Tomb Raider Games in Order

0:03 The Tomb Raider games in release order start with Tomb Raider (1996) and run through 11 more main games to Shadow of the Tomb Raider in 2018, then the two Remastered collections, then Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, due Feb 12, 2027, and Tomb Raider: Catalyst after it. Guinness World Records counts 12 main games starting with the 1996 original; GamesRadar+ counts 22 games in the franchise once remasters are added. The difference is what gets counted, not a dispute. In story order the list changes: Crystal Dynamics puts its Survivor trilogy, which began with Tomb Raider (2013), before the 1996 adventure.

Quick facts

Sources: PC Gamer, Apr 13, 2018; Guinness World Records, Oct 11, 2024; Steam, Nov 1, 2026; Press Start, Jul 25, 2026; Metacritic, Nov 1, 2026.

Every main game in release order

Sources: Metacritic pages for each game (1996, 2, 3, The Last Revelation, Chronicles, The Angel of Darkness, Legend, Anniversary, Underworld, 2013, Rise, Shadow), read Nov 1, 2026; PC Gamer, Apr 13, 2018 (the 1996 platforms); Steam: Anniversary and Steam: Shadow, Nov 1, 2026; Crystal Dynamics, Dec 11, 2025; Press Start, Jul 25, 2026.

Two dates need a note. Metacritic's page for Shadow of the Tomb Raider says Sep 12, 2018, while Steam and the launch itself say Sep 14, 2018. Metacritic dates Anniversary Oct 23, 2007, which is its later Xbox 360 release; Steam gives the first launch, Jun 5, 2007 on PC. The exact day of the first Saturn release in 1996 is disputed, so the table says October.

Remakes, remasters and re-releases

Sources: Stella's Tomb Raider Site: Unfinished Business, Nov 1, 2026; Metacritic: Definitive Edition, Nov 1, 2026; Crystal Dynamics: Definitive Edition on Switch, Nov 18, 2025; Steam: Rise and Steam: Shadow, Nov 1, 2026; Crystal Dynamics, Nov 1, 2026; Crystal Dynamics: I-III Remastered and IV-VI Remastered, Nov 1, 2026.

The Unfinished Business levels reached consoles for the first time in Tomb Raider I-III Remastered. Shadow's seven DLC tombs came out one a month from Nov 13, 2018 to Apr 19, 2019.

Spin-offs in release order

Sources: Metacritic pages for Guardian of Light, Temple of Osiris, Relic Run and Lara Croft GO, Nov 1, 2026; Crystal Dynamics: The Lara Croft Collection, Nov 1, 2026; TouchArcade, Feb 1, 2023.

Metacritic credits Temple of Osiris to Nixxes Software, while it is usually billed as a Crystal Dynamics game, so the table names only its publisher. The Lara Croft Collection is dated Jun 1, 2023 by Crystal Dynamics and Jun 29 by Feral. More on all of them is on Lara Croft Spin-offs.

Tomb Raider games in story order

Crystal Dynamics has said where the newer games sit, but it has never published a complete timeline. What it has said, through Game Informer in Dec 2025: the Survivor trilogy is Lara's origin and comes before the 1996 story, so before Legacy of Atlantis; Catalyst is set "years after the events of Tomb Raider: Underworld" and shows a more experienced Lara.

1. Tomb Raider (2013)
2. Rise of the Tomb Raider
3. Shadow of the Tomb Raider
4. Tomb Raider (1996), retold in Tomb Raider: Anniversary and Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis
5. Tomb Raider 2
6. Tomb Raider 3
7. The Last Revelation
8. Tomb Raider Chronicles (told as memories at Lara's memorial, so its stories fall inside earlier years)
9. The Angel of Darkness
10. Tomb Raider: Legend
11. Tomb Raider: Underworld
12. Tomb Raider: Catalyst

Steps 1 to 3, the place of the 1996 story after them, and step 12 come from Crystal Dynamics. The rest of the order follows GamingBible's Dec 2025 reading, which its writer says is his own; he also thinks Anniversary is "probably not present" in the shared timeline. Where Legend and Underworld sit against the Core Design games is not stated by Crystal Dynamics. The Netflix series Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is set after the Survivor trilogy.

Which order should a new player use?

Release order is the easiest to follow, because each era stands mostly on its own: the Core Design games, the Crystal Dynamics trilogy of Legend, Anniversary and Underworld, and the Survivor trilogy. Crystal Dynamics' own advice for the classic games is that the first three are self-contained and the original is the most beginner-friendly. The three paths in are set out on Where to Start with Tomb Raider, and lengths are on How Long to Beat Tomb Raider.

Frequently asked questions

What is the first Tomb Raider game? The first Tomb Raider game is Tomb Raider (1996) by Core Design, released on the Sega Saturn in October 1996 and on PlayStation and PC in November 1996.

How many Tomb Raider games are there? Guinness World Records counts 12 main Tomb Raider games from the 1996 original to Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018); with remakes, remasters and spin-offs GamesRadar+ counts 22, before Legacy of Atlantis (Feb 12, 2027) and Catalyst.

What is the newest Tomb Raider game? The newest released Tomb Raider game is Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered (Feb 14, 2025); the next new one is Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis on Feb 12, 2027, as of Nov 2, 2026.

What is the Tomb Raider chronological order? Crystal Dynamics places the Survivor trilogy (Tomb Raider 2013, Rise, Shadow) first, then the 1996 story that Legacy of Atlantis retells, and Catalyst after Tomb Raider: Underworld; the order of the games in between follows their release.

Do I need to play the Tomb Raider games in order? No. Each Tomb Raider era mostly stands alone, and Crystal Dynamics calls the first three classic games self-contained; only the Survivor trilogy and the Legend trilogy tell one story across three games each.

Which Tomb Raider game has the best reviews? On Metacritic the best-reviewed Tomb Raider game is Tomb Raider (1996), at 91 on PlayStation, followed by Tomb Raider (2013) at 87 on PS3, as of Nov 1, 2026.

Sources

• Metacritic: Tomb Raider (1996), Metacritic, read Nov 1, 2026
• Metacritic: Tomb Raider, Metacritic, read Nov 1, 2026
• The history of Tomb Raider, PC Gamer (Nick Thorpe, Darran Jones), Apr 13, 2018
• Best-selling videogame heroine, Guinness World Records, Oct 11, 2024
• Tomb Raider TV show: release speculation, cast, plot, and everything else we know, GamesRadar+ (Lauren Milici), Mar 30, 2026
• Tomb Raider Devs Explain Series Timeline, Lara Croft's New Voice, And Links Between, Game Informer (Charles Harte), Dec 15, 2025
• Tomb Raider timeline explained, GamingBible (Olly Smith), Dec 28, 2025
• Two Thrilling Tomb Raider Adventures Unveiled at The Game Awards, Crystal Dynamics, Dec 11, 2025
• Tomb Raider Catalyst Has Been Quietly Delayed To 2028, Press Start (Brodie Gibbons), Jul 25, 2026
• 10 Things You Need to Know Before Playing Classic Era Tomb Raider, Crystal Dynamics, Sep 6, 2024
• Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, Steam, read Nov 1, 2026
• Steam search: tomb raider, Steam, read Nov 1, 2026
• Tomb Raider Unfinished Business Info and Walkthrough, Stella's Tomb Raider Site, read Nov 1, 2026
• The Lara Croft Collection, Crystal Dynamics, read Nov 1, 2026
• Tomb Raider Reloaded trailer and release date, TouchArcade, Feb 1, 2023
• History of Tomb Raider (1996 - 2018), Nick930, Sep 7, 2018 (video)