How Long Is Tomb Raider Game Play Time

The main story of a Tomb Raider game typically takes around 10-15 hours to complete, but this can vary significantly depending on your playstyle and how much optional content you explore.

Curious about embarking on Lara Croft’s adventures? Many players often wonder how long is tomb raider game, before starting. This is a great question and it depends on which game in the series we’re talking about and how you play.

A casual playthrough focusing only on the main storyline will obviously be quicker. Someone who seeks out every collectable and completes every side mission will spend much more time. So, your individual play style affects total game duration quite a bit.

How Long is a Tomb Raider Game? Exploring Playtimes Across the Series

So, you’re ready to jump into the world of Tomb Raider, but you’re wondering, “How long will it actually take me to finish these games?” That’s a great question! It’s tough to give one single answer because it changes depending on which Tomb Raider game you’re playing and how you like to play. Some people like to rush through the story, while others want to explore every nook and cranny. We’ll dive into all the details, so you know what kind of time commitment to expect.

The Core Gameplay Experience and Its Impact on Playtime

The Tomb Raider games are known for their mix of action, puzzle-solving, and exploration. These different elements play a big role in determining how long a game will take you to complete. For instance, if you’re really into solving all the challenging puzzles or finding all the hidden artifacts, you’ll likely spend more time playing than someone who primarily focuses on the main story missions. Similarly, games that emphasize exploration through large open areas will tend to take longer to complete than more linear games. The level of difficulty chosen also has a substantial influence. A playthrough on a harder difficulty setting, with less resources available, might push the playtime much higher, due to repeated deaths or replaying sections.

Here’s a quick breakdown of some factors affecting playtime:

• Difficulty Setting: Playing on harder difficulties usually adds to the game length, as you spend more time on combat or planning the approach for a complex puzzle.
• Exploration: How much you explore off the beaten path, search for hidden items and side content directly influences how long you’ll spend in the game world.
• Completionism: Are you going for 100% completion? If so, finding every collectible, upgrading every skill, and solving all challenge tombs significantly increases your play time.
• Player Skill: Players familiar with the action-adventure genre and quick with puzzles will generally move faster than someone new to the series.
• Game Style: Some games offer more open environments, while others are more linear, and this impacts how quickly you progress through the game.

Classic Tomb Raider Games (1996-2003): Time to Relive the Adventure

The classic Tomb Raider games, which started with the original in 1996, feature a more challenging and puzzle-focused approach. Expect longer play times if you have to learn the moveset and the platforming mechanics. Let’s get into the specifics:

Tomb Raider (1996) and Tomb Raider II (1997)

These early entries are known for their challenging platforming sections and intricate level design. A first-time player may easily spend 15-20 hours to complete each story, even without trying to find all the secrets. Experienced players, however, could finish in around 10-12 hours.

• Average Main Story Completion: 10-20 hours.
• 100% Completion: 20-30 hours or even more with some challenging jumps that require precision.

Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft (1998) and Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (1999)

These titles upped the difficulty and scale of the previous games. Expect longer playtime here as you will have to spend more time planning for the intricate level design and figuring out how to survive the intense combat. Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation is particularly long for the older games due to the interconnected locations and the scope of the story.

• Average Main Story Completion: 18-25 hours.
• 100% Completion: 30-40 hours.

Tomb Raider Chronicles (2000) and Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (2003)

These final games in the classic era saw some different gameplay attempts. Tomb Raider Chronicles is more level based but still has a decent playtime, while Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, despite its mixed reception, does clock in some reasonable playtime. Overall they are more similar in terms of the time to finish.

• Average Main Story Completion: 15-22 hours.
• 100% Completion: 25-35 hours.

Legend Trilogy: A More Streamlined Adventure (2006-2008)

The Legend trilogy, made up of Tomb Raider: Legend, Anniversary, and Underworld, offered a more modern style of gameplay, with a focus on fast-paced action and less emphasis on complicated puzzles. This made them somewhat quicker to complete when compared to the classic games.

