Start with Tomb Raider (2013) → Rise of the Tomb Raider → Shadow of the Tomb Raider if you’re new to the series. That’s the Survivor trilogy, and it tells the story of how the modern Lara Croft became a tomb raider. To play the original games, start with the 1996 campaign in Tomb Raider I–III Remastered and work through game VI. The middle trilogy goes Anniversary → Legend → Underworld in story order.
There were 12 mainline Tomb Raider games as of November 14, 2026, across three eras. You can start at the beginning of whichever era sounds most like your kind of adventure.
On this page
- Tomb Raider games in order at a glance
- All Tomb Raider games in release order
- Lara Croft’s story and the three Tomb Raider timelines
- How to play the classic Tomb Raider games in order
- Legend trilogy order: Anniversary, Legend and Underworld
- Survivor trilogy order: Tomb Raider, Rise and Shadow
- What’s the best Tomb Raider game to start with?
- Original vs. Anniversary vs. Remastered
- How many Tomb Raider games are there?
- Where to play Tomb Raider on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and mobile
- Upcoming Tomb Raider games
- Tomb Raider play order FAQ
Tomb Raider games in order at a glance
Each number is a game’s position within its own storyline. The year is the original release, even when the edition you can buy today came out later.
| Game (year) | Era and order | Where to play | Remaster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomb Raider (1996) | Classic 1 | PC · PS4/PS5 · Xbox One/Series · Switch / Switch 2 · iOS/Android | I–III |
| Tomb Raider II (1997) | Classic 2 | PC · PS4/PS5 · Xbox One/Series · Switch / Switch 2 · iOS/Android | I–III |
| Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft (1998) | Classic 3 | PC · PS4/PS5 · Xbox One/Series · Switch / Switch 2 · iOS/Android | I–III |
| Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (1999) | Classic 4 | PC · PS4/PS5 · Xbox One/Series · Switch | IV–VI |
| Tomb Raider: Chronicles (2000) | Classic 5 | PC · PS4/PS5 · Xbox One/Series · Switch | IV–VI |
| Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (2003) | Classic 6 | PC · PS4/PS5 · Xbox One/Series · Switch | IV–VI |
| Tomb Raider: Legend (2006) | Legend 2 | PC · Xbox One/Series · PS4/PS5 | — |
| Tomb Raider: Anniversary (2007) | Legend 1 | PC · Xbox One/Series · PS4/PS5 | — |
| Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008) | Legend 3 | PC · Xbox One/Series | — |
| Tomb Raider (2013) | Survivor 1 | PC · PS4/PS5 · Xbox One/Series · Switch / Switch 2 · iOS/Android | — |
| Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015) | Survivor 2 | PC · PS4/PS5 · Xbox One/Series · Switch 2 | — |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) | Survivor 3 | PC · PS4/PS5 · Xbox One/Series · Switch 2 | — |
The console listings for the first six games refer to the remasters. The original PC releases are also sold separately or in bundles. On PS5, the Survivor games run as backward-compatible PS4 titles. The first Survivor game is on the original Switch, while Switch 2 has all three.
All Tomb Raider games in release order
To see how Tomb Raider changed as the games came out, start with the six Core Design titles in the table, then play Legend (2006) → Anniversary (2007) → Underworld (2008), and finish with the three Survivor games (2013–2018). The spin-off table below gives you original release years if you want to slot those games in along the way.
- 1996–2003 · Core Design. The original launched on Saturn, PlayStation, and PC. II and III first arrived on PlayStation and PC. The Last Revelation and Chronicles both reached Dreamcast. The Angel of Darkness was a PS2 and PC release. Mac and other editions followed for several games.
- 2006–2008 · Crystal Dynamics. Legend updated the controls and camera, Anniversary rebuilt the original adventure, and Underworld wrapped up Lara’s family story. PS2 and Xbox 360 received all three, with Underworld arriving on PS2 in 2009. Underworld also launched separately on PS3, where The Tomb Raider Trilogy bundled all three games in 2011.
- 2013–2018 · Survivor. Tomb Raider launched on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. Rise debuted on Xbox One and Xbox 360 in 2015 and came to PC and PS4 in 2016. Shadow debuted on PC, PS4, and Xbox One in 2018.
