Tomb Raider 1 (1996)

Tomb Raider (1996) – The Game That Invented 3D Action-Adventure, Warts and All

Attribute	Details
Publisher	Eidos Interactive
Developer	Core Design
Release Date	October 24-25, 1996 (Saturn) / November 14-22, 1996 (PS1, PC)
Genre	Action-Adventure, 3D Platformer
Platforms	PC (MS-DOS), PS1, Sega Saturn, Mac OS, N-Gage, iOS, Android

So, What Exactly Is Tomb Raider (1996)?

You know how some games just… changed everything? Tomb Raider is one of those games. Before 1996, 3D action games were mostly first-person shooters like Doom and Quake. The idea of controlling a fully realised character in a fully 3D space, making her jump, climb, swim, and shoot while the camera followed behind her? Nobody had really done that before . Tomb Raider basically invented the third-person action-adventure genre .

You play as Lara Croft. She’s an archaeologist, the daughter of an aristocratic English family, who spends her time hunting for lost artifacts instead of attending garden parties . She’s hired by Jacqueline Natla, the head of Natla Technologies, to recover a mysterious artifact called the Scion from the tomb of Qualopec in Peru . Sounds simple enough, right?

Wrong. Lara finds the Scion, gets double-crossed by Natla’s goons, and suddenly uncovers a conspiracy that stretches back to the fall of Atlantis. You travel across the globe – Peru, Greece, Egypt, and eventually the lost continent of Atlantis itself – collecting the three pieces of the Scion before Natla can use its power to… well, you’ll see .

The story is surprisingly well-written for a 90s action game. It has twists, betrayals, and a climax that goes full sci-fi horror. The voice acting is cheesy in that charming 90s way, but the narrative holds up better than you’d expect .

The game has 15 main levels (plus a training level set in Lara’s mansion), each split into multiple areas and room complexes . You fight wolves, bears, crocodiles, lions, gorillas, mercenaries, mummies, and even a T-Rex . You solve puzzles involving switches, levers, movable blocks, and keys. You swim through underwater tunnels, climb crumbling ledges, and backflip off slopes to reach hidden secrets.

And you do all of this with a control scheme that modern players will find… let’s say “an acquired taste.”

How Does It Actually Play?

Let me be straight with you. This game is NOT like the newer Tomb Raiders. Not even close.

The Controls Are Tank Controls

Here’s the big one. Lara moves like a tank. You press up, and she walks forward in whatever direction she’s facing. You press left and right, and she turns in place. To make her go where you want, you have to turn her first, then move forward .

This feels awkward if you’ve grown up on modern games where left stick = go that way. But there’s a method to the madness. The grid-based level design is built around these precise, grid-aligned movements. Lara’s running jump is exactly two blocks. Her standing jump is one block. The game is designed like a 3D chessboard, and the tank controls give you the precision you need .

The trade-off is that turning is slow. Like, really slow. You can’t turn while running effectively. Combat against fast enemies (like wolves) becomes a game of backflips and sidesteps rather than aiming .

Lara Can Do A Lot (For 1996)

Despite the clunky movement, Lara’s moveset is surprisingly extensive. She can:

Walk, run, and sprint (holding shift)
Jump forward, backward, left, and right
Grab ledges and pull herself up
Climb ladders and vines
Swim (with limited air)
Slide down slopes and jump off them
Perform a side-flip (jump + direction)
Perform a backflip
Crawl through low passages

The game teaches you these moves organically. There are no pop-up tutorials. The very first area has a low alcove with a health pickup that’s just out of reach, with a sloped block nearby. You figure out that you need to slide down the slope and jump at the right moment to reach it . That’s how the whole game works – trial, error, and gradual mastery.

Combat Is Not The Point

You have unlimited ammunition for your dual pistols. Yes, unlimited. You can just hold down the action button and Lara will automatically fire at whatever enemy is closest .

This was a deliberate design choice. The focus of Tomb Raider is exploration and platforming, not combat. The guns are there to keep things moving, not to be a deep shooting mechanic. You’ll also find stronger weapons in secret areas – shotguns, magnums, Uzis – but ammo for those is limited.

The enemy AI is simple. Wolves charge you. Bears are slower but hit harder. Humans take cover and shoot back. It gets the job done, but don’t expect the tactical depth of a modern shooter.

