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Slay the Spire 2Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) ends the Survivor trilogy, with Lara Croft trying to stop a Maya apocalypse in the jungle. Eidos-Montréal led it with Crystal Dynamics; critics liked it less than the two before it, at 82 on Metacritic for Xbox One and 80 on OpenCritic.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the last game of the Survivor trilogy and the most divisive of the three: 82 on Metacritic for Xbox One, 77 for PC and 75 for PlayStation 4, and an 80 Top Critic Average on OpenCritic, with 68% of 172 critics recommending it. Eidos-Montréal developed it, Square Enix published it, and Steam dates it Sep 14, 2018 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Steam calls it "the conclusion of Lara Croft's origin story": after Tomb Raider (2013) and Rise of the Tomb Raider, Lara, again played by Camilla Luddington, must stop Trinity and a Maya apocalypse in the jungle. The clip is Nick930's preview, made a week before launch.
Quick facts
| Developer | Eidos-Montréal; Steam also credits Crystal Dynamics and Nixxes |
| Publisher | Square Enix |
| Release | Sep 14, 2018 (Steam); Metacritic's PS4 page says Sep 12, 2018 |
| Platforms | PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC; Mac and Linux by Feral Interactive |
| Lara | Camilla Luddington |
| Setting | Jungle, a hidden city, underwater caves |
| Metacritic | 82 (Xbox One), 77 (PC), 75 (PS4), as of Nov 1, 2026 |
| OpenCritic | 80, "Strong", as of Nov 2, 2026 |
| Steam reviews | Very Positive, 84% of 24,454 (Definitive Edition), as of Nov 1, 2026 |
| Length | 12.5 hours main story, 39 completionist (HowLongToBeat) |
| Reported sales | Slightly above 4 million in its first four months (Square Enix, 2019) |
Sources: Metacritic, Nov 1, 2026; OpenCritic, Nov 2, 2026; Steam, Nov 1, 2026; HowLongToBeat, Nov 2, 2026; TheGamer, May 3, 2022.
When did Shadow of the Tomb Raider come out?
Sources give two dates. Steam lists the PC version on Sep 14, 2018, the date widely reported as the launch, while Metacritic's PlayStation 4 page shows Sep 12, 2018. This page uses Sep 14, 2018.
Who made it?
Eidos-Montréal led development, with Crystal Dynamics, which had made the two games before. Steam credits Eidos-Montréal, Crystal Dynamics and Nixxes as developers, with Feral Interactive for the Mac and Linux versions. Eidos-Montréal is now owned with Crystal Dynamics by Embracer Group (more in Crystal Dynamics).
What is it about?
The Steam page has Lara racing to save the world from a Maya apocalypse in what it calls the deadliest place on Earth, the jungle. Trinity, the organization from Rise of the Tomb Raider, is the enemy again; Crystal Dynamics' profile of Lara says she stops Trinity's ritual.
How does it play?
The jungle changes the stealth: Lara can cover herself in mud as camouflage, strike from cover and frighten enemies, and she explores flooded crevasses and tunnels underwater. The tombs need harder traversal to reach and hold deadly puzzles, and a hidden city is billed as the biggest hub in any Tomb Raider game. This clip is from the same pre-launch preview.
What did critics say?
Reviews split more than for any Survivor game. On OpenCritic, IGN gave 9 out of 10 and called it "a powerful finale" to the trilogy, GamesRadar+ 4 out of 5, PC Gamer 84 out of 100 with praise for the stealth, Game Informer 7.5 and GameSpot 6, which still rated the tomb raiding and exploration outstanding. The usual complaint was the story; the usual praise went to the tombs. Players are kinder than critics: 84% of 24,454 Steam reviews of the Definitive Edition were positive on Nov 1, 2026.
