Tomb Raider

Tomb RaidersPlayStation, Saturn, MS-DOS, Mac +111996

  1. JP1997
  2. NA1996
  3. EU1996
  4. RU—

Tomb Raider was sold under that name in the West, but in Japan Victor Interactive Software released it as Tomb Raiders. The easiest legal way to play it today is Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft (2024), which can switch back to the original graphics; GOG also sells the original PC version.

Tomb Raider was developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. It debuted on the Sega Saturn in Europe on October 24, 1996, under a timed exclusivity deal, and the PlayStation and MS-DOS versions followed in November. Toby Gard conceived the game and created Lara Croft, who was originally named Laura Cruz; her movements were hand-animated rather than motion-captured. Nathan McCree composed the music.

In Japan the game came out in 1997 for Saturn and PlayStation under the title Tomb Raiders. Over the years it was ported to Mac, N-Gage, iOS and Android, and the PC expansion Unfinished Business (1998) became part of Tomb Raider Gold and several later releases.

Tomb Raider sold over 7 million copies, topped the British charts a record three times and was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2018. In February 2024 it returned in Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft, which includes official Russian and Spanish text.1

Names and releases

RegionTitle on the boxPlatformDatePublisherSrc
NA Tomb Raider Saturn Nov 14, 1996 Eidos Interactive 1
NA Tomb RaiderEnglish Wikipedia gives 14 November 1996, Russian Wikipedia 15 November. MS-DOS November 1996 Eidos Interactive 1
NA Tomb RaiderEnglish Wikipedia gives 14 November 1996, Russian Wikipedia 15 November. PlayStation November 1996 Eidos Interactive 1
NA Tomb RaiderBased on Tomb Raider Gold; the source does not name the region. Mac Mar 16, 1999 Aspyr 1
NA Tomb RaiderN-Gage launch title (port by Ideaworks3D); Europe 10 October 2003. Other Oct 7, 2003 — 1
NA Tomb RaiderPlayStation Network (PS one Classic); Europe August 2010. PlayStation 3 August 2009 — 1
EU Tomb RaiderReleased first on Saturn under a timed exclusivity deal. Saturn Oct 24, 1996 Eidos Interactive 1
EU Tomb Raider MS-DOS Nov 22, 1996 Eidos Interactive 1
EU Tomb Raider PlayStation Nov 22, 1996 Eidos Interactive 1
JP Tomb Raiders Saturn Jan 14, 1997 Victor Interactive Software 1
JP Tomb Raiders PlayStation Feb 14, 1997 Victor Interactive Software 1
WW Tomb Raider I (1996)Steam release; Steam lists 28 November 2012, Wikipedia 29 November. Windows November 2012 Crystal Dynamics 2
WW Tomb RaiderIncludes the Gold levels; no longer on the App Store as of August 2024. iOS December 2013 Square Enix 1
WW Tomb Raider Android April 2015 Square Enix 1
WW Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara CroftAlso Switch, PS4, PS5 and Xbox; includes Unfinished Business. Wikipedia gives 14 February 2024, Steam 13 February. Windows February 2024 Aspyr 3
WW Tomb Raider Collection 1Evercade cartridge. Other 2024 — 1

Also known as: Tomb Raiders JP1Tomb Raider Gold WW1Tomb Raider I (1996) WW2Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft WW3

Box art by region

  • Tomb Raider box art, North America release
    NA Tomb Raider
  • Tomb Raider box art, Europe release
    EU Tomb Raider
  • Tomb Raiders box art, Japan release
    JP Tomb Raiders

Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.

Version differences

  • GameplaySaturnPlayStation

    On Saturn and PlayStation, progress can only be saved at Save Crystals placed in the levels, while the PC versions allow saving at any point.1

  • AudioMS-DOS

    The MS-DOS version has no in-game music because of technical limits.1

  • GraphicsSaturn

    Digital Foundry rated the Saturn version the weakest because of its lower frame rate and poorer audio; some critics preferred the sharper PlayStation graphics.1

All differences (5)

Translations

  • Spanish Official

    Aspyr / Crystal Dynamics2024Windows · RemasteredReleased · complete

    The 2024 Remastered includes official Spanish (Spain) text.3

  • Japanese Official

    Victor Interactive Software1997PlayStationReleased

    In Japan, Victor Interactive Software published the game for Saturn and PlayStation as Tomb Raiders.1

  • Russian Official

    Aspyr / Crystal Dynamics2024Windows · RemasteredReleased · complete

    The 2024 Remastered includes official Russian text and voice-over, along with many other languages.3

Where to play legally today

  • GOG Purchase

    Tomb Raider 1+2+3

    original PC versions running in DOSBox

    Checked: 2026-10-134gog.com

  • GOG Purchase

    Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft

    2024 remaster

    Checked: 2026-10-135gog.com

  • Steam Purchase

    Tomb Raider I (1996)

    original PC version

    Checked: 2026-10-132store.steampowered.com

  • Steam Purchase

    Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft

    2024 remaster of Tomb Raider I-III with original-graphics toggle

    Checked: 2026-10-133store.steampowered.com

How to run it today

The easiest way to play today is Tomb Raider I-III Remastered on Steam, GOG or consoles, which can switch to the original graphics. GOG also sells the original PC version bundled with Tomb Raider II and III, running in DOSBox.

4

Reception

Tomb Raider sold over 7 million copies worldwide. It holds a Metacritic score of 91/100 on PlayStation and a 92% GameRankings average on PC, won numerous Game of the Year awards and was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2018.1

Sources

  1. 1en.wikipedia.org
  2. 2store.steampowered.com
  3. 3store.steampowered.com
  4. 4gog.com
  5. 5catalog.gog.com
  6. 6store.steampowered.com
  7. 7store.steampowered.com
  8. 8gog.com

Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13

Spotted a mistake? Write to atlas@old-games.net.