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Slay the Spire 2Tomb Raider: Anniversary
Tomb Raider: Anniversary is Crystal Dynamics' 2007 remake of the 1996 Tomb Raider, rebuilt in the Tomb Raider: Legend engine and released first on PC and PS2 on Jun 5, 2007. It scored 83 on Metacritic for PC but sold 1.3 million copies, the series' lowest.
Tomb Raider: Anniversary is the first remake of Tomb Raider (1996), made by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive for the series' 10th anniversary, and released first on PC and PS2 on Jun 5, 2007. Executive producer Matthew Guzenda said the team rebuilt it "from the ground up" on an enhanced Tomb Raider: Legend engine: the same journey through Peru, Greece, Egypt and Atlantis, with Legend's acrobatics, redesigned rooms and puzzles, and interactive cutscenes. Critics liked it, 83 on Metacritic for PC, but it sold 1.3 million copies, the least of any Tomb Raider, per GameSpot. Twenty years later the same game is being remade again as Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis.
Quick facts
| Released | Jun 5, 2007 (PC, PS2); PSP Aug 2007; Xbox 360 Oct 23, 2007; Wii Nov 13, 2007 |
| Developer | Crystal Dynamics |
| Publisher | Eidos Interactive |
| Engine | An enhanced Tomb Raider: Legend engine |
| Remake of | Tomb Raider (1996) |
| Metacritic | 83 (PC), 78 (PSP), 77 (Xbox 360), 73 (Wii), as of Nov 1, 2026 |
| Steam reviews | 79% of 2,755 positive, as of Nov 1, 2026 |
| Sales | 1.3 million (GameSpot) |
| Length | 12 hours main story, 21 completionist (HowLongToBeat, Nov 2, 2026) |
| Buy today | Steam |
Sources: Steam, Nov 1, 2026; GameSpot on the PSP, Xbox 360 and Wii dates, 2007; Metacritic, Nov 1, 2026; GameSpot (Kevin Wong), Feb 5, 2026; HowLongToBeat, Nov 2, 2026.
How was Anniversary made?
After Legend, Crystal Dynamics split into two teams: a small one made Anniversary while another made Underworld, per PC Gamer's history of the series. It was not the only remake on offer. Core Design, which had made the original and no longer had the series, pitched a competing PSP remake of its own, but Crystal Dynamics' multi-platform plan "got the nod from the publisher". Core's boss had earlier said Core wanted to remake the first game for PS2 instead of making The Angel of Darkness, and that Eidos refused, per Eurogamer.
Guzenda said the team kept the original's themes but made all-new content, and that it clarified the 1996 story, which he called "pretty sparse," and tied it to the story begun in Legend. The PC demo was the Peru waterfall area, about 20 minutes long.
Tomb Raider: Anniversary vs the original
| Tomb Raider (1996) | Tomb Raider: Anniversary (2007) | |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Core Design | Crystal Dynamics |
| Movement | Grid-based, tank controls | Legend's free movement: shimmying, ledge-to-ledge leaps, ropes, poles, bars |
| Combat | Pistols with unlimited ammo, plus guns found in the levels | Adds the adrenaline dodge, a slow-motion dodge with an instant-kill shot |
| Puzzles | Grid-based rooms | Rebuilt; the Lost Valley cog puzzle became a physics-based climb |
| Story | "Pretty sparse," per Anniversary's producer | Expanded and tied to Legend and Underworld |
| Best Metascore | 91 (PlayStation) | 83 (PC) |
| Length (main story) | 15.5 hours | 12 hours |
Sources: GameSpot (Ryan Davis): Anniversary review, Jun 8, 2007; GameSpot: Anniversary Q&A, May 25, 2007; Stella's Tomb Raider Site, Nov 1, 2026; Metacritic: 1996 and Anniversary, Nov 1, 2026; HowLongToBeat, Nov 2, 2026.
Lara gets Legend's moveset, and a one-handed catch now needs button presses to recover. The animals are the familiar ones, rats, bats, wolves, bears, tigers, gorillas, raptors and the T. rex, with the Atlantean centaurs named on Steam's page. The 1996 game's controls are explained on Controls and Movement.
Platforms
Anniversary came out on PC and PS2 on Jun 5, 2007, then on PSP the week of Aug 6, 2007 in North America. The Xbox 360 retail disc followed on Oct 23, 2007 in North America and Oct 26 in Europe, with an Xbox Live download in two parts that required Legend. The Wii version came out on Nov 13, 2007 at $39.99, and its review notes motion minigames for lock tumblers, cogs and digging for clues. GameSpot's database also lists Mac, mobile, PS4 and PS5 versions. Today the simplest way to buy it is on Steam; see Where to Buy Tomb Raider Games.