Definitive Edition and DLC
The Definitive Edition, the version sold today on Steam as app 750920, bundles the base game and seven challenge-tomb DLC packs, with their weapons, outfits and skills. The seven tombs came out on Steam between late 2018 and spring 2019:
| DLC | Steam date |
|---|---|
| The Forge | Nov 13, 2018 |
| The Pillar | Dec 18, 2018 |
| The Nightmare | Jan 22, 2019 |
| The Price of Survival | Feb 12, 2019 |
| The Serpent's Heart | Mar 5, 2019 |
| The Grand Caiman | Mar 29, 2019 |
| The Path Home | Apr 19, 2019 |
Source: Steam search "tomb raider", Nov 1, 2026.
A Steam sale had the Definitive Edition 90% off on Nov 1, 2026, ending Nov 6. See Where to Buy Tomb Raider Games.
Sales
Square Enix's president Yosuke Matsuda said in 2019 that Shadow shipped "slightly above four million" in its first four months and had got off to a weak start. No later total for Shadow alone has been published; the Survivor trilogy together had sold 38 million by May 2022. More in Tomb Raider Sales.
What came after?
Shadow is the last new main Tomb Raider game before Legacy of Atlantis. The three Survivor games were bundled as Tomb Raider: Definitive Survivor Trilogy in 2021, and the next new games are Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis (Feb 12, 2027), a remake of the 1996 original, and Tomb Raider: Catalyst. Crystal Dynamics places the Survivor trilogy before the 1996 story in its timeline.
Frequently asked questions
Is Shadow of the Tomb Raider worth playing? For its tombs and jungle exploration, most critics say yes; its story drew the most criticism. Shadow of the Tomb Raider scored 80 on OpenCritic (Nov 2, 2026) and 84% positive from Steam players (Nov 1, 2026), below Tomb Raider (2013) and Rise.
Who made Shadow of the Tomb Raider? Eidos-Montréal led development, with Crystal Dynamics and Nixxes also credited on Steam, and Square Enix published it.
When did Shadow of the Tomb Raider come out? Sep 14, 2018 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, by Steam's date and the launch as widely reported; Metacritic's PS4 page says Sep 12.
How long is Shadow of the Tomb Raider? About 12.5 hours for the main story and 39 hours for everything, by HowLongToBeat players' times as of Nov 2, 2026; the Definitive Edition takes 13 and 42.5.
Is Shadow of the Tomb Raider the last game in the trilogy? Yes. Shadow of the Tomb Raider ends the Survivor trilogy that began with Tomb Raider (2013); the next new games, Legacy of Atlantis and Catalyst, are set later in Lara's life.
Sources
- Metacritic: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Metacritic, read Nov 1, 2026
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider Reviews, OpenCritic, read Nov 2, 2026
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, Steam, read Nov 1, 2026
- Steam search "tomb raider", Steam, read Nov 1, 2026
- Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered, Steam, read Nov 1, 2026
- Lara Croft, Crystal Dynamics, read Nov 1, 2026
- HowLongToBeat: search "tomb raider", HowLongToBeat, read Nov 2, 2026
- Report reveals most Tomb Raider sales from reboots, TheGamer (Vlad Mazanko), May 3, 2022
- Tomb Raider Lifetime Sales Have Surpassed 88M Copies, 80.lv (Ana Kessler), May 3, 2022
- Tomb Raider Devs Explain Series Timeline, Lara Croft's New Voice, And Links Between, Game Informer (Charles Harte), Dec 15, 2025
- History of Tomb Raider (1996 - 2018), Nick930, Sep 7, 2018 (video)
Moments
History of Tomb Raider (1996 - 2018)
Nick930
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the last game of the Survivor trilogy and the most divisive of the three: 82 on…
- Eidos-Montréal led development, with Crystal Dynamics, which had made the two games before. Steam credits…
- The jungle changes the stealth: Lara can cover herself in mud as camouflage, strike from cover and frighten enemies…
Related
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Core DesignCore Design was the studio in Derby, England, that created Tomb Raider and Lara Croft, made the first six games from 1996 to 2003 for publisher Eidos, then lost the series to Crystal Dynamics. Toby Gard, credited with creating Lara, left after the first game and returned at Crystal Dynamics in 2004.
