After a long 7-year wait, a change of publisher, and almost complete radio silence regarding development, Tomb Raider looks set to make a triumphant comeback with a reveal at The Game Awards on December 11. Lara’s upcoming outing is confirmed to be a single-player, narrative-driven action-adventure, exactly what fans have been waiting for.
Crystal Dynamics has been cooking for some time with Amazon Games to bring Lara's latest adventure to life. With rumors abound about open-world gameplay, India as a setting, and possibly seeing Lara in her prime, all while bridging the classic series to the survivor trilogy, expectations for this one are naturally through the roof.
The new game is also making a substantial technical leap, with Crystal Dynamics transitioning development to Unreal Engine 5 (UE5). This change was announced early on. As the studio stated in April 2022, their goal is to “push the envelope of fidelity, and to deliver the high-quality cinematic action-adventure experience that fans deserve.”
Reflecting upon the ambitious nature of the project, Crystal Dynamics Head of Studio, Scot Amos, was quoted as saying the foundation of the partnership would be "building the biggest and best Tomb Raider game yet!”
For years, Tomb Raider has juggled separate timelines: the classic Core Design era, the Legend trilogy, and the recent Survivor trilogy. The new game intends to unify this history by establishing a "Unified Timeline."
This new Lara Croft is meant to be the definitive version. Lara has moved beyond her origin story and fully embraced the confident, globetrotting persona of the classic games.
Official statements confirm the game will feature all the classic pillars of the series, rewarding "exploration and creative pathfinding, with mind-bending puzzles to solve, and a wide variety of enemies to confront.”
In a tease ahead of The Game Awards 2025, the official Tomb Raider account released a silhouetted image of Lara Croft wielding her iconic dual pistols, confirming the return of the fan-favorite weapons and look. The accompanying message read: “Did you miss her? She missed you.”
Amazon is also developing a live-action Tomb Raider TV series (written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and starring Sophie Turner), which, according to a production company statement, will “reinvent the franchise on a massive scale, interconnecting a new live-action television series and video games into a unified storytelling universe.”
Christoph Hartmann, VP of Amazon Games, praised the collaboration, saying: “Our team is incredibly excited about collaborating with the talented and visionary Crystal Dynamics team to bring the next chapter of Lara Croft's saga to players around the world.”
While official announcements are imminent, rumors suggest an ambitious structure and setting. The new title is widely rumored to feature an open-world structure, moving away from the more linear pathing of the Survivor trilogy, and may include motorcycle traversal. Leaks also suggest the plot will center on a global hunt, possibly beginning in India, for the mythical weapons of the ancient emperor Ashoka.
All eyes are now fixed on TGA on December 11th, when the official first look at the "future of one of gaming's most iconic franchises" will finally be revealed to the world.
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