Tomb Raider: Legend (2006)

This game has a linear structure and the gameplay is less challenging than the classic games. It’s a faster-paced experience overall, which keeps the story focused. If you want to complete the story and move on, it will be relatively quick.

• Average Main Story Completion: 8-12 hours.
• 100% Completion: 15-20 hours.

Tomb Raider: Anniversary (2007)

Anniversary is a remake of the original Tomb Raider with the gameplay and graphical quality of Legend. It features all the locations from the original but the improvements of Legend makes it a somewhat smoother experience to complete. It can still feel a bit longer than Legend due to puzzles being similar to the classic games.

• Average Main Story Completion: 10-15 hours.
• 100% Completion: 18-25 hours.

Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008)

Underworld was the last game in this series and its focus on exploration and action makes it a bit longer to complete. Expect some more complex puzzles and platforming challenges that will contribute to the overall playtime.

• Average Main Story Completion: 12-18 hours.
• 100% Completion: 20-30 hours.

The Survivor Trilogy: A Modern Reboot (2013-2018)

The Survivor Trilogy, comprising Tomb Raider (2013), Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, marked a complete reboot for the series. These games introduced an open-world structure with more detailed environments, hunting and crafting mechanics, which added to the overall gameplay length. The trilogy had a stronger focus on storytelling and character development, making the completion times much more involved.

Tomb Raider (2013)

The first game in this new series was a good starting point. This game focuses on building up Lara’s abilities through a story that also has a lot of combat moments. Expect a good amount of time to finish this first entry in the reboot.

• Average Main Story Completion: 12-15 hours.
• 100% Completion: 20-25 hours.

Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015)

The sequel focused more on open environments, more exploration and tombs to explore. It also had a good amount of combat challenges as well. As a result, it can take a bit longer to finish than the first game in the trilogy.

• Average Main Story Completion: 15-20 hours.
• 100% Completion: 25-35 hours.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018)

This game features a big emphasis on exploration and puzzle solving. Players who enjoy exploring will likely spend a good amount of time on the tombs and side quests. This makes this game quite a bit longer for anyone who is trying to 100% complete the game

• Average Main Story Completion: 18-22 hours.
• 100% Completion: 30-40 hours.

Spin-Offs and Other Tomb Raider Games

Beyond the core series, there are a number of spin-off games and different styles of Tomb Raider titles. These often offer different gameplay mechanics and consequently a different play time commitment. Here’s a brief look:

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (2010) and Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris (2014)

These are co-op focused games with a top down view, and feature puzzle and combat challenges. While these games feature a campaign, they are not as long as the main entries, so expect a shorter time to complete them.

• Average Main Story Completion: 8-10 hours.
• 100% Completion: 12-15 hours.

Tomb Raider Mobile Games

There are also a number of mobile games that vary in playtime. Some can be finished within a few hours while others can last for days. These are usually more casual experiences focused on puzzle or action gameplay.

A Quick Reference Table: Tomb Raider Playtimes at a Glance

To make things easier, here’s a quick table summarizing the average playtimes for main Tomb Raider games:

Remember that these are just estimates. Your personal experience will vary based on how you play.

In conclusion, the playtime for a Tomb Raider game varies greatly depending on which title you’re playing, your style, and how much content you wish to experience. The classic games tend to be longer for first-time players due to the mechanics and the difficulty, while the more modern games are easier to pick up and play. The Survivor Trilogy games are larger in scope, so they will take a longer time to complete. If you simply want to play the main story, you can enjoy the Tomb Raider games for several hours. If you are a player who loves to explore every hidden area and collect all the items, then you will likely see the numbers climb. Whether you are a veteran or just getting into the series, there is a game for every type of player and a playtime to fit every schedule. So, pick your favorite, and get ready for adventure!

Tomb Raider Lara Croft Running Evolution

Final Thoughts

The time you spend on Tomb Raider games varies. Main stories often take around 10-15 hours. Completionists, wanting to see and experience everything, can easily spend over 20 hours.

Side quests, collecting items, and exploring environments add many extra hours. So, how long is tomb raider game depends on your playstyle and desire for full exploration. Some may complete the game very fast.