Reception
GameSpot's Ryan Davis gave the PC and PS2 versions 8 and called it "the best Tomb Raider game in years", with one complaint: it does not take many chances with the formula. He found the PC version much better looking than the PS2's, and scored the PSP version 7.5 and the Wii version 7. Eurogamer scored the PC version 90 and said it "shows how remakes should be done", and PC Gamer gave 89. On Metacritic it holds 83 on PC, 78 on PSP, 77 on Xbox 360 and 73 on Wii, as of Nov 1, 2026.
Sales did not follow. GameSpot puts them at 1.3 million, the least commercially successful Tomb Raider to date, and PC Gamer calls it "the series' commercial low point". Its reputation grew later: in 2024 Kotaku called Legend, Anniversary and Underworld a "genuinely wonderful" trilogy. On Steam, 79% of 2,755 reviews were positive on Nov 1, 2026. Sales across the series are on Tomb Raider Sales.
Where does Anniversary fit in the story?
Anniversary retells the 1996 adventure: Jacqueline Natla hires Lara to find the Scion, and the hunt leads to Atlantis. Its ties to Legend mean its version of the story leads into Tomb Raider: Underworld, where Lara confronts Natla again. In Crystal Dynamics' newer, unified canon its place is unclear; GamingBible's reading of the timeline says Anniversary is "probably not present in this timeline at all", and Crystal Dynamics has not said. See Tomb Raider Games in Order.
How does Anniversary compare with Legacy of Atlantis?
Both remake the same game, but they are 20 years and two generations apart, and only one is out. What is known of Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis comes from its makers and from previews of pre-release builds; it releases on Feb 12, 2027.
| Tomb Raider: Anniversary (2007) | Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis (2027) | |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Crystal Dynamics | Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog |
| Publisher | Eidos Interactive | Amazon Game Studios |
| Engine | Tomb Raider: Legend engine | Unreal Engine 5 |
| Regions | Peru, Greece, Egypt, Atlantis | Peru, Greece, Egypt and a Mediterranean island |
| Movement | Legend's moveset | Original moves plus the Survivor trilogy's: sprint, wall scramble, a grapple tool |
| Combat | Adrenaline dodge | A modern third-person shooter with Focus Mode, a skill tree and crafted healing |
| Puzzle help | None | Lara's remarks and an optional scanner |
| Lara's voice | Keeley Hawes | Alix Wilton Regan |
Sources: GameSpot (Ryan Davis), Jun 8, 2007; Steam: Anniversary and Steam: Legacy of Atlantis, Nov 1, 2026; Amazon Game Studios' Traversal & Movement Reimagined, Jul 20, 2026, Combat Reimagined, Aug 17, 2026, and Puzzles Reimagined, Aug 3, 2026; LevelUp, Oct 31, 2021; PC Gamer, Dec 13, 2025.
The two remakes rework some of the same set pieces. Anniversary turned the Lost Valley's waterfall cog puzzle into a physics-based climb; Legacy of Atlantis showed a reworked cog puzzle in the same valley in its Jun 2, 2026 State of Play trailer, and turns the T-Rex fight into a chase across the level. The full list is on What's New in Legacy of Atlantis. The clip is IGN's Jun 2026 first preview of a pre-release build; with no footage of the new chase, IGN shows Anniversary's T-Rex beside it.
Frequently asked questions
When did Tomb Raider: Anniversary come out? Tomb Raider: Anniversary came out on Jun 5, 2007 for PC and PS2, then on PSP in August, Xbox 360 on Oct 23 and Wii on Nov 13, 2007.
Is Tomb Raider: Anniversary a remake of the first game? Yes. Tomb Raider: Anniversary is Crystal Dynamics' remake of Tomb Raider (1996), rebuilt from the ground up in the Tomb Raider: Legend engine for the series' 10th anniversary.
Is Tomb Raider: Anniversary better than the original? Critics rated the original higher on Metacritic (91 on PlayStation against Anniversary's 83 on PC), but GameSpot called Anniversary the best Tomb Raider in years and Eurogamer said it shows how remakes should be done.
How long is Tomb Raider: Anniversary? Tomb Raider: Anniversary takes about 12 hours for the main story and 21 hours to complete, on HowLongToBeat as of Nov 2, 2026.
