16 March 2026

Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered Gets New Update, But Players Aren’t Happy

By newsgame

The latest Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered update is stirring up online controversy over what some fans perceive as a lack of quality control, both in terms of asset work and technical performance. The backlash has become intense enough that a vocal segment of the community is now petitioning Aspyr Media to rehire Saber Interactive to fix the Tomb Raider remasters.

Officially, the March 12 patch was positioned as a free expansion to the collection, adding Challenge Mode, 10 outfits, 15 achievements, and some extra unlockable modifiers. While Aspyr framed it as added value, much of the resulting conversation has been centered on whether the Tomb Raider Remastered developer introduced more problems than the update was worth, especially considering the new content is proving to be polarizing at best.

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Tomb Raider Fans Push Back on Aspyr’s New Patch

The ongoing criticism is focused on two fronts: the appearance of the new outfits and player reports that the patch created or worsened technical issues. One widely circulated post from Reddit user Darkon_Redfiend complains about shoddy model work resulting in visual artifacts like sunglasses melting into Lara’s head and pixelated textures, in addition to alleging that the new Tomb Raider Remastered collection update introduces “AI slop,” citing suspiciously nonsensical symbols appearing on some of the new costumes.

Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.

Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)

“I’m sorry, but even if it’s free, this is nowhere near acceptable,” Darkon_Redfiend concluded. Their post made the front page of the r/TombRaider subreddit, a forum with over 115,000 members, on March 12, indicating that a vocal segment of the fandom agrees with its basic sentiment. Elsewhere, players have complained about a variety of technical issues encountered following the new patch, including the Tomb Raider 3 main menu music playing in Lara’s mansion, subtitles getting stuck on screen after the accompanying lines are spoken, and unlocked outfits lingering in the menu when they shouldn’t. Other fans are also reporting passport stamps are now missing, while Lara’s braid is glitched when using the Tomb Raider remasters’ photo mode.

Tomb Raider Remastered Art Director Echoes New Update Criticism

Giovanni Lucca, the Lead Artist on the Tomb Raider Remastered collection, has taken to Twitter on March 14 to add to the ongoing fan pushback by sharing a video making fun of some of the new outfits. While he only added a clown emoji to the tweet, a separate post from two days earlier saw him clarify he was not involved with the art direction of the surprise update. In fact, none of the original developers from Saber Interactive had anything to do with it, Lucca said.

Tomb Raider Fans Petitioning for Saber to Come Back and Fix the Challenge Mode Patch

One of the clearest signs that the reaction has moved beyond routine patch complaints is a Change.org petition asking Aspyr to rehire Saber Interactive to fix the new patch. The online initiative has gathered around 700 signatures as of March 15, three days after launch. The sentiment currently dominating online fan discourse is that getting nothing may have been preferable to a free update of this quality level.

The patch itself is currently available on the PlayStation and Xbox consoles, as well as PC. The Nintendo Switch version will receive it next Wednesday, March 18. Aspyr has yet to comment on the ongoing backlash to the Challenge Mode update in any capacity. The new controversy arrives some six months after French actress Françoise Cadol sued the Tomb Raider Remastered developer for allegedly using AI to mimic her voice without her permission in the process of remastering the second trilogy of Lara Croft-starring games.

Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered March 2026 Update Patch Notes

Challenge Mode: New Game Mode added to the Main Menu for Tomb Raider I, II, and III.
- Navigate to: Tomb Raider I, II, or III / Game Menu (passport) / Mode / Challenge Mode
- Replay classic levels in new ways: Lara can now replay completed levels. Each completed level will have level customization modifiers for new and exciting challenges.
- Challenge Mode Modifier Options:
  - Select Region
  - Select Chapter
  - Select Outfit: Once you’ve unlocked new outfits with new effects, they will appear here.
  - Use Outfit Bonus: Choose whether to use the outfit’s unique effects in this level.
  - Lara’s Health: Choose Lara’s Max Health during the Level 10%–500%. Default value is 100%.
  - Lara’s Regen: Choose the rate of Lara’s Regeneration, -5hp/s–100hp/s. Default value is 0.
  - Unlimited Air: Choose Lara’s ability to breathe underwater. Default value is No.
  - Equipment: Choose Lara’s Medkit and Ammo loadout. This will not affect any keys or Level relevant Items.
  - Additional Weapon: Choose which additional weapon Lara will start the level. Default value is no additional weapons.
  - Enemy Health: Choose enemy health, 25%–250%. Default value is 100%.
  - Enemy Damage: Choose the amount of damage enemies will deal in the level, 25%–250%. Default value is 100%
  - Enemy Numbers: Choose the amount of Enemies present in the Level. Default value is 100%
  - Enemy Type: Options will change depending on the level. Choose different kinds of enemies to face off against in the level.
- Check your Challenge Rating: Each modifier will alter challenge rating of the level, granting various rewards and bragging rights.
- Challenge Mode can be used as a level selector by selecting no modifiers.
- Challenge Mode restarts each level as a “starting over” experience where all items gathered in previous levels (medipacks/weapons/ammo) will be removed. Without modifiers, Lara starts with only basic Pistols.
Unlock New Outfits with Challenge Mode!
- To understand how to unlock each new outfit, navigate to: Tomb Raider I, II, or III / Game Menu (passport) / Extras / Outfit.
- Each new outfit comes with unique bonuses and effects! These effects will only be available in Challenge Mode.
- Paragon of Peace
- Established Explorer
- Atlantean Bio-Armour
- Master Mobster
- Ahab Approved
- Dragon Warrior
- Speed Demon
- Flying High
- Honorary Damned
- Cooler than Cool
Achievements: 15 new achievements/trophies added. Unlock them by completing levels in challenge mode with higher challenge ratings.
Save File/Checkpoint System Updated: Saves in Challenge Mode behave the same as regular saves but will be labeled with the skull icon.

Optimizations and Bug Fixes

Fixed various collider issues
Fixed Achievement issue: “The Business is Finished” achievement unlocks after the second level of Unfinished Business instead of after completing all levels
Xbox
- Fixed button binding issue
- Buttons were greyed out and could be changed
Steam
- Fixed missing UI element when changing Lara’s hair in Photomode
- Fixed Issue in classic mode
- The Hand of Rathmore not being displayed at its spawn point
Mobile
- Game menus optimized for mobile
- Gameplay touch controls added for mobile