The Atmosphere Is Everything

This is what still holds up. The music by Nathan McCree is sparse – long stretches of silence punctuated by haunting ambient tracks . The sound effects echo through empty tombs. The levels are vast and lonely. You feel genuinely isolated, hundreds of feet underground, with no one to help you except yourself.

The graphics were groundbreaking in 1996. They’re blocky now – Lara’s “triangular” chest became a famous meme – but the art direction remains strong. The Incan ruins, the Greek temples, the Egyptian pyramids, the flesh-and-metal nightmare of Atlantis – each location has its own distinct visual identity .

Secrets Encourage Exploration

Every level has three hidden secrets. Finding them often requires creative thinking – a hidden crawlspace, a tricky jump, a lever that opens a door you spotted earlier. Secrets give you extra ammo, health packs, or even new weapons (like the magnums in the first level, which are tucked away on a ledge you can barely see).

If you collect all secrets across the whole game, you unlock bonus content. It’s a satisfying reward for thorough exploration.

The Difficulty Is Brutal (By Modern Standards)

No checkpoints. No regenerating health. Save points are limited – on the original PlayStation, you could only save using save crystals that you had to find in each level . On PC, you could save anywhere, which made things easier. But even then, dying meant reloading your last save, which could be 20 minutes ago.

The platforming is unforgiving. Miss a jump by a pixel, and you fall to your death. The camera can’t always show you what you need to see. You’ll die. A lot. But every death teaches you something, and the satisfaction of finally clearing a difficult sequence is real .

What Are the System Requirements?

Here’s the funny thing. This game came out in 1996. It will run on basically anything made in the last 20 years.

The Tomb Raider 1996 file size is 2 GB on Steam .

Minimum System Requirements (PC)

Here’s what you need at the very least :

Component	Requirement
OS	Windows XP / Vista / 7
Processor	1.8 GHz Processor
Memory	512 MB RAM
Graphics	3D graphics card compatible with DirectX 9
DirectX	Version 9.0
Storage	2 GB available space

Important Note: Steam will only support Windows 10 and later starting January 1, 2024 . The game itself might run on Windows 10/11, but you may need to use compatibility settings.

The Original 1996 Requirements (For Historical Context)

If you’re curious, the original MS-DOS version required:

OS: MS-DOS 5.0 or Windows 95
Processor: 90 MHz Pentium or better
Memory: 8 MB RAM
Graphics: SVGA graphics card
Storage: 50 MB

Yes, 50 megabytes. Games have come a long way.

Will it run on my modern PC? Yes. Easily. The 2GB Steam version is a rerelease with some compatibility fixes, but even the original 50MB DOS version will run on anything. The challenge is getting the controls and resolution to work properly, not the hardware.

What about the Remaster?

If you want to play Tomb Raider 1 in 2026, you might be better off buying Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, released in February 2024 . It includes all three original games with:

Modern controls (optional)
Achievements
Save anywhere
Visual toggles (switch between classic and remastered graphics)
All expansions (including Unfinished Business)

It’s the definitive way to experience the original trilogy on modern hardware.

What Makes This Game Special?

Look, I’m going to be honest. Tomb Raider (1996) is not an easy game to recommend in 2026. The controls feel archaic. The graphics are blocky. The camera actively works against you sometimes. Checkpoints don’t exist.

But here’s the thing. This game is a piece of history. And unlike some “historical” games that are more fun to read about than to play, Tomb Raider still has genuine moments of brilliance.

It Invented A Genre

Before Lara Croft, third-person action games in full 3D didn’t really exist. The concept of having a visible character that you control from behind as they navigate a 3D space – that was new . Everything from Uncharted to Dark Souls to the modern God of War games owes a debt to what Core Design accomplished in 1996.

The Level Design Is Genius

The grid-based design is restrictive, but it’s also precise. Every ledge is exactly one block wide. Every jump is exactly two blocks long. The game teaches you its rules without ever explaining them, and by the end, you can look at a room and know exactly what’s possible .

The nonlinear level design rewards exploration. Levels loop back on themselves. You open a door on one side of a building and find a shortcut back to the start. This was impressive in 1996 and still feels satisfying today.

The Atmosphere Is Unmatched

Modern games are loud. Explosions, voice lines, UI sounds, constant music. Tomb Raider is quiet. You hear your footsteps echo through stone corridors. The wind howls through open chambers. A distant growl tells you something is nearby. The silence makes every sound matter .

