There hasn’t been a new Tomb Raider game since 2018’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider, closing out the action-adventure franchise’s Survivor Trilogy, providing the iconic protagonist Lara Croft with a more hardened origin story. The wait is finally over early next year with Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, a reimagining of the 1996 original game albeit completely revamped for modern gaming platforms and audiences. At Summer Game Fest 2026, we not only got the chance to play an early build of Legacy of Atlantis but talk to the creative team and Alix Wilton Regan, who stars as the new Lara Croft.
Like the 1996 classic, Legacy of Atlantis has Lara searching for a valuable relic in the ruins of a lost civilization deep within the Peruvian rainforest, with these tropical environments gorgeously realized in the build that we played. This includes plenty of puzzle-solving and acrobatic platforming as we climbed cliffsides and swung across ravines and rivers to advance deeper into the civilization. Though the premise and narrative are certainly familiar, Legacy of Atlantis is not just a high-definition reskin of the 1996 game or its previous remake in 2007’s Tomb Raider: Anniversary.
“We’re providing something that feels like an echo from the past but that we don’t feel handcuffed by,” explains Crystal Dynamics experience director Jeff Adams, observing that the game also has to take into account players who never witnessed the original title. “We’re able to make creative choices that enhance the experience because we do want to make something fresh. We want to make something that feels like it’s your first time playing it.”
Compared to the Survivor Trilogy, this is a much more visibly confident Lara Croft, bringing a wisdom and swagger to the proceedings, magnificently brought to life by Regan. This heightened expertise and competence is immediately apparent in the game’s combat mechanics, with Lara not only back to using her signature dual pistols but a pronounced acrobatic fighting style. Using something called “focus,” Lara can trigger a mechanic while in mid-somersault to temporarily slow down time and rapidly blast incoming enemies. This reflects the more seasoned adventurer that Lara has become since the Survivor Trilogy.
“We wanted combat to have a more deliberate place in the franchise,” notes Crystal Dynamics game director Raul Siqueira. “The Survivor Trilogy pushed combat in a certain direction which was very cool for what those types of games were. When we look at the personality for our game and the acrobatic Lara, where everything flows with what she does and she’s at the top of her game, we wanted that to not just be for show but have some meaning to it.”
Though Regan has portrayed plenty of action-oriented video game characters in beloved titles like Assassin’s Creed Origins and Dragon Age: Inquisition, the role of Lara Croft is a particularly special one for her. Adopting a “no Laras left behind” approach, Regan notes that her depiction is “a unified Lara” while also evoking the classic iteration from the original trilogy and Angelina Jolie’s two-movie take on the character.
“My Lara Croft is a highly experienced archaeologist and tomb raider with a wealth of knowledge and an entire history behind her,” Regan observes about her portrayal of the video game icon. “She’s very firmly rooted in her present and in her power as a highly intelligent, highly capable, and fiercely independent woman.”
With Legacy of Atlantis a reimagining of the original game, Regan similarly looked to the 1996 title for inspiration in her own performance. Struck by the line “I only play for sport,” Regan found the bit of dialogue “highly informative” in clueing her into who Lara Croft is at this point in her life and that she truly enjoys what she does. While respecting the more vulnerable Survivor Trilogy Lara, Regan approached the role taking into account that experience and confidence Lara now possesses, also looking to the Tomb Raider movies’ influence.
“It was a really interesting process because, when I auditioned, I actually auditioned with a lot of Angelina Jolie’s scripts from the movies, which told me a lot about which direction the creative team were going in,” Regan recalls. “They really did want to capture that sassy, confident character for Lara from the films – classic Lara.”
The game is the best-looking Tomb Raider in years, with everything from detailed environments and character models to pristine water effects and sweeping landscapes. For Flying Wild Hog art director Arek Tomaszewski, Legacy of Atlantis recognizes that everyone has their own memories of the franchise and its original game, including the creative team, and tries to reinvent them with modern sensibilities. That includes everything from puzzle-solving in Peruvian temples to harrowing showdowns with ravenous dinosaurs.
“Whatever we’re building, we need to build them in a way that they’re logically believable,” explains Tomaszewski. “We want you to feel like this is a place you’re discovering that’s believable. We’re trying to push our artists as much as we can so you can just look around and see how awesome it is.”
At the end of the day, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis doesn’t just feel like a slightly more balletic follow-up to Shadow of the Tomb Raider but both a celebration of the series’ roots and fresh jumping-on point for newcomers. The title is the first in two Tomb Raider games slated for a 2027 release, coming out ahead of Tomb Raider: Catalyst. If Legacy of Atlantis is any indicator, the franchise is in great hands for a bright future, instantly recognizable to longtime fans while reinvigorating its roots.
“We’re coming up on the 30th anniversary of the original game. We love that and want to celebrate that. This is the perfect time to bring this into the light,” declares Adams. “There is such a great opportunity here to take this, make it feel familiar for those who have played it before, but make it feel fresh for those who haven’t had a chance to love it yet. That’s the driving thing behind this. It’s the right time to make this come to life.”
Developed by Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog and published by Amazon Game Studios, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis releases February 12, 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
