Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, the next major installment in the long-running franchise, is set to arrive early next year and provide a new way for fans and newcomers to experience Lara Croft’s original adventure.
But you might have some questions about how this remake connects to past Tomb Raider games, the presence of AI assets, and how the next Tomb Raider game, Catalyst, fits into all this.
What is Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis?
Legacy of Atlantis is a full-blown remake of the original 1996 Tomb Raider game, rebuilt from the ground up using Unreal Engine 5. It is being developed by Flying Wild Hog with assistance and guidance from longtime Tomb Raider development studio Crystal Dynamics. While it is a remake of that first game, it will also make some changes to puzzles, combat, platforming, and more, so don’t expect a one-to-one recreation of what came before.
When is Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis releasing?
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is set to launch on February 12, 2027. It was originally scheduled to arrive sometime in 2026.
What platforms will Legacy of Atlantis be available on?
The next big Tomb Raider game will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC.
Wait, didn’t they already remake the original Tomb Raider?
Yes. 2007’s Tomb Raider: Anniversary, developed by Crystal Dynamics, was also developed as a remake of the original game. And then you have Tomb Raider I-III, which contains a remastered version of the original Tomb Raider. Needless to say, this is a story that has been told a few times at this point.
Is Legacy of Atlantis set in the same timeline as the Survivor Trilogy?
Yes. Over the last few years, the people in charge of Tomb Raider have been trying to unify the franchise’s various timelines.
So Legacy of Atlantis is a sequel to the Survivor trilogy, which shows Lara’s origins, and bumps the original game (and Anniversary, the old remake) from this singular timeline. This also means that when you play Tomb Raider 2, it’s a sequel to Legacy of Atlantis now, canonically speaking. Bit weird, but luckily, you can mostly just ignore all that and enjoy the games as standalone adventures.
But that’s a new actress playing Lara Croft…
That is correct. While this new game is connected to the past games, Lara Croft has been recast. Alix Wilton Regan is the new actress taking on the role of Lara. She replaces Camilla Luddington, who played Lara in the Survivor Trilogy. Regan will also star as the famous tomb raiding adventurer in 2027’s upcoming Tomb Raider: Catalyst.
Yeah, what about that other game, Tomb Raider: Catalyst?
What about it?
Well, when is it set? How does it connect to Legacy of Atlantis?
First off, that was two questions, so chill. Secondly, Catalyst is set further into the future of Lara Croft’s timeline. In fact, it’s set after the events of Tomb Raider: Underworld, which was part of the same trilogy of games that contained Anniversary, which will no longer be part of the timeline anymore. It’s a bit confusing, but the short version is that, yes, Catalyst is connected to the upcoming remake, but the two games show Lara at two different points in her life. But it’s the same Lara, hence the shared actress in Regan.
Does Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis contain AI-generated assets?
Sadly, yeah, it seems like it, according to the game’s Steam page. The devs say AI-generated assets were used in development and then either “replaced or refined by humans,” but that still isn’t great, and I expect people will find some odd-looking bits and bobs inside Legacy of Atlantis once it launches in early 2027.