The Secrets Are Genuinely Hidden

Modern games put glowing markers on secret entrances. Tomb Raider doesn’t. You have to notice that one wall texture is slightly different. You have to try jumping into a gap that looks like it might lead somewhere. When you find a secret, it feels like YOU found it, not like the game handed it to you.

The T-Rex Fight Is Still Cool

About halfway through the game, you enter a massive cavern in Peru. And then you see it. A Tyrannosaurus Rex, rendered in blocky polygons, charging at you. It’s a moment that blew 1996 players’ minds, and it’s still genuinely thrilling today .

Lara Croft Became An Icon

It’s easy to forget now, but Lara Croft was everywhere in the late 90s. Magazine covers. Music videos. A movie starring Angelina Jolie. She was one of the first female video game protagonists to achieve mainstream recognition . Love her or hate her, Lara changed the industry.

The Not-So-Great Stuff (Being Honest)

I always try to give you the full picture. So here’s where the original Tomb Raider shows its age.

The Controls Are Frustrating

Tank controls were fine in 1996. In 2026, they feel like you’re fighting the game. Turning is slow. Lara won’t do what you want half the time. The lack of air control means once you commit to a jump, you’re committed. Miss your mark? You’re dead .

The Camera Is Against You

The camera follows Lara from behind, but it’s not smart. In tight spaces, it clips through walls. In long jumps, you can’t see where you’re landing. The game expects you to trust your instincts and knowledge of the grid system .

No Checkpoints

Die on the last jump of a level? Reload your save from the start of that level. There’s no autosave, no checkpoint system. You have to manually save, and on the original PlayStation version, you could only save at specific save crystals scattered through each level . This is punishing by modern standards.

The Swimming Controls Are Awful

Swimming in Tomb Raider is an exercise in patience. Lara controls like a submarine with vertigo. Air is limited. Getting out of the water requires pixel-perfect ledge grabs. Everyone dreads the water levels.

The Graphics Are Rough

By modern standards, this game is ugly. Low polygon counts. Pixelated textures. Characters with blocky faces and rigid animations. The remastered version cleans this up, but the original release is hard on the eyes .

It’s Short By Modern Standards

If you know what you’re doing, you can beat Tomb Raider in 10-12 hours. The Steam version has 2GB of storage, but that includes the expansion levels. The core game is even smaller . For a $7-10 game, that’s fine, but don’t expect a 50-hour epic.

How To Play It In 2026

If you want to experience the original Tomb Raider today, you have a few options.

Option 1: Tomb Raider I-III Remastered (Recommended)

Released February 2024, this is the best way to play. You get:

All three original games + expansion levels
Toggle between classic and remastered graphics
Modern control scheme (optional – tank controls still available)
Achievements
Save anywhere
Available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch

This is what I recommend for 99% of players. It preserves the original experience while removing the most frustrating barriers .

Option 2: Original Steam Release

You can still buy the original 1996 release on Steam for about $7-10. It’s the DOS version running through a compatibility wrapper. The game works on Windows 10/11, but you may need to tinker with settings. Controls are original tank controls only. Graphics are original low-poly.

Only buy this if you want the authentic 1996 experience and you’re willing to wrestle with old software.

Option 3: Emulation

You can emulate the PS1 version using DuckStation or other emulators. This gives you the original console experience, complete with save crystals and no PC-specific enhancements. Not recommended unless you’re a purist.

The Bottom Line

Tomb Raider (1996) is a classic. It’s also a relic. The controls are clunky, the camera is awkward, and the difficulty is brutal. Modern players raised on Uncharted or the newer Tomb Raider reboots will find it frustrating.

But beneath the rough edges is a genuinely brilliant game. The level design is some of the best ever made. The atmosphere is haunting. The sense of discovery – finding a hidden passage, solving a clever puzzle, surviving a deadly trap – is unmatched.

If you want to experience this game in 2026, buy the Remastered trilogy. It preserves the original experience while adding modern quality-of-life features. Play with the modern controls if you must, but I’d encourage you to try the tank controls first. The game was designed around them.

And when you finally beat that T-Rex, you’ll understand why people still talk about this game nearly 30 years later.

Now go raid some tombs. And watch your step. The floor spikes are hungry.

Installation Guide