The Game Awards took place last night, and they just delivered a big surprise for fans of the Tomb Raider franchise. Following earlier speculation and rumor, they revealed the return of Lara Croft in 2026’s Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis – but that wasn’t her only showing. They also revealed a second game coming in 2027 titled Tomb Raider Catalyst. But what does this all mean, and who are the two Lara Croft? We’ll break it down.
So firstly, there’s Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, scheduled for release sometime next year. This game will serve as a “retelling” and “reimagining” of the original game, making it effectively a remake with differences in its gameplay and perhaps its lore. These “reimagined” elements are likely to play into the “unified Lara” goal that developers Crystal Dynamics have, so let’s explain what that means next.
So what is a “unified Lara” you might be wondering. The term is used by the developers and fans to refer to a combined canon version of the titular Tomb Raider. There have been many interpretations of Lara Croft across different eras of gamings, and Crystal Dynamics wanted to approach this conundrum head-on. As such, new releases going forwards will aim to take elements from all prior Tomb Raider releases to create as cohesive a canon as possible given the enormous variety and history of the franchise. Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis therefore will likely serve a unifying purpose by acting as a sequel to the 2013-2018 ‘Survivor trilogy’ (which set up the events of the original game by the conclusion of its third and final part), and a bridge to the games that come later in the canon – like Catalyst.
Tomb Raider Catalyst will be the most recent game in the franchise, and the twelfth mainline game overall, making it a sequel to… everything! Any Tomb Raider game you know or have played, this is set after that. In this game, Lara is her most experienced yet, facing rivals and allies alike in Northern India. Imagine therefore that these two new Tomb Raider games will basically be bookends for the entire series. Legacy of Atlantis is the first game re-told, Catalyst is the newest game that will start the next era of Tomb Raider, and we’ll have both in our hands over the next two years.
Are you looking forward to the return of Lara Croft in the new Tomb Raider releases? Which are you most excited for? Let us know all your thoughts in the comments down below or on social media, and keep your eyes on GameObserver for more gaming news and analysis.