Is Tomb Raider: Anniversary the same as Legacy of Atlantis? No. Both remake Tomb Raider (1996), but Tomb Raider: Anniversary is the 2007 Crystal Dynamics remake, while Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is a new Unreal Engine 5 reimagining due Feb 12, 2027.
Can you still buy Tomb Raider: Anniversary? Yes. Tomb Raider: Anniversary is sold on Steam, where 79% of 2,755 reviews were positive on Nov 1, 2026.
Sources
- Tomb Raider: Anniversary, Steam, read Nov 1, 2026
- Tomb Raider: Anniversary, GameSpot, read Nov 1, 2026
- Tomb Raider: Anniversary Q&A, GameSpot, May 25, 2007
- Tomb Raider: Anniversary Review, GameSpot (Ryan Davis), Jun 8, 2007
- Tomb Raider: Anniversary Review (PSP), GameSpot (Ryan Davis), Aug 15, 2007
- Tomb Raider: Anniversary Review (Wii), GameSpot (Ryan Davis), Nov 15, 2007
- Shippin' Out August 6-10, GameSpot (Brendan Sinclair), Aug 6, 2007
- Tomb Raider: Anniversary 360 dated, GameSpot (Brendan Sinclair), Oct 17, 2007
- Lara Croft raiding Wii Nov. 13, GameSpot, Oct 25, 2007
- 30 Years Of Lara Croft: A Look At The Tomb Raider's Evolution, GameSpot (Kevin Wong), Feb 5, 2026
- Metacritic: Tomb Raider: Anniversary, Metacritic, read Nov 1, 2026
- Metacritic: Tomb Raider: Anniversary PC Critic Reviews, Metacritic, read Nov 1, 2026
- The history of Tomb Raider, page 2, PC Gamer (Nick Thorpe, Darran Jones), Apr 13, 2018
- 20 years on, the Tomb Raider story told by the people who were there, Eurogamer (Wesley Yin-Poole), Oct 30, 2016
- Tomb Raider I-III Remastered: The Kotaku Review, Kotaku (John Walker), Feb 13, 2024
- Tomb Raider timeline explained, GamingBible (Olly Smith), Dec 28, 2025
- Search: tomb raider, HowLongToBeat, read Nov 2, 2026
- Tomb Raider: actrices de voz originales de Lara se reuniran en nuevo juego de la serie, LevelUp (Mardokeo Galvan), Oct 31, 2021
- Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, Steam, read Nov 1, 2026
- Traversal & Movement Reimagined, Amazon Game Studios, Jul 20, 2026
- Combat Reimagined, Amazon Game Studios, Aug 17, 2026
- Puzzles Reimagined, Amazon Game Studios, Aug 3, 2026
- Creatures of Peru, Amazon Game Studios, Jul 6, 2026
- Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis launches Feb 12, 2027 on PS5, PlayStation Blog (Michael Lovan), Jun 2, 2026
- The new voice of Lara Croft is a veteran of Cyberpunk 2077, Lies of P, Dragon Age, Assassin's Creed, and a whole bunch more, PC Gamer (Andy Chalk), Dec 13, 2025
- History of Tomb Raider (1996 - 2018), Nick930, Sep 7, 2018 (video)
- Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis - The First Preview, IGN, Jun 11, 2026 (video)
Moments
History of Tomb Raider (1996 - 2018)
Nick930
- Tomb Raider: Anniversary is the first remake of Tomb Raider (1996), made by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos…
- Guzenda said the team kept the original's themes but made all-new content, and that it clarified the 1996 story, which…
- Lara gets Legend's moveset, and a one-handed catch now needs button presses to recover. The animals are the familiar…
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis - The First Preview
IGN
Related
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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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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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Shadow of the Tomb RaiderShadow 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.
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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 (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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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.
See also
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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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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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Tomb Raider: LegendTomb Raider: Legend (2006) is Crystal Dynamics' first Tomb Raider, a fast, short adventure in which Lara Croft hunts the pieces of Excalibur to learn her mother's fate. It scored 82 on Metacritic and shipped over 2.9 million units in its first months.
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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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Controls and MovementThe 1996 Tomb Raider uses tank controls on a grid of blocks: Up runs forward, Left and Right turn Lara in place, and jumps cover set distances. Tomb Raider I-III Remastered adds modern controls, and Legacy of Atlantis replaces the grid with sprinting, a grapple and Survivor-style climbing.