Tomb Raider Developers Want To Both Honor And Reimagine The Series On Its 30th Anniversary
During the 2025 Game Awards, Tomb Raider fans were surprised by not one but two announcements for upcoming games starring Lara Croft. One, Tomb Raider: Catalyst, is a brand-new adventure, while the other, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, is a re-imagining of the iconic 1996 game that first introduced Lara to the world. Developer Crystal Dynamics specifically developed Legacy of Atlantis to release during the series’ 30th anniversary year, and hope to create an experience that honors what longtime players remember while encouraging new Tomb Raider fans to give the series a try.
At a press event attended by Game Rant, Crystal Dynamics Head of Studio Scot Amos and Game Director Will Kerslake revealed that, as huge fans of the series themselves, they were particularly thrilled to work on Legacy of Atlantis. The game takes Lara’s first adventure, an epic globe-spanning quest for an artifact originating from the lost continent of Atlantis, and recreates it in stunning modern detail using Unreal Engine 5. Amos and Kerslake confirmed that the classic moments, locations, and puzzles fans remember will all be present – and there might also be a few surprises to keep an eye out for.
Legacy of Atlantis Celebrates 30 Years of Tomb Raider
“Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is a love letter by fans for fans,” Amos said, enthusiasm evident in every word he spoke. Amos confirmed that Legacy of Atlantis, as a re-imagining of the original title with some fun new additions such as favorite outfits from throughout the series like Underworld’s wetsuit, was always planned to be Tomb Raider’s 30th anniversary title. The Crystal Dynamics team saw developing this game as an opportunity to celebrate everything fans — including themselves — loved about the franchise:
“We knew the 30th anniversary was coming up, and wanted to do something special to both celebrate that moment [and] still pay honor to all its core designs, the original DNA and intent from this amazing title that launched the franchise.”
It was important to both Amos and Kerslake to include many key elements of what made the original Tomb Raider game so iconic. In particular, they highlighted the moments when Lara falls into a den of wolves and is forced to quickly escape, as well as her tense encounter with a Tyrannosaurus rex, which was briefly shown in the Legacy of Atlantis trailer. Amos felt that scenes stayed with him long after initially playing the game. He is excited to see both longtime players revisit them and new players discover them for the first time:
“We got to fight a T. rex in that original game, and now, [we’re] saying, how is that re-imagined today for an epic action adventure moment that can create a new core memory for players who’ve never gotten to experience that [for] the first time. Or, if you’re a longtime fan, you now get to experience it as a first time again.”
The Game Is A Re-Imagining, Not A Remake
Marketing for Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, including the trailer shown at the Game Awards 2025, has referred to the game using the word “re-imagining,” not “remake.” Kerslake feels that “re-imagining” is the appropriate term because, while Legacy of Atlantis will feature everything present in the original game, there have been significant updates to the graphics, mechanics, and combat system – as well as potentially some other surprises that have not yet been revealed. Kerslake said:
“We want to honor the legacy of that original game by modernizing it with a gameplay experience and fidelity that’s now possible in Unreal 5…There are vital things that we have to keep the same: that confident, capable Lara Croft, the globe-trotting adventure, the cool, strategic puzzle-solving within that space… To hit you with those epic moments, we’re going to have to push that into a new space. And so, when we re-imagine it, it’s re-imagined the feel, but for a modern play.”
The Crystal Dynamics team shared that there were a number of elements they were able to expand and improve using the technology available via Unreal Engine 5. Amos provided an example: “What might have been a background image in the old game is now completely realized in full 3D.” The Game Awards trailer gave a small example of the eye-catching visuals that will be featured in Legacy of Atlantis. Kerslake confirmed that the game will retain the “globe-spanning adventure” nature of the original, with Lara Croft traveling to a number of locations including the Peruvian Andes, Greece, Egypt, and, of course, ultimately the once-lost city of Atlantis itself.
Another element confirmed to be returning are the many deadly traps Lara Croft encounters as she travels through ancient tombs and other hidden locations. The trailer already confirmed that one memorable trap will be returning: an Indiana Jones-inspired segment in which Lara must escape an enormous rolling boulder. While he couldn’t share any details, Kerslake hinted that many other memorable traps and danger sequences will make an appearance in Legacy of Atlantis: “It is core to the Tomb Raider experience that there are puzzles and combat and traversal and death-defying action…the things that you expect in the Tomb Raider series are going to be there in spades.”
Crystal Dynamics Might Have A Few New Surprises In Store
While Legacy of Atlantis is going to be a faithful re-imagining of the original Tomb Raider title, that doesn’t mean there won’t be a few new things that fans might be surprised by. Eagle-eyed viewers noticed in the first trailer that Lara is shown to wield a grappling hook, a tool that did not appear in the original game but would later become an iconic part of her arsenal. While the Crystal Dynamics team intends to reveal more gameplay specifics at a later date, Kerslake encouraged fans to carefully look through the trailer for potential hints. “If you poke at that trailer, there’s a lot of cool stuff that is in the game.”
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is scheduled to release in 2026, 30 years since the debut of the original Tomb Raider in 1996. It will be followed by Tomb Raider: Catalyst, a new chapter in Lara Croft’s adventures that will take her to Northern India on a mysterious new quest. The Crystal Dynamics team is excited to celebrate the series’ history and future with these two exciting upcoming Tomb Raider titles.
- Released
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2026
- Publisher(s)
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Amazon Games
- Number of Players
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Single-player