Trouble always seems to find Lara Croft. Since the cutting-edge adventures of 2013, Tomb Raider Franchise got a more advanced, harder reboot and showed us a more determined Lara Croft.
Quite a lot happens as the game proceeds. We see that the explorable environment in the game provides combat and exploring experience, but at the same time, the world of Lara has a much larger role in the game.
She uses things from her surroundings, which she then crafts into useful resources and makes weapons out of them, which helps her on her mysterious journey. Each chapter in the game is more seat-grabbing and exciting than before.
There are puzzles, exploring new areas, dealing with wildlife, evil characters, and surviving. This is undoubtedly one hell of an attention-grabbing games for mid-level players.
Now that you are intrigued about this game, it is time to learn about all Tomb Raider Games In Order. Because trust me, you will need this list when you look for all Tomb Raider games in chronological order.
All Tomb Raider Games In Order (Updated)
Whether you are learning about Tomb Raider for the first time or whether you are well acquainted with this franchise, you must be wondering what and how many games are there in this series and what are Lara Croft games in order.
So to learn about all the Lara Croft games and learn more about her life story, we will take a trip down all Tomb Raider games in order.
#1 – Tomb Raider (1996)
First on our list of all the Tomb Raider games series is a game which starts with the story of Lara Croft, an archaeologist renowned for her work.
She Is given the task of finding the valuable artifact called by ‘Scion of Atlantis’ in the story of this game is great for being the first game. However, the real greatness of the game comes from its ability to provide the best gaming experience.
The game was made on the concept of a 3D grid to give it a more realistic look and was considered a modern game. The game possessed an amazing combat system, puzzle-solving, and fighting ability of the heroin with enemies to make it to the end of the story
This first game was critically praised for its sophisticated ambiance, style, atmosphere, setting, and Hollywood-style adventure film characters and plot.
From here, Lara Croft became a sensation that broke all the barriers of warrior women being portrayed in games and being the center of attention and leading the game.
#2 – Tomb Raider II (1997)
An year passed, and after the success of Tomb Raider I, the developers released the sequel of the game by Core Design which made Lara search for the legendary blade of ‘Xian.’ The blade was a prehistoric knife used by the Ruler of China to become a mighty dragon.
In terms of gameplay, not much is changed in the new Tomb Raider games apart from improved features, including Lara’s vehicles, weapons, and movements; this time, Lara could even do rolls in the air and climb both vertically and horizontally.
Apart from this, Tomb Raider II has the same style as Tomb Raider I. It contains similar puzzle-solving components and takes the story of the main game to newer interest levels for the fans.
#3 – Tomb Raider III (1998)
Lara’s third appearance in the franchise’s game. In this game, Lara goes out to find the pieces of meteorite scattered throughout the world. This search takes her on an adventure around the globe, and she visits India, Antarctica, Area 51, and South Pacific.
This game also contains the combat style of gameplay, similar to the 1st game but with some drastic upgrades like improved graphics, more details to the settings, and we also saw a comeback of puzzle-solving.
This game earned some positive reviews but was not as great as the 1st game. One criticism it faced was the difficulty levels and the game’s innovation because all three games are fairly similar, and there should have been some difference.
#4 – Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (1999)
The Last Revelation is the 4th episode of the game. Through this installation, the designers, as well as the fans of the all-time hit action game, got wary of the similar storyline and gaming experience.
This game was intended as a wrap-up for the life story of our heroine Lara Croft killing her at the end. The game revolves around an Egyptian God named Set, who Lara sets free and makes her life hell.
The game is similar to the last three games of the series, but it received positive feedback compared to the last game.
The game was supposed to end the franchise of Tomb Raider, but since the 4th game secured high sales records, Eidos Interactive asked Core to make more Tomb Raider games.
Hence, the release of our next Lara Croft game:
#5 – Tomb Raider – GameBoy Color (2000)
This was a spin-off of the original Tomb Raider series and was released for the Game Boy Color in 2000. The game adapts to the handheld gaming system, having a new gameplay style and story.
This is a smaller game because it was exclusively made for Game Boy Color, and during the play, Lara fights against a dangerous mob of treasure looters who wanted to get their hands on the legendary ‘Nightmare stone.’ The stone which could free the evil God Quaxet.
The game depends on 14 levels and requires the player to jump over obstacles, solve puzzles and defeat enemies.
Each level has a different gameplay style (for example, one level shows Lara climbing ropes, while the other shows her hopping over magma, etc.)
The game was loved and praised by critics because of a new entry into the franchise.
#6 – Tomb Raider Chronicles (2000)
This is the 6th game in all Tomb Raider games in order. In the same year as Tomb Raider Game boy Color, another game was released, called Tomb Raider Chronicles.
