Few franchises carry the weight and expectations of Tomb Raider. For nearly three decades, Lara Croft has stood as one of gaming’s most recognizable icons, evolving alongside the industry itself. From grid-based tombs and acrobatic platforming to cinematic survival storytelling, the series has never been afraid to reinvent itself when the moment demands it. Each era of Tomb Raider reflects a different philosophy about exploration, danger, and what it means to be an adventurer.
Videos by ComicBook.com
As the franchise prepares for its next major chapter, expectations are higher than they have been in years. And to answer that, Crystal Dynamics is teasing something to match those expectations. The studio has not confirmed this, but signs are pointing to Tomb Raider: Catalyst being open world, a first for the series. This has led to much speculation among fans, as it would be a divisive change to an iconic series.
Tomb Raider: Catalyst May Go Full Open World
The idea of an open-world Tomb Raider is not entirely new, but it has never truly materialized. Square Enix’s Survivor Trilogy featured large semi-open hubs. These areas encouraged exploration, backtracking, optional tombs, side challenges, and environmental storytelling. However, they were still segmented, tightly curated spaces connected by linear story missions. Players could not simply move from one area to another as they wished because these games were not true open-world experiences.
Tomb Raider: Catalyst appears to aim far beyond that structure. Official teasers and developer language have emphasized scale, freedom, and ambition, repeatedly referring to the project as the biggest and most expansive Tomb Raider game to date. While Crystal Dynamics has stopped short of confirming an open world, the wording strongly implies a more unified, seamless environment rather than separated hubs.
If Catalyst does go fully open world, it would mark a first for the franchise. No Tomb Raider game has ever allowed players to explore a single massive map without loading transitions between regions. For a series built on traversal, discovery, and environmental mastery, that shift could fundamentally redefine how Lara interacts with the world. It opens the door for so many possibilities for story, gameplay, locations, and combat that it is hard not to get excited, especially with a return to India.
Open World Could Drastically Change Exploration and Puzzles
Exploration has always been the soul of Tomb Raider. Traditionally, that exploration is carefully controlled. Developers guide players through handcrafted routes, ensuring puzzles unfold in a specific rhythm. A fully open world would challenge that philosophy and demand new design solutions. In an open world Tomb Raider, exploration could become less about solving isolated puzzles and more about understanding interconnected systems. Tombs might no longer exist as discrete side areas, but instead emerge naturally from the landscape. A mountain range could hide multiple entrances to ancient ruins, each accessible through different traversal tools or environmental conditions.
Puzzles themselves could evolve. Instead of self-contained rooms, players might