Ash's Top 10 Tomb Raider Games

Another obscure title that is not particularly appreciated by many, but this was my very first Tomb Raider game and looking back I can see why it got me into the series. Tomb Raider Chronicles focuses on 4 different stories about Lara that are told by her friends after Lara goes missing - presumed dead - in Egypt. 

As a result of this chronological recounting, the player gets to play in 4 different locations with unique challenges, puzzles and enemies. Aside from your (hopefully) favourite classic Lara from the previous games, you get to play as a teenage Lara with no weapons and a stealthy cat-suit wearing Lara that uses an assault rifle and grappling hooks. 

Unfortunately, the last levels have a number of bugs that could make it impossible to finish the game. This was due to rushed development as the studio was working on the Angel of Darkness at the same time. Nevertheless, I still regard Tomb Raider Chronicles as my number one.

The game was released before it was finished, and it was plagued by bugs and cut-out content. As it was released in 2003, there were no such thing as day 1 patches to smoothen out unfinished gameplay. Naturally, this game is not particularly everyone’s cup of tea but if you enjoy the classic series you should definitely give it a chance. 

Fans have created amazing patches that make controls more responsive and eliminate most of the bugs and crashes, so it is in much better shape if you play it these days. The Angel of Darkness is known for its incredible story, beautiful music (performed by the London Symphonic Orchestra) and mesmerising details like photos on characters' desks, or CDs with their favourite music.

Tomb Raider 4 brought something new to the original series. Firstly you’d be able to travel between the levels thus allowing you to explore much larger areas and make it much more challenging to figure out the puzzles. 

Also, this is the first time Lara’s personality is explored on a deeper level. Lara feels responsible for the apocalypse she caused and she’s trying to stop it, whilst also dealing with her frenemy and ex-mentor Von-Croy. 

Lara is still a cool, sassy Bond’esque heroine, but also she shows her emotions and you get to know her a little better. The whole game is set in Egypt so you’re not particularly spoiled for locations but the areas are very different and you get a huge variety of puzzle including a game of Senet.

Another add-on pack for the main series from Eidos USA. I rate this game so high because of the secrets. Usually, secrets in Tomb Raider games would give you extra ammo or collectables, which give you nothing but the satisfaction of getting them all the classic Tomb Raider jingle. 

In The Lost Artifact, though, some of the secrets are additional areas of the level where you can discover, for example, a Loch Ness monster mystery. This makes you want to play this game until you explore all the areas and find all the hidden paths.

This was not my first Tomb Raider game, so I don’t hold much nostalgia for it, but this game has set the whole tone and style for the franchise. This is the game that started it all and despite its ageing looks it still is a good challenging action-platformer. 

When you play this game it is difficult to imagine that all 4 epic and different locations were created by a team of two level designers! I love the absolute crazy mix of enemies you get in the original Tomb Raider – dinosaurs, lions, bears, living mummies, people and weird mutants. Go play it, it’s classic!

Known for its bugs (especially on the PlayStation 2) and awkward controls, this game is the closest that Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider has been to the original series, which was developed by Core Design. 

Lara, whilst still trying to find her lost mother, feels much more 'Lara' here. The game features some awesome puzzles, beautiful locations, incredible soundtrack, and challenging enemies. It is a shame this was the last of the trilogy and then the franchise was rebooted.

This is an addon-pack for the first Tomb Raider game that was out after the third game. It was developed by Eidos USA (not Core Design, the developers of the main series at a time) and you can definitely feel the fresh touch to the level design here. 

There is a lack of cutscenes and any explanation for the levels themselves so here’s the deal: the first couple of levels are set in Egypt. Lara returned shortly after the whole Scion drama in the original game to raid for some more stuff. These levels are beautiful and totally different to the feel of the original game. 

The second half of the game focuses on Lara escaping from Atlantis in Tomb Raider 1. All the levels are challenging, ammo is scarce and there are hordes of enemies. If you loved the original Tomb Raider you should definitely play this one!

The Shadow of the Tomb Raider is my favourite in the entire 'reboot' trilogy. The first few levels with their environments, cutscenes and living locations make you feel involved and make you feel responsible for the apocalypse that Lara has caused. 

It heavily reminds me of Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation which is one of my absolute favourites. However, towards the end of the game, it becomes quite grinding with all the errand quests from NPCs. The flashback narrative with the tragedy of Lara (spoilers!) losing her parents is also getting very old now and becomes quite annoying. 

I am mad about Ancient Egypt and I really hope Lara will return there soon. This is one of the spin-offs from the main series but it is absolutely awesome as you can play it with up to 4 players. 

The main problem though is this isometric camera view that just doesn’t feel right in a Tomb Raider game. It can be frustratingly confusing which character is yours when you play with your friends too. Nevertheless, you can have a couple of hours of pure fun with friends with this one.

Tomb Raider 3 is one of the fan-favourite for a variety of reasons. I personally do not enjoy it as much as other games on this list but I do love Lara’s home. I remember spending hours running around the Croft Manor, locking the butler in the fridge and then trying to replicate the whole building in The Sims! 

I do love Nevada levels where you could discover a UFO, get help from convicts and find a corpse of an alien. It brought some fresh feeling to the series at that time. I might be in minority to say this, but I also enjoyed London levels. 

Whilst they’re quite tricky and the puzzles are tough, the whole atmosphere is mesmerising. I actually visited Aldwych, one of the real locations that Andy Sandham (level designer) tried to replicate in the game and some of the motifs of that location are quite spot on (minus the freemason temple obviously). 

Certain South Pacific levels are great too, though I thoroughly hated kayaking. Towards the end though the game turns into Resident Evil with all the mutants in Antarctica and that is probably my least favourite bit in the game.