This game is built on the previous release; the last revelation – shows that Lara is presumably dead now. However, she is being remembered as the closest friend; all 3 of them share tales of her most adventurous adventures.
In each of the three stories, one by one, the friends play as Lara and first look for the Philosopher Stone in the catacombs of Rome.
Then she goes to the bottom of the sea to recover the Spear of Destiny, combats with the ghosts on an abandoned island, and finally breaks into her employer’s office to salvage the precious IRIS.
This Tomb Raider trilogy order game has a distinct storyline and allows the whole game/storyline to new heights. The game also allows us to loosely look at Lara through her various periods in life while she hunts for precious assets.
But, if we talk about critical reviews, this release got both negative and positive reviews. Chronicles were developed to give a hint of Lara Croft returning to action in future games.
This brings us to our next Tomb Raider series order game:
#7 – Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword (2001)
This is also a Game Boy Color game. Like the previous game, this game is also a spin-off of the Lara Croft franchise.
In this part, Lara becomes entangled with New Orleans Voodoo cult and becomes their target, who thinks that Lara is ideal (physically and mentally) to house their soon-to-be resurrected leader.
The game shows remote temples, city life, and wilderness in the settings of New Orleans and New York. However, this game didn’t receive as much appreciation as other Tomb Raider games, but most reviews were positive.
#8 – Tomb Raider: The Prophecy (2002)
For the first time, this release of the Tomb Raider game came for Game Boy Advance. However, this was a minor game compared to other games in the franchise. Ubisoft developed the game.
In the game, we see Lara Croft looking for three antediluvian stones that could release the mythical creature called the Great Grey One, which could bring the world to an end.
Tomb Raider The Prophecy greatly depends on an overhead POV style with a camera constantly dangling over her head. Her combat is also a little crooked to allow the smart camera angle to show the players everything.
#9 – Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (2003)
This game was one of the pioneer next-generation console games developed by core design. This game was the huge game release that heaved the Tomb Raider franchise forward towards the future of gaming.
This game was developed as a new Tomb Raider reboot trilogy order, in which Lara Croft returns after her death was presumed.
But, now she is in Paris, where she has to plead innocence against people who framed her for killing a former friend and mentor on behalf of a secret sinister society.
However, the game faced hurdles from the very beginning. From being under development beyond its release date to getting a whole level removed because of glitches, the game was expected to be a flop from the beginning.
The whole point of bringing back a better version of the game was to boost the franchise, but it failed because of the poor controls, poor camera placement, and unchallenging enemies.
#10 – Tomb Raider: Legend (2006)
When Crystal Dynamics got hold of the Tomb Raider franchise, they completely reinvented it after the disaster of the last game. They made it their goal to bring the game to the top for the new generation of players and for the PlayStation 2 console.
This game accompanies Lara on a journey towards the Arthurian Sword, the Excalibur. She comes across her old friend, but a bitter rival named Amanda Evert on her journey.
The game is a reboot of the series, which shows us a different backstory of the main character, Lara Croft. It is known to be the trilogy of Tomb Raider’s chronological order or Legend Trilogy.
With the complete redesign of the game and Lara Croft, the developers successfully achieved their goal of interesting the fans in the game. The interest will keep alive during the mid-2000s.
#11 – Tomb Raider: Anniversary (2007)
This is the 8th part of the Tomb Raider game and the 2nd one of the rebooted trilogy. Tomb Raider Anniversary is a reboot of the original and unique Tomb Raider games of 1996.
However, it is more of a remake than a follow-up game. The only difference is that Lara goes on the journey of finding the Scion of Atlantis. She fights enemies and explores and completes the puzzles on her journey.
Even though the game is a reboot of the original game, it adds some new features to the game like gameplay, redesigned levels, better soundtracks, and a detailed storyline.
As a result, it is considered an excellent remake. The game can be played on PC, and in 2011, the game was released again for PlayStation3 and Xbox 360, along with a re-release of Legend and Underworld.
#12 – Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008)
The last part of the re-released Tomb Raider play order legend trilogy is the Tomb Raider Underworld. It is the 9th part of the main Tomb Raider games. However, unlike Anniversary, this game shows the things and stories that happened before Legend.
The game sends Lara to search for Avalon, an Arthurian island, which she is looking for in hopes of finding more about her mother’s disappearance. Eventually, she races against all odds to stop the opening of Underworld of Norse Legend.
The original publishers released the game; Eidos. The game was praised for improved gameplay, settings, story, graphics, intricate details, etc.
