Tomb Raider Games of the 90s: Order and Key Differences
Core Design released a new Tomb Raider every November for four straight years, an unusually fast pace for a series built around large, puzzle-heavy levels.
Release order
- Tomb Raider (November 1996)
- Tomb Raider II (November 1997)
- Tomb Raider III (November 1998)
- Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (November 1999)
Play the original Tomb Raider
An original PS1 copy of Tomb Raider (1996), the game that started the series discussed above.
Check price on Amazon →Movement and puzzles
All four games share the same core grid-based movement and block-pushing, lever-pulling puzzle design Core Design established in the first game, with each sequel adding new traversal moves (like a crawl space and monkey bars in the third and fourth games) rather than overhauling the underlying system.
Difficulty changes
Later entries in the original run are generally considered to lean more heavily on combat and larger, more open level layouts compared to the first game's tighter, more puzzle-dense tomb design.
Originals vs. remasters
A 2007 remake, Tomb Raider: Anniversary, rebuilt the first game with modern controls and updated level design; it's a different production from the original 1996 disc, not just the same code running on newer hardware.
Frequently asked questions
How many Tomb Raider games came out in the 90s?
Four: Tomb Raider (1996), Tomb Raider II (1997), Tomb Raider III (1998), and Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (1999), one each November for four straight years.
Did the core gameplay change much across the original four games?
Not fundamentally. Core Design kept the same grid-based movement and puzzle design throughout, adding new traversal moves in later entries rather than overhauling the underlying system.
Is Tomb Raider: Anniversary the same as the original 1996 game?
No. It's a 2007 remake with modern controls and updated level design, a different production from the original PS1 disc.
Sourcing and corrections
Release dates for the original four Tomb Raider games and the 2007 Anniversary remake were checked via web search against sources including Wikipedia in September 2026.