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For most newcomers, start with Tomb Raider: Legend. The official Tomb Raider beginner guide calls it the franchise’s most beginner-friendly and accessible game. If you specifically want Lara Croft’s modern origin story or the original 1990s adventures, choose a different route instead.
Which Tomb Raider game is best for a beginner?
Tomb Raider: Legend is the clearest default starting point. In its September 13, 2024 beginner guide, the official franchise site recommends it both as the first game in the series’ second era and as its most accessible entry. The guide points to modern controls, auto-aimed platforming, and checkpoints; Legend’s Croft Manor level also gives you room to explore and learn Lara’s abilities. Read the official beginner guide.
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Choose your starting point by the Tomb Raider you want
Start with Legend for an approachable entry
Legend is the best fit if you want a relatively accessible introduction without beginning with the original 1990s games. It is part of a three-game era that continues with Anniversary and Underworld. The official guide describes the era’s shared control approach and recommends Legend as the entry point.
Choose Anniversary to revisit the original adventure
Tomb Raider: Anniversary retells the original game’s adventure using an enhanced version of Legend’s engine; it is not the 1996 release. Its gameplay style is related to Legend’s, but the official guide says it is more difficult. Choose it if you want the original adventure in a later-era style and are comfortable with a greater challenge. See the official Anniversary page.
#1 Best Overall
- See the Classic & Remastered Visuals: Play with the original polygonal models or swap to the remastered graphics at any time.
- Travel the Globe: Follow Lara Croft around iconic locales including Cairo, Rome, Paris, and many more!
- Experience Lara’s Darkest Adventures: Uncover the secrets of Lara Croft’s past and shed light on the mystery of her disappearance.
- Languages: Voice: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Polish, Russian, Japanese, Korean; Subtitles: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Polish, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified).
Play the Survivor Trilogy for Lara’s modern origin story
If you want the modern origin-story continuity, play Tomb Raider (2013), Rise of the Tomb Raider, then Shadow of the Tomb Raider. The official catalog groups those games as the Survivor Trilogy. This is a preference-based choice, rather than the franchise’s stated most beginner-friendly recommendation. Browse the official Tomb Raider catalog.
Pick Tomb Raider I-III Remastered for the classic games
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered bundles the first three games and their expansions. It lets players switch between classic and modern joystick controls and between original and enhanced graphics. It is a convenient collection for starting with the classic adventures, but the games retain their classic-era feel. See the official remastered-trilogy announcement.
Rank #2
- Reveal the Mysteries of the Past: The classic story has been expanded with deeper connections that bridge Lara Croft’s defining adventure to her future.
- Discover Extraordinary and Dangerous Worlds Lost to Time: Explore treacherous landscapes filled with ancient artifacts and hidden secrets, from the jungles of Peru to the crumbling ruins of Greece, the deserts of Egypt, and a mysterious island shrouded in myth.
- Skillfully Traverse Deadly Environments: Use Lara’s strength, agility, and grappling hook to climb, leap, and swing across perilous terrain.
- Solve Ingenious Ancient Contraptions: Manipulate water flow, redirect light beams, activate pressure plates, and decipher symbols to unseal secrets locked away for centuries. Every solution combines knowledge you’ve uncovered and clever thinking.
- Face Lethal Predators: Armed with Lara’s iconic dual pistols and other unlockable weapons, master acrobatic abilities to unleash devastating attacks against savage wildlife, mercenaries, and mythological creatures.
What to consider before you decide
- Continuity: Choose Legend for the second-era entry point, the Survivor Trilogy for the modern origin story, or the remasters for the original adventures.
- Controls: The official guide describes Legend-era games as having modern controls and auto-aimed platforming. The remastered classics let you choose between classic and modern joystick schemes.
- Difficulty: The franchise guide recommends Legend for accessibility and says Anniversary raises the difficulty while retaining a related gameplay style.
- Presentation: Anniversary retells the original adventure with the Legend engine; the remasters provide original and enhanced graphics options.
Check availability for your platform
Before buying, check the current official listing for your system. A game’s official product page or storefront link does not establish live stock, regional availability, or current platform support. Those details can vary, so confirm them with the relevant storefront.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Reveal the Mysteries of the Past: The classic story has been expanded with deeper connections that bridge Lara Croft’s defining adventure to her future.
- Discover Extraordinary and Dangerous Worlds Lost to Time: Explore treacherous landscapes filled with ancient artifacts and hidden secrets, from the jungles of Peru to the crumbling ruins of Greece, the deserts of Egypt, and a mysterious island shrouded in myth.
- Skillfully Traverse Deadly Environments: Use Lara’s strength, agility, and grappling hook to climb, leap, and swing across perilous terrain.
- Solve Ingenious Ancient Contraptions: Manipulate water flow, redirect light beams, activate pressure plates, and decipher symbols to unseal secrets locked away for centuries. Every solution combines knowledge you’ve uncovered and clever thinking.
- Face Lethal Predators: Armed with Lara’s iconic dual pistols and other unlockable weapons, master acrobatic abilities to unleash devastating attacks against savage wildlife, mercenaries, and mythological creatures.
Rank #4
- See the Classic & Remastered Visuals: Play with the original polygonal models or swap to the remastered graphics at any time.
- Travel the Globe: Follow Lara Croft around iconic locales including Cairo, Rome, Paris, and many more!
- Experience Lara’s Darkest Adventures: Uncover the secrets of Lara Croft’s past and shed light on the mystery of her disappearance.
- Languages: Voice: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Polish, Russian, Japanese, Korean; Subtitles: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Polish, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified).
Rank #3
- Live the critically acclaimed, cinematic action adventure, re built specifically for next gen consoles
- Survive high octane combat, customize Lara's weapons and gear, and overcome grueling environments to uncover the island's deadly secret
- See Lara Croft like never before, with every bead of sweat, strand of hair, and article of clothing delivered in obsessive detail
- Endure a stunningly re imagined island, fraught with new, unforgiving storms, and alive with motion
- Own the complete Tomb Raider experience with all of the DLC, including the Tomb of the Lost Adventurer, six outfits for Lara, a digital mini art book, and the digital comic " The Beginning
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