The recently-unveiled Tomb Raider: Catalyst represents the next major steps for the franchise. Crystal Dynamics, however, wants to make sure that newcomers to the franchise don’t feel completely lost. As caught by GamesRadar, studio head Scott Amos spoke about Tomb Raider: Catalyst, and how the game will appeal to fans of the franchise as well as newcomers during a virtual Q&A event after The Game Awards 2025.
Amos explained that this comes down to the fact that Tomb Raider: Catalyst will focus on Lara Croft at the furthest point in her adventuring career. This also means that all other Tomb Raider games make up parts of her history. “For longtime fans, it’s one of those moments where this is the furthest point in [Lara Croft’s] career,” he said. “This is really where she is right now. Everything else is her history.”
As for new players, Amos noted that Tomb Raider: Catalyst has been designed so as to make sure that players can jump right into it, and that “there’s no homework required”. He has described the upcoming game as having a “complete adventure top to bottom,” which makes understanding the story and characters easy even if you might not be aware of the backstory of protagonist Lara Croft.
“We’ve designed Catalyst so that players can jump in right now and pick up with her adventures as is, like I say, there’s no homework required,” Amos explained. “You can jump right into Catalyst and feel this [is a] complete adventure top to bottom, and understand the story and the characters without having to know any of that pre-history.”
He went on to reiterate that Tomb Raider: Catalyst is going to be the biggest game in the franchise that Crystal Dynamics has made so far. “So we’re super excited about bringing this experience to everyone.”
Game director Will Kerslake had previously spoken about Tomb Raider: Catalyst, and how it will take place after the events of 2008 title Tomb Raider: Underworld. In an interview, Kerslake also noted that the reboot trilogy from the 2010s would serve as the origin story for Lara Croft in the new Unified Timeline.
“From a timeline perspective, Tomb Raider: Catalyst is set years after the events of Tomb Raider: Underworld, with the reboot trilogy serving as her origin story, so we’re seeing a more experienced Lara Croft,” he explained.
Kerslake had also spoken about new players coming to Tomb Raider: Catalyst not having to worry about the franchise’s baggage in its 3-decades-long history. “What’s important to know is that this is a new chapter in Tomb Raider,” he said. “So whether you followed Lara from the start, or this is your first Tomb Raider game, Tomb Raider: Catalyst is designed to stand on its own as an adventure that can be enjoyed by everyone.”
Tomb Raider: Catalyst is being developed for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and is slated for release in 2027. In the meantime, a remake of the first game in the series has also been in development. Titled Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, it is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2026.
