Tomb Raider
1996 · Action-Adventure · PlayStation
Overview
Tomb Raider introduced Lara Croft — an aristocratic archaeologist exploring ancient tombs — in a 3D action-adventure with environmental puzzle solving and third-person combat. The game's large, navigable 3D environments were technically impressive for 1996 and the character became one of gaming's most recognisable. It sold over 7 million copies across platforms.
Deep Dive
Tomb Raider was developed by Core Design in Derby, England. Lara Croft was designed as a female protagonist after the lead designer considered and rejected a male character. The game's 3D environments — ancient ruins, Egyptian tombs, Peruvian temples — were navigated through jumping puzzles that required spatial reasoning in three dimensions.
Developer Story
Tomb Raider was developed by Core Design under Toby Gard, who created the Lara Croft character, and producer Adrian Smith. Gard left Core Design after the first game due to disagreements about the direction of Lara's character in sequels. The game launched in October 1996 on PlayStation and Saturn simultaneously.
Did You Know?
- Lara Croft was originally named Laura Cruz before being anglicised for the Western market.
- Lara Croft's exaggerated figure was the result of a design mistake — a developer accidentally scaled the model's measurements by 150% and the team decided they preferred the result.
- Tomb Raider sold over 7 million copies across PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and PC — making Lara Croft the most recognisable new character of the 1990s gaming era.
- Core Design was pressured by publisher Eidos to produce annual Tomb Raider sequels, a pace that Core's staff described as causing design exhaustion that contributed to later entries' declining quality.
