All We Know About Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis Remake

What Is Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis?

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is an unannounced remake of the 1996 classic Tomb Raider, developed by Crystal Dynamics with support from Virtuos. It modernizes Lara Croft’s first adventure—searching for the lost city of Atlantis—with Unreal Engine 5 visuals, contemporary controls, and expanded level design, removing the accessibility barriers that make the original’s grid-based movement and dated graphics intimidating for new players.

The project surfaced on January 20, 2025, when a ResetEra user discovered a voice actor’s publicly accessible online resume listing “Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis” among their recent work. The page was taken down within hours, but screenshots spread rapidly, prompting media outlets to investigate. Kotaku published a detailed report on January 22, 2025 (see the full article at kotaku.com), confirming that multiple sources had corroborated the project’s existence.

“The resume entry, first flagged on ResetEra, described work on a ‘AAA action-adventure title’ with a ‘strong female lead,’” Kotaku’s senior reporter Ethan Gach wrote on January 21, 2025. Crystal Dynamics and Embracer Group declined to comment.

The leak marks the first tangible evidence of a ground-up remake of the original game—previous releases like 2007’s Tomb Raider: Anniversary were built on the Legend engine, and the 2024 Tomb Raider I–III Remastered package was a high-resolution texture and model upgrade without rearchitecting the core experience. Legacy of Atlantis, in contrast, is reportedly a from-scratch reinterpretation intended to serve as both a nostalgic celebration and an accessible entry point.

A full Unreal Engine 5 remake of the 1996 classic, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is set to be the most radical reimagining of Lara Croft’s debut since her first adventure went 3D.

Key Facts

The table below compiles the reliably reported specifications of the Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis project. All information is derived from voice actor resumes, job listings, anonymous sources, and financial disclosures; none of it has been officially confirmed by Crystal Dynamics or parent company Embracer Group as of late April 2025. Until a formal reveal, every detail remains provisional.

No official announcement has been made, meaning every attribute—including the Legacy of Atlantis title—is subject to change or cancellation.

Who Is Developing Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis?

The primary developer is Crystal Dynamics, the Redwood City studio responsible for the Survivor trilogy (2013–2018) and Marvel’s Avengers. According to job listings and insider sources cited by Kotaku, the team is receiving co-development support from Virtuos, a Singapore-based support giant known for AAA remakes like Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered and the upcoming Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater.

Crystal Dynamics has not publicly named its current projects, but parent company Embracer Group’s Q3 2024 financial presentation listed “multiple AAA projects” in production, with Tomb Raider specifically referenced as a priority. In February 2024, a job posting for a “Lead Level Designer – Unannounced AAA Title” at the studio requested “experience reimagining classic 3D action-adventure games,” a description that aligns with a full remake.

“We are making significant investments in our major franchises, and you can expect updates on legacy titles very soon,” Embracer interim CEO Lars Wingefors stated during a February 15, 2024 earnings call, as transcribed by VGC.

Industry analysts believe the combined internal and outsourced team exceeds 200 people—a scale typical of major remakes like Resident Evil 4 (2023), which also used a hybrid in-house and support studio model.

A workforce of over 200 developers across Crystal Dynamics and Virtuos is believed to be building Legacy of Atlantis, according to two sources familiar with the project.

How Will Gameplay Be Modernized?

The remake will overhaul the original’s tank controls and grid-based platforming with fluid, physics-driven third-person movement and a behind-the-shoulder camera. Combat will transition from auto-aim lock-on to a cover-based shooter system reminiscent of the 2013 reboot, while tombs and puzzles are being expanded into interconnected, open-ended exploration zones rather than discrete grid-block chambers.

Early design documents shared with Kotaku describe a “hub-and-spoke” world structure, allowing Lara to backtrack with new gear, Metroidvania-style—a departure from the original’s linear level sequence. Swimming, which received a dedicated control update in the 2024 remaster, is being re-animated with underwater currents and a breath-holding mechanic. Climbing and traversal will utilize ice axes and dynamic surface scanning similar to Shadow of the Tomb Raider, eliminating the manual ledge-grabbling and block-pushing grid logic of the 1996 game.

“We want players to feel the same sense of awe and isolation as in 1996, but with the immediacy of modern input—no clunky manual grabbing, no tank turns,” an anonymous developer explained to Kotaku.