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Lara Croft Spin-offsThe Lara Croft spin-offs are the Tomb Raider games outside the main series, led by the co-op games Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (2010) and Temple of Osiris (2014), the puzzle game Lara Croft GO (2015), the runner Relic Run (2015) and Tomb Raider Reloaded (2023).
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The Angel of DarknessTomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (Tomb Raider 6, 2003) was Core Design's last Tomb Raider, a troubled PlayStation 2 and PC game rated 52 and 49 on Metacritic, the lowest of any main-series game. Weeks after it launched, Eidos moved the series to Crystal Dynamics.
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The Last RevelationTomb Raider: The Last Revelation (Tomb Raider 4, 1999) is Core Design's Egypt game, in which Lara Croft frees the god Set and must imprison him again, and which ends with her apparent death. Metacritic lists no critic score for it, but its users rate it 8.3.
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Tomb Raider (1996)Tomb Raider (1996) is the first Tomb Raider game, made by Core Design in Derby and published by Eidos Interactive in late 1996 on Sega Saturn, PlayStation and PC. Lara Croft hunts the Scion across 15 levels in Peru, Greece, Egypt and Atlantis; it sold over 7 million copies.
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Tomb Raider 2Tomb Raider 2 (Tomb Raider II, 1997) is Core Design's first sequel, sending Lara Croft after the Dagger of Xian from the Great Wall of China to Venice, a sunken ship and Tibet. It holds an 85 on Metacritic for PlayStation, one of the best scores in the series.
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Tomb Raider 3Tomb Raider 3 (Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft, 1998) is Core Design's third game, in which Lara Croft tracks four artifacts carved from an Antarctic meteorite through India, Nevada, the South Pacific and London. It scores 76 on Metacritic and is the longest classic Tomb Raider to finish.
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Tomb Raider ChroniclesTomb Raider Chronicles (Tomb Raider 5, 2000) is Core Design's fifth game, four short flashback adventures told by Lara Croft's friends at her memorial after The Last Revelation. It scored 57 to 63 on Metacritic, and its PC version came with the Tomb Raider level editor.
See also
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Tomb Raider (2013)Tomb Raider (2013) is Crystal Dynamics' reboot, Lara Croft's origin story on a stormbound island, published by Square Enix on Mar 5, 2013 with Camilla Luddington as Lara. It scored 86 to 87 on Metacritic and had sold 11 million copies by 2018, though Square Enix first called its sales below target.
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Rise of the Tomb RaiderRise of the Tomb Raider (2015) is Crystal Dynamics' second Survivor game, sending Lara Croft to Siberia in search of the Lost City of Kitezh. Critics rated it among the best Tomb Raider games, at 86 on both Metacritic and OpenCritic.
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Crystal DynamicsCrystal Dynamics is the California studio that has made Tomb Raider since 2003, from Tomb Raider Legend to the Survivor trilogy. Owned by Embracer Group since 2022, it is making Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis with Flying Wild Hog and Tomb Raider Catalyst, both published by Amazon Game Studios.
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Where to Buy Tomb Raider GamesEvery main Tomb Raider game from 1996 to 2018 is sold on Steam, and the six Core Design games are also in Tomb Raider I-III Remastered and IV-VI Remastered on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, Steam, Epic and GOG. Legacy of Atlantis is on pre-order for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2 and Steam.
- Tomb Raider SalesTomb Raider has sold over 100 million games, Crystal Dynamics said in October 2024, the figure behind Lara Croft's Guinness World Record as the best-selling videogame heroine. Tomb Raider (2013) is the best seller among the games with published figures, at 11 million by 2018, but Crystal Dynamics has not said which game sells best.
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