#13 – Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (2010)
This game is a sequel to the Tomb Raider game series. In this game, we see some basic ideas, as it emphasizes on the main character, but the game goes in an entirely different direction than any other Tomb Raider game.
The emphasis is on the co-op gaming style. In it, Lara is helped by a 2000-year-old Mayan warrior for fighting the Evil God Aztec. While playing as a single-player, Lara survives through each level alone and without the help of any AI-Controlled NPC.
However, if you go for multiplayer, you can either play as Mayan or Lara. This game got the credit of being the amazing-est game of the franchise of Tomb Raider video game order. In addition, this game got the much-needed improvement needed to bring the game to the top.
#14 -Tomb Raider (2013)
2013 was the year of reboot, the game got another reboot, and this time it was completely changed. This time Lara’s backstory is different. This time the gameplay is different, and the character also got redesigned.
In this reboot, Lara Croft with her crew go abroad on an expedition but meet an accident, and their ship crashes on a remote island of Yamatai, which they are not familiar with. The island is known to be within Japan’s Dragon Triangle (more like a fictional Bermuda triangle).
Unlike other games, this game has the untested character of Lara Croft. She takes a survival approach than a puzzle-solving or combat approach like in previous games.
This game was the most awaited game of 2013 and earned a lot of love and respect from the fans because of its amazing gaming experience and visuals. This release is still the most popular and most played Tomb Raider game till today.
The game was basically released for Windows, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3, but it would later be re-released for next-generation consoles, Xbox One and Playstation 4.
#15 – Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris (2014)
This is the entry of a derivative Tomb Raider series. The Temple of Osiris is the straight sequel to the 2010 Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light game. Lara tries to end the enslaving humanity rule of Set, an evil god.
She joins Carter Bell, her opponent and a treasure hunter, and the imprisoned Gods Isis and Horus as they explore across Egypt to collect the remains of Osiris, who is the God of the Underworld.
This game allows you to play four players at one time. You can play as Lara, Carter, Horus, or Isis. This means that each character has a different and unique skill set.
It also has an overhead camera setting which is the perfect show of classic games, These innovations earned the game positive reviews.
#16 – Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015)
Up till now, this is the second last and the eleventh main game from Tomb Raider ps4 games in order. It is a Tomb Raider 2013 reboot.
This game shows a talented and more experience Lara Croft traveling through Siberia, racing against a Trinity group to find the legendary city of Kitezh.
The game relies on a system similar to the previous Tomb Raider 2013. But some betterments were made to make the game more challenging. The emphasis in this game is on puzzle solving, and that is why it got positive reviews from many critics.
#17 – Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018)
This is the most recent, and It serves as the last entry in the rebooted Tomb Raider trilogy and shows the final stages of Lara’s development as Tomb Raider.
In this concluding game, Lara travels through the jungles of South America and tries to find the Incan city of Paititi. But, again, she battles her old enemies. While fighting Trinity, she realizes that her job is not to solve all the world’s mysteries but to protect them.
Like the previous Tomb Raider game, this game earned the most positive reviews because of the spectacular challenges and puzzles.
Tomb Raider Mobile Games
Tomb Raider; Relic Run
Like the PC games, Relic Run is nothing like the original games and has no link to the official Lara Croft games franchise. The game came out in 2015 and is a game that continues the story after the Temple of Osiris.
In this game, Lara looks for the missing archaeologist but becomes entwined in a life-threatening international conspiracy.
The game has endless mirror platforms similar to the famous running game ‘Temple Run,’ but the different thing is that Lara constantly fights opponents with dangerous weapons. She can jump, slide, and walk on walls and has a wide variety of vehicles which helps during the game and fights.
Lara Croft Go
Another Tomb Raider mobile game was released in 2015. It was also a puzzle-based game spin-off of the original game series. The game shows us Lara on a chess-board-inspired map which has to dodge obstacles and use the surroundings to solve the puzzles.
This game also received a gaming award in 2015 for the best handheld game. The game is ideal for playing on smart devices and was eventually released later on for PlayStation Vita, Steam, and PlayStation 4. So you can consider it a ps4 Tomb Raider game in order.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Final Verdict:
These were Tomb Raider video game orders. Since the past 25 years, Lara Croft has been making our gaming experiences better.
She is one of the oldest and most famous female protagonists in the gaming world. Every gamer has played Tomb Raider at least once in their life.
I grew up playing Tomb Raider games and the best time of the day was when I could play my favorite game. I used to wait a whole day just to play the game. This iconic franchise has made a difference in the gaming world.
So, wherever Lara Croft decides to venture next, hopefully, we will be there with her, and hopefully, this guide will help you learn about Tomb Raider reboot games in order.