- 2021–2026 · Bundles and ports. The Survivor games were bundled in 2021. The Lara Croft Collection brought the two isometric co-op games to Switch in 2023. The classic remasters followed in 2024 and 2025. Nintendo got the first Survivor game in 2025, with the full trilogy reaching Switch 2 in 2026.
Lara Croft’s story and the three Tomb Raider timelines
Classic Lara. Toby Gard and the team at Core Design introduced Lara as an established explorer. Her original biography describes her surviving a plane crash in the Himalayas at age 21. The first game follows her hunt for the Scion. The teenage Lara prologue with Werner von Croy in The Last Revelation takes place before the first game. Chronicles is a memorial set after IV, with stories from different points in Lara’s life. Release order makes the framing of those flashbacks easier to follow.
Legend Lara. The Scion hunt happens before the search for Excalibur and sets up Natla’s return. This Lara also survives a crash in the Himalayas, as a child traveling with her mother, Amelia. Underworld brings that family mystery to a close.
Survivor Lara. Yamatai is her first major expedition. In Rise, she follows up on her father’s research. Shadow pushes her to reckon with what that drive costs the people around her. The animated series The Legend of Lara Croft picks up after Survivor.
How to play the classic Tomb Raider games in order
Tomb Raider → II → III → The Last Revelation → Chronicles → The Angel of Darkness. The first three are fairly self-contained. The ending in Egypt sets up the memorial in Chronicles and Lara’s reappearance in The Angel of Darkness, so stick with release order from IV onward.
- Tomb Raider (1996). Lara hunts for the Scion of Atlantis. It’s the gentlest introduction to lining up jumps, reading rooms, and finding your own way out.
- Tomb Raider II (1997). The Dagger of Xian takes Lara from the Great Wall to Venice and Tibet. Human enemies, water, and vehicles get more attention this time.
- Tomb Raider III (1998). Fragments of a meteorite send Lara to India, London, Nevada, the South Pacific, and Antarctica. The traps get meaner and the routes harder to read.
- The Last Revelation (1999). A prologue with Von Croy leads into an Egyptian adventure where Lara accidentally frees Set. Interconnected areas and inventory puzzles change the pace.
- Chronicles (2000). Lara’s friends remember four adventures: Rome, a submarine, an island off Ireland, and the Von Croy Industries tower. The Irish episode features Lara as a teenager.
- The Angel of Darkness (2003). Accused of murder, Lara goes on the run through Paris and Prague. Kurtis Trent is also playable. The remaster restores some content cut from the 2003 release.
When to play the expansions. Play Unfinished Business, The Golden Mask, and The Lost Artifact after games I, II, and III respectively. Released in 1998, 1999, and 2000, all three are included in I–III Remastered. The bonus stage The Times Exclusive Level (1999) is included with IV–VI Remastered. You can buy the two packs together as Tomb Raider I–VI Remastered.
Legend trilogy order: Anniversary, Legend and Underworld
Story order: Anniversary → Legend → Underworld. That’s the sequence given by the official Tomb Raider site. In Anniversary (2007), Lara meets Natla. In Legend (2006), Lara follows Excalibur’s trail to find out what happened to Amelia. Underworld (2008) picks up that thread with Thor’s hammer and the search for Helheim.
Release order: Legend → Anniversary → Underworld. Pick this route if you’d like to learn the controls in a more straightforward campaign first. After Underworld, play Beneath the Ashes, then Lara’s Shadow, if you have the Xbox episodes. Both are DLC from 2009, listed separately from the base game.
Survivor trilogy order: Tomb Raider, Rise and Shadow
- Tomb Raider (2013). The Endurance crew is shipwrecked on Yamatai. Lara learns to survive with a bow and tries to rescue her friends. This is the easiest starting point if you usually play modern action games.
- Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015). Lara races Trinity to find the secret of immortality. Siberia gives you room to explore, craft gear, and tackle optional tombs. The 20 Year Celebration edition includes Blood Ties, set in Croft Manor, and the Baba Yaga expansion.
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018). Lara and Jonah travel to Mexico and Peru, where Lara has to face the consequences of her search. There’s more emphasis on stealth, traversal, and environmental puzzles. Definitive Edition includes the base game and seven DLC challenge tombs.
Want a feel for the pace before you play? Here’s the opening of Shadow on PS4 with Latin American Spanish audio.
What’s the best Tomb Raider game to start with?
