain some of the franchise’s trademark qualities that allow the game to stand out in the Endless Runner genre.
It’s more of an evolution in the endless platforming genre, as elements like wall-running and utilizing weapons are injected into the game. All things considered,Relic Runis a great way for casual fans to be introduced to the series, even if it is too one-dimensional.
The GBA’sCurse of the Swordis the sequel to 2000’sTomb Raiderwhich came out on the Game Boy Color. Similar to that title, the 2001 release takes players on a small but satisfying adventure. This time, the campaign primarily takes place in city locations and opts for larger stages rather than its predecessor’s shorter levels.
Curse of the Swordlooks pretty decent for aGame Boy Advance game, particularly its backdrops. Even if the environments are not especially exotic, the game does its best to make them visually striking.
In 2014, theTomb Raiderseries tried its hand atarcade-inspired gameplaywith co-op pushed to the forefront.The Temple of Osirisaccommodates up to four characters, including Lara, and all of them have their own special abilities and traits.
It has a top-down view of the action, which takes away some of the franchise’s charm since the camera is so limited. Apart from that, however, the game is good fun for multiple players, making it a small-scale but enjoyable entry in the series.
2000’sTomb Raidertook Lara to Nintendo’s Game Boy Color, and the franchise handled the transition to handheld surprisingly well. Naturally, expectations need to be tempered since the hardware could not possibly replicate the home console experience, butTomb Raiderdoes an admirable job of replicating Lara’s iconic moveset.
As the game maintains a relatively slow pace, this is certainly not an action-heavy experience; however, the campaign offers a good mix of puzzles, exploration, and cutscenes. While not a must-play title, this release would fit snugly in any GBC collection.
While not as beloved as the first two games in the series,Tomb Raider 3is a solid threequel that made everything bigger than ever before. Admittedly, this did come at the loss of most of the mystery and suspense found in the prior entries.
There was also a severe lack of innovation that causedTomb Raider 3to feel more akin to an expansion pack to the second game rather than a big-budget sequel. Despite these criticisms,Tomb Raider 3is a highly enjoyable classic romp in the series, one that should please anyone fond of Lara’s previous two adventures.
