Skip to main content
Tech Radar TechRadar the technology experts
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
RSS
Asia
flag of Singapore
Singapore
Europe
flag of Danmark
Danmark
flag of Suomi
Suomi
flag of Norge
Norge
flag of Sverige
Sverige
flag of UK
UK
flag of Italia
Italia
flag of Nederland
Nederland
flag of België (Nederlands)
België (Nederlands)
flag of France
France
flag of Deutschland
Deutschland
flag of España
España
North America
flag of US (English)
US (English)
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of México
México
Australasia
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of New Zealand
New Zealand
  • Phones
  • Computing
  • TVs
  • AI
  • Streaming
  • Health
  • Audio
  • VPN
  • More
    • Cameras
    • Home
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Opinion
    • How to
    • Versus
    • Deals
    • Coupons
    • Best
Tech Radar Pro
Tech Radar Gaming
Trending
  • Amazon Prime Day
  • Nintendo Switch 2
  • Best VPN
  • ChatGPT
  • Best web hosting
  • NYT Wordle today
  • Best laptop

Recommended reading

Marcus inspects a dogtag around Kait's neck
Xbox One Best Xbox One games: top titles to play in 2025
Cronos: The New Dawn
Gaming Bloober Team breaks down upcoming survival horror game Cronos: The New Dawn, 'this will be farther away from Silent Hill 2 or anything we did before'
Four Spartans face down waves of Covenant aliens in Firefight mode
Xbox Series X The 24 best Xbox Series X games to play in 2025
Dutch and the rest of the Van Der Linde gang ride out across a snowy field
Consoles & PC The 19 best story games in 2025
Marvel's Spider-Man, the back of Spider-Man's suit
PS4 The 20 best PS4 games in 2025
A screenshot from sci-fi game Pragmata
Gaming After reflecting on my hands-on with Pragmata at Summer Game Fest, I’m even more intrigued by the hybrid combat and puzzle action
Kratos stands in gold armor at the entrance to a fire-lit temple
Gaming The 21 best single-player games to play in 2025
  1. Gaming
  2. Consoles & PC
  3. Xbox
  4. Xbox One

Rise of the Tomb Raider is best played on Xbox One

News
By Lily Prasuethsut published 24 September 2015

Though PS4 and PC haven't been forgotten

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Tomb Raider's Microsoft marriage

Tomb Raider's Microsoft marriage

When it was first announced, Rise of the Tomb Raider was controversially touted as an Xbox One and Xbox 360 exclusive. However it was later clarified by studio Crystal Dynamics as a timed exclusive. That means PS4 and PC players will still get to shoot Lara's bow and arrow - however it'll just be a little later.

Noah Hughes, creative director of the game, sat down with us during a preview event to discuss the upcoming title and stated that the team wanted to focus on one SKU (stock keeping unit) - in this case, the Xbox - to make the "best version" possible of the game.

This doesn't mean the PS4 and PC/Windows 10 have been left out in the dust. Hughes emphasized the team is still devoting time and effort into optimizing the game for the other platforms - Microsoft's consoles were simply prioritized first.

Regardless, we'll all eventually get to play the new game and see that Tomb Raider was the origin story of Lara becoming a resilient survivor, while Rise of the Tomb Raider will show us her evolution into the fierce Lara Croft we know and love.

Read on for new and returning features Hughes mentioned, alongside new screen shots of the game.

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

Well, bears. There will be new ferocious beasts for Lara to fight with different methods to take out the creatures where you'll have to be creative and quick on your feet.

There's also more wildlife in general that will be scampering around. You can definitely take advantage of this by hunting and crafting - which is explained more in the next slide.

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
More ways to kill

More ways to kill

Crafting is back and more integrated than ever. Animal parts gained from hunting and salvaging boxes will again play a role in how Lara upgrades her weaponry. Her bow and arrows have also been enhanced with better customization options.

Instead of one axe, she'll also be equipped with dual axes. You'll also have the option to use guns more often and customize them at base camps.

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
Lara goes non-lethal

Lara goes non-lethal

Molotov cocktails can be thrown by Lara as distractions or to do damage. However, you can also play non-lethally to avoid combat altogether. Hughes mentions the option isn't always there but generally you'll be able to try this out. take down moves, can be non-lethal

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
Ninja Lara

Ninja Lara

One of my favorite parts is sneaking in games then performing crazy takedowns. Thankfully, this gameplay is back again in Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Hughes says there are different types of ways to fight enemies and you can "approach combat very intelligently."

