Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis reimagines 1996 debut

Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog reimagined the 1996 Tomb Raider as Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis. The game stars Alix Wilton Regan as Lara Croft, is built in Unreal Engine 5 and will launch on Xbox Series X|S on February 12, 2027. Pre-orders are open.

Developers describe the project as a reimagining that retains the original’s core puzzles and tomb-raiding while updating visuals, combat and traversal with design lessons from three decades of Tomb Raider titles. The studios position Legacy of Atlantis as a bridge between the 1996 game and the Survivor trilogy (2013–2018).

At Summer Game Fest: Play Days journalists played an early level set in Peru’s Lost Valley. In the demo, Lara locates and arranges large gears hidden in jungle ruins to enter the Tomb of Qualopec, emerges through a waterfall to a wide jungle vista and dives into water-filled caverns. The team said they used Unreal Engine 5 to create denser, more organic environments with richer color and lighting than earlier entries.

Gameplay in the demo combined exploration and puzzles with updated combat. Puzzles focus on environmental gear mechanics and optional secrets. Combat mixes Survivor-era depth with acrobatic moves from older games. The developers introduced a Focus meter that fills when Lara deals or takes damage; players can spend it to enter a slowed-time mode for acrobatic attacks and precise shooting. The demo included a scripted slow-motion sequence in which Lara fires dual pistols at feathered velociraptors.

Art director Arek Tomaszewski described the visual approach as more saturated and vibrant than the Survivor trilogy while keeping realistic detail. He cited the T‑Rex boss as an example: the encounter retains the original design’s spirit but adds red feathers and cinematic combat to expand the fight beyond a simpler shoot-and-run structure.

Jeff Adams, Experience Director at Crystal Dynamics, said the team wanted to preserve key tentpole moments from the original while updating them for a modern audience. Raul Siqueira, Game Director, used the term reimagining to indicate new content and integration of features across the franchise’s history, noting the studio evaluated puzzles, traversal and combat from multiple past titles.

The studio highlighted Alix Wilton Regan’s performance as a defining element of the new Lara, crediting her with delivering both the character’s classic confidence and expressive moments. Developers said additional secrets, callbacks for longtime players and larger environmental and story elements will be revealed closer to release.