- New to Tomb Raider: start with Tomb Raider (2013). Its opening teaches climbing, archery, and equipment upgrades without any series homework.
- Modern action-adventure fan: start Survivor in 2013. If you only want to sample the trilogy’s balance of combat, exploration, and challenge tombs, Rise is a good showcase.
- Curious about the original: pick game I in I–III Remastered. You can try both graphics modes and control styles in the same campaign.
- Here for puzzles and exploration: Anniversary builds puzzles across entire rooms. Lara Croft GO distills the idea into short, turn-based stages.
- Want a cinematic adventure: go with Tomb Raider (2013). Its shipwreck and the first minutes on Yamatai set the tone straight away.
- Only have time for one game: try Legend. It’s a compact adventure with a clear through-line and an ending that sets up Underworld if you want more.
Original vs. Anniversary vs. Remastered
| Edition | What you’ll play | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| Tomb Raider (1996) | Core Design’s first game, with grid-based levels, measured jumps, and the original controls. | Players after the original Saturn, PlayStation, or PC release. |
| Tomb Raider I in I–III Remastered (2024) | The original adventure with switchable graphics, two control styles, and Unfinished Business included. | Players who want classic levels on today’s hardware. |
| Anniversary (2007) | A remake with a different engine, grappling hook, redesigned rooms, and changes to the story. | Players who want a new take on 1996 or the first chapter of the Legend storyline. |
| Legacy of Atlantis (announced) | Another take on the debut, built in Unreal Engine 5 with redesigned areas, encounters, and puzzles. | Players who want to see how the 1996 adventure translates to a modern production once it comes out. |
IV–VI Remastered takes the same preservation-focused approach to the last three Core Design games, with some restored material in The Angel of Darkness. Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is an edition of the 2013 reboot. Look for the year 1996 or I–III Remastered in the title if you want the first classic.
How many Tomb Raider games are there?
12 mainline releases: six classics, three in the Legend era, and three Survivor games. Anniversary counts because it was a full remake and a chapter of the Legend trilogy. Remasters, ports, bundles, and DLC are tracked separately. The table also identifies 17 named licensed spin-offs and playable releases, counting Apocalypse as one series. That figure excludes adaptations of the same game, promotional minigames, crossovers, canceled titles, and the two film tie-ins listed separately below.
| First release | Game and debut platform | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Tomb Raider, also known as Starring Lara Croft · Game Boy Color | A standalone 2D adventure about the Nightmare Stone. It has its own story. |
| 2001 | Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword · Game Boy Color | A sequel to the Game Boy Color game about a cursed sword. |
| 2002 | Tomb Raider: The Prophecy · Game Boy Advance | An overhead adventure built around three magic stones. |
| 2002–2003 | Tomb Raider: Apocalypse · Sky Gamestar interactive TV, UK | An episodic series: The Eye of Osiris, The Shadow Falls, and The Last Midnight. |
| 2003 | Tomb Raider: The Temple of Anubis · Sky Gamestar | An interactive TV adventure. |
| 2003 | Tomb Raider: The Osiris Codex · Java ME | The first game in Keypad’s mobile trilogy. |
| 2004 | Tomb Raider: Quest for Cinnabar · Java ME | The second game in the Java trilogy. |
| 2004 | Tomb Raider: Elixir of Life · Java ME | The third game in the Java trilogy. |
| 2006 | Lara Croft’s Poker Party · Java phones | Poker featuring Tomb Raider characters. |
| 2006 | Tomb Raider: Puzzle Paradox · Java phones | A set of puzzles for keypad phones. |
| 2006 | Tomb Raider: The Reckoning · Sky Gamestar | Another interactive TV adventure documented in the historical catalog. |
| 2010 | Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light · Xbox 360, then PS3 and PC | Isometric action for one or two players, with Lara and the warrior Totec. |
| 2013 | Lara Croft: Reflections · iOS | A limited-release card game whose service shut down. |
| 2014 | Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris · PC, PS4, Xbox One | The Guardian of Light follow-up, with co-op puzzles for up to four. |
| 2015 | Lara Croft: Relic Run · iOS, Android, Windows Phone | An endless runner with obstacles, jumps, and combat. |
| 2015 | Lara Croft GO · iOS, Android, Windows Phone | Turn-based puzzles. PC, PS4, and Vita versions arrived in 2016. The Cave of Fire and Mirror of Spirits added more puzzles. |
| 2023 | Tomb Raider Reloaded · iOS and Android | Top-down action across a series of rooms. A limited launch preceded the worldwide release. |
Ports, adaptations, and curiosities. N-Gage got an adaptation of the 1996 game in 2003. Legend had PSP, DS, GBA, and Java phone versions, including Legend – Tokyo. Anniversary reached PSP, Wii, and Java phones, and Underworld came to DS, Wii, and Java phones. These editions vary by platform. The Action Adventure (2006) adapted The Angel of Darkness to interactive DVD. Browser minigames such as Trail Raider belong in the promotional archive. Core Design’s canceled Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary Edition was a separate project from the Anniversary released in 2007.