I particularly enjoyed hiding out in bushes and sniping guys with the bow and arrow for extra points. Running and gunning was also fun but I'd have to craft arrows on the fly pretty often to resupply.

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
Lara the explorer

Lara the explorer

Hughes says the sequel is perfect for explorers. There are certain sections, or hubs, that are now larger letting you play side quests and mini games in addition to the main story. These areas are fairly open, allowing you quite a bit of freedom.

The game in general is much more expansive than the first one in terms of sheer scale. You can go more places and do more stuff.

Optional tombs filled with lots of collectibles are available to explore and of course, the puzzles aren't going anywhere.

Lara will also learn languages along the way and improve by reading more murals and documents. She'll level up this ability and be able to translate and decipher various languages, which ties into the Lara we know from the older games.

As the story unfolds, we see that Rise of the Tomb Raider is essentially a celebration of Lara's evolution and role as the "tomb raider." Through flashbacks, we're shown significant moments of her life that make her an even more compelling figure. The studio amped up the animations of her facial expressions to convey more emotion and passion for this particular storyline (while her hair is just as beautifully rendered in this game as the first).

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
TOPICS
Microsoft
Lily Prasuethsut
Read more
Marcus inspects a dogtag around Kait's neck
Best Xbox One games: top titles to play in 2025
Cronos: The New Dawn
Bloober Team breaks down upcoming survival horror game Cronos: The New Dawn, 'this will be farther away from Silent Hill 2 or anything we did before'
Four Spartans face down waves of Covenant aliens in Firefight mode
The 24 best Xbox Series X games to play in 2025
Dutch and the rest of the Van Der Linde gang ride out across a snowy field
The 19 best story games in 2025
Marvel's Spider-Man, the back of Spider-Man's suit
The 20 best PS4 games in 2025
A screenshot from sci-fi game Pragmata
After reflecting on my hands-on with Pragmata at Summer Game Fest, I’m even more intrigued by the hybrid combat and puzzle action
Latest in Xbox One
Xbox One and controller
It's official: Microsoft says it won't make any more new games for the Xbox One
Black and white Xbox One
Now is the best time to buy an Xbox One
Forza Motorsport trailer screenshot
The next Forza Motorsport game may come to Xbox One after all
Elden Ring on Xbox One
Don’t buy Elden Ring on Xbox One
Factory reset Xbox One
How to factory reset an Xbox One, Xbox One S and Xbox One X
Elden Ring
Elden Ring may look amazing even on Xbox One consoles
Latest in News
The Apple Music app icon against a red background on an iPhone.
Apple Music is celebrating 10 years with a personalized ‘All Time’ Playlist, and there’s a way for Spotify listeners to get in on the action
Donald Trump holding a phone next to an image of the Trump Mobile T1 on a gold background
Trump Mobile looks like a normal high-speed cell network – with one big and worrisome exception
Upset PC gamer with head in hands by his PC
I don't generally recommend downloading Windows 11's preview updates, but some gamers may want to chance Microsoft's latest effort
The Meta Quets 3S Xbox
My favorite VR headset of 2025 has started selling out – here’s why you should grab one before it’s gone for good
Visual representation of a passkey on a computer chip
It's about time - Microsoft finally rolls out better passkey integration in Windows
A close-up of the mobile connectivity options in iOS, showing buttons for Airplane Mode, mobile data, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.
This worrying Bluetooth security flaw could let hackers spy on your device via microphone
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. 1
    Apple Music is celebrating 10 years with a personalized ‘All Time’ Playlist, and there’s a way for Spotify listeners to get in on the action
  2. 2
    ChatGPT kept giving me bland dinner recipes until I showed it the kind of meals I actually like
  3. 3
    This Lenovo Chromebook uses a CPU not found in any other laptops - and it should give AMD and Intel a run for their money
  4. 4
    This touching viral AI video of Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian’s mom hugging him is also sparking a fiery debate
  5. 5
    70% of new hires click on phishing links within the first 3 months of employment - here's how to stay safe

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...