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For most newcomers, start with Tomb Raider: Legend. The official beginner guide, published September 13, 2024, calls it the franchise’s most beginner-friendly and accessible game. Choose a different starting point if you specifically want Lara’s modern origin story or the original classic adventures.
Why Tomb Raider: Legend is the best default starting point
Legend belongs to a three-game era with Anniversary and Underworld. The official beginner guide describes these games as having a modern control system, auto-aimed platforming, and checkpoints. Legend also includes a Croft Manor level where you can explore and learn Lara’s abilities.
That makes Legend a practical entry point if you want a guided introduction to the series’ exploration, platforming, and action without committing to the original games’ classic-era approach. It is also the franchise’s own recommendation for accessibility—not a claim that it is the first game in every continuity.
Choose your starting point by the Tomb Raider experience you want
| Your preference | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| An accessible general introduction | Tomb Raider: Legend | The official beginner guide recommends it as the most beginner-friendly and accessible entry. |
| The original adventure retold in a later-era style | Tomb Raider: Anniversary | It reimagines the original adventure using an enhanced Legend engine, with a similar gameplay style but greater difficulty, according to the official product page and beginner guide. |
| A modern Lara Croft origin-story arc | Tomb Raider (2013), then Rise of the Tomb Raider, then Shadow of the Tomb Raider | The official game catalog groups these three as the Survivor Trilogy. This is the natural sequence if that continuity is your priority; the franchise’s accessibility recommendation remains Legend. |
| The original classic adventures | Tomb Raider I-III Remastered | The collection brings together the first three games and their expansions, with options for classic or modern joystick controls and original or enhanced graphics. See the official announcement and product page. |
What to know about each route
Tomb Raider: Legend
Pick Legend if you want the clearest answer to “What should a beginner play first?” The official guide explicitly recommends it for newcomers and describes its era’s controls, platforming, and checkpoints as more approachable. It is the strongest default, while still being one distinct era rather than the start of every Tomb Raider storyline.
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- 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).
Tomb Raider: Anniversary
Anniversary is not the original 1996 release. It retells the first game’s adventure with the enhanced Legend engine. If revisiting the original story in a later-era presentation matters more to you than the easiest learning curve, it is a sensible alternative. The official guide says its difficulty is higher than Legend, though the gameplay style remains related.
The Survivor Trilogy
Play Tomb Raider (2013), Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider in that order if you want the modern origin-story continuity. The official catalog identifies these titles as the Survivor Trilogy. This route is based on story preference, not the official beginner-friendly ranking.
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.
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered
Choose the remastered collection if you want to experience the original trilogy and expansions on a modern-platform collection. Its control and graphics options let you select between classic and modern joystick schemes and between original and enhanced visuals. Those options change how the games feel and look, but the collection remains a classic-era experience rather than a modern reboot.
Three questions to settle before you begin
- Which continuity interests you? Choose Legend for the accessible later-era entry point, the Survivor Trilogy for its modern origin story, or the remasters for the original adventures.
- How do you want the controls to feel? The Legend-era guide highlights modern controls and auto-aimed platforming; the remasters offer both classic and modern joystick schemes.
- How much challenge do you want? The official guide calls Legend accessible and describes Anniversary as more difficult while retaining a related style.
Check platform availability before buying
Storefront listings and platform availability can vary. Confirm the current listing for your system before purchasing; official game pages identify titles and storefront links, but do not establish live stock or availability in every region.
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
As context for the franchise’s scale, Crystal Dynamics announced on October 11, 2024, that Tomb Raider had passed 100 million units sold worldwide. That is a dated milestone, not a current sales count.
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).
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