Tomb Raider Arcade and Tomb Raider VR: Lara’s Escape, both from 2018, are separate licensed film tie-ins. Tomb Raider Pinball was released as Pinball FX content in 2025 and Pinball FX VR content in 2026. Dead by Daylight and The Crew Motorfest have licensed crossover content. Further reading includes the Tomb Raider Chronicles timeline and the official game catalog.
Where to play Tomb Raider on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and mobile
- PC: Steam lists the six originals, the remasters, the Legend trilogy, and all three Survivor games. GOG also sells the originals, Legend, and Survivor. Both remasters are in GOG’s I–VI Remastered bundle. Check the edition if you’re looking for specific DLC.
- PS4 and PS5: Both remaster packs have PS4 and PS5 editions. Legend and Anniversary are available as PlayStation Classics. The Survivor releases are PS4 games that work on PS5. The PlayStation version of Underworld was a PS3 release, and cloud access varies by region. PC and Xbox are simpler options if you want to play it locally on current hardware.
- Xbox One and Series X|S: You can buy both remaster packs, the Survivor trilogy, and the backward-compatible Legend-era releases. Check the base-game listing for Anniversary and Underworld before buying any episodes separately.
- Switch: Nintendo sells I–III Remastered, IV–VI Remastered, The Lara Croft Collection, and Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (the 2013 game). The Lara Croft Collection contains Guardian of Light and Temple of Osiris.
- Switch 2: The Switch 2 edition of I–III arrived in March 2026. For IV–VI, see the original Switch listing. Rise came to Switch 2 in June, followed by Shadow and the full Survivor bundle in October.
- iOS and Android: I–III Remastered came to mobile in March 2026 and Tomb Raider (2013) arrived February 12, 2026. Other options include Guardian of Light (2025), Temple of Osiris (September 8, 2026), Lara Croft GO, Relic Run, and the standard edition of Reloaded, depending on your device and storefront. The Netflix edition of Reloaded left Netflix Games.
- Evercade: Collection 1 contains the first three originals (2024). Collection 2 adds IV and V (2025).
Upcoming Tomb Raider games
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is due February 12, 2027 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC through Steam, and Switch 2. Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog are reimagining the 1996 game. If you want to compare the two, the first classic is the one to play beforehand.
Tomb Raider: Catalyst is a new adventure set in northern India for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC through Steam. Crystal Dynamics originally announced 2027. In July 2026 an Amazon executive mentioned 2028, and Amazon Games said it had no timing update to share. A firm date is still pending. The upcoming games feature an experienced Lara, and the precise way they draw on events from the previous eras remains to be seen.
Tomb Raider play order FAQ
Which comes first, Rise or Shadow?
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015) comes before Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018). Start with Tomb Raider (2013) for the full trilogy.
What’s included in the Definitive Survivor Trilogy?
You get Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, with the content from those editions. Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition on its own is just the first game.
Should I play the original Tomb Raider before Anniversary?
Play both if you want to see how the Scion adventure was rebuilt. If you’re starting with the Legend storyline, you can go straight to Anniversary.
Can I skip Chronicles?
The first Tomb Raider is enough if you’re only there for the Scion. On a full classic playthrough, put Chronicles between The Last Revelation and The Angel of Darkness. Its memorial scenes pick up after the end of IV.
What should I play tonight?
Choose Tomb Raider (2013) for a modern action adventure. If you’d rather walk into a tomb and work out how to get back out, start in the Peruvian caves of the 1996 game in I–III Remastered.
For more play orders and game history, see the Cyberpunk timeline and the history of the TMNT video games.
