Tomb Raider is one of the most popular video game franchises of all time, with each and every entry being quite legendary in its own right. The adventures of everyone's favorite archaeologist are a blast to play through, with Lara Croft cementing her name as one of the most recognizable video game protagonists of all time. She might've gone through several design changes, but most players easily recognize Lara whenever she makes an appearance.
A lot of people give the old Tomb Raider games flack for having supposedly aged quite poorly and not being a ton of fun to play through due to clunky controls and dated visuals. However, the truth is that some of the older Tomb Raider games have aged surprisingly well and are still well worth checking out decent despite their advancing years.
Only games released prior to the year 2010 will be considered for this list.
5 Tomb Raider Chronicles
The classic Tomb Raider games have a charm of their own that is hard to resist, but even the series' most hardcore fans will have to agree that a lot of these games have aged pretty poorly from a visual standpoint. As a result, it can be hard to recommend one game from the many games released on the same engine, although most people can still make a strong case for Tomb Raider Chronicles.
By no means is the game a visual masterpiece, but that doesn't mean that the title has aged poorly either. In fact, the texture work in this game is the very best by far, with these visual upgrades being quite noticeable for fans of the classic series. The controls can take a while to get used to, but players who put in the effort will be rewarded with the experience of playing one of the best Tomb Raider games of all time.
4 Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness
Most people consider The Angel of Darkness to be one of the weakest Tomb Raider games of all time, and it's easy to see why this is the case. The changes made to the game's winning formula felt totally unnecessary and ultimately detracted from the overall experience. What's more, the sheer number of bugs plaguing this title were a source of huge annoyance for many players.
However, that's not to say that The Angel of Darkness misfires on all fronts. The story is quite captivating and can hook players once they get over the many barriers to entry, and the visuals have been overhauled significantly for the better. The latter is easily the most noticeable upgrade and might convince people on the fence to give this title a shot despite the many questionable choices it makes in regard to game design.
3 Tomb Raider: Legend
Tomb Raider: Legend is easily one of the best places to pick up the Tomb Raider series, featuring the origins of Lara Croft as a Tomb Raider and how she turned into the femme fatale everyone knows and loves. Exploring Lara's backstory makes for a great time, with Tomb Raider: Legend becoming a hit from the get-go and revitalizing the franchise after the previous title ended up being a commercial and critical failure.
Tomb Raider: Legend also features a great art style and graphical design that gives the game a great identity of its own. Each tomb is different and memorable, with the noticeably bright color palette of the game giving it more of an adventurous vibe than ever before.
2 Tomb Raider: Anniversary
The first game in the Tomb Raider series is one of the most legendary video games of all time, with its riveting gameplay loop, an incredible sense of adventure, and the sassy protagonist Lara Croft forming the three pillars of what made this game so popular in the first place. It's definitely the worst game from a graphical standpoint, but this issue has been taken care of with Tomb Raider: Anniversary.
This title remakes the first game in the series from the ground up and is undoubtedly the best way to experience Lara Croft's first documented adventure. The game is pretty faithful, with its original inclusions serving as a great way to add to the lore and storytelling of the series instead of taking away anything from the original experience. Suffice it to say, Tomb Raider: Anniversary also serves as a great point to jump into the series if players haven't already.
1 Tomb Raider: Underworld
Tomb Raider: Underworld was the last mainline console entry released for the series before it went on a rather lengthy hiatus. The series definitely left fans hanging on a high note, with Underworld being one of the best Lara Croft games of all time and refining the gameplay that was present in the last two entries while keeping the identity of the series intact.
The jump to a new generation served Lara well, with the graphics being overhauled significantly. Tomb Raider: Underworld is easily one of the best games in the series to date and certainly looks the part. Fans who want to get into the old Tomb Raider games will be wowed by Underworld's graphics, with the title looking absolutely striking and incredible even now.