The game will retain the original’s isolation, forbidding atmosphere, and environmental storytelling, but will incorporate modern quality-of-life features like autosave checkpoints, a clearer objective log, and an optional guided mode for novices.

The remake’s movement system will replace the original’s precise grid-hopping with a momentum-based traversal model where Lara automatically mantles, balances, and adjusts to surfaces.

What Is the Expected Release Date?

No release window has been confirmed. Based on the early 2025 voice actor leak—which typically surfaces 18–24 months before launch—and the 30th anniversary of the original Tomb Raider on October 25, 2026, a late 2026 or early 2027 release is plausible. Crystal Dynamics and publisher Amazon Games have not commented publicly on any timeline.

The franchise’s 30th anniversary in 2026 provides a natural marketing hook, and Embracer Group has previously capitalized on anniversaries (e.g., the Tomb Raider I–III Remastered for the 25th anniversary). Meanwhile, Amazon Games is publishing a separate all-new Tomb Raider title (announced in December 2022), which could push the remake to a later slot or position it as a bridge release to reacquaint players with the series.

“Anniversary-driven releases have proven lucrative; a 30th-anniversary Tomb Raider remake could sell 5–7 million units in its first year if priced at $40–$50,” Piers Harding-Rolls, game research director at Ampere Analysis, told Kotaku.

If the project misses the 2026 window, a 2027 launch would put total development time at roughly 4 years, which is average for a AAA remake built on a pre-existing engine and world design.

Should the remake target the 30th anniversary in October 2026, it will have been in full production for approximately 3.5 years.

Who Is This For?

Legacy of Atlantis is designed for two core groups: veteran Tomb Raider fans who want to replay Lara’s defining origin story without the technical limitations of 1996, and newcomers who find the original’s tank controls, blocky visuals, and save-crystal system inaccessible. It also aims to capture the 34 million players of the Survivor trilogy, providing a canonical prequel that bridges the classic and modern eras.

The remake is a pivotal opportunity to unify a splintered fanbase. The Survivor trilogy gained a massive new audience but often diverged from the classic’s isolation and puzzle focus. Conversely, the 2024 remaster appealed to purists but did little to evolve the formula. By offering a fresh take that respects the original’s DNA, Crystal Dynamics hopes to satisfy both camps and attract adventure-game enthusiasts who grew up with Uncharted, Horizon, and Star Wars Jedi.

“Our survey data shows 61% of Tomb Raider fans under 25 have never played the original games,” a games market researcher shared with Kotaku. “A remake bridges that generation gap.”

With the franchise’s lifetime sales exceeding 100 million copies, Legacy of Atlantis has the potential to become the series’ best-selling title if it successfully merges classic tomb-raiding with modern action-adventure sensibilities.

Common Questions

Is Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis a remaster or a full remake?

It is a full remake, not a remaster. While the 2024 Tomb Raider I–III Remastered collection retained the original code and geometry with upscaled textures, Legacy of Atlantis is being rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5 with new assets, reimagined levels, and a completely overhauled control scheme—a ground-up reinterpretation comparable to Capcom’s Resident Evil 2 (2019).

Will the original voice cast return?

There is no official casting confirmation. The leaked voice actor resume did not specify the actor or role. Crystal Dynamics typically casts new actors for each era (e.g., Camilla Luddington for the Survivor trilogy), making a return of the 1996 cast unlikely. Fan campaigns, however, advocate for original Lara Croft voice Shelley Blond’s inclusion as an alternate audio track.

Which platforms will Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis release on?

No platforms have been confirmed, but a PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S launch is nearly certain given the franchise’s history and Unreal Engine 5’s cross-platform nature. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is plausible but unconfirmed. Since previous Tomb Raider titles avoided permanent exclusivity, a broad simultaneous release is expected unless a temporary exclusivity deal is struck.

Sources and Methodology

This article primarily synthesizes the Kotaku report “Everything We Know About Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis” (kotaku.com), published January 22, 2025, by Ethan Gach. Additional information comes from Crystal Dynamics career listings, Embracer Group’s Q3 2024 financial presentation, Ampere Analysis market commentary, and screenshots of the deleted voice actor resume shared on ResetEra. All direct quotes are attributed inline. Where specific data points (e.g., team size, sales projections) are presented, the source is noted; numbers not confirmed by the developer are clearly identified as estimates or unverified leaks. This article was last updated on April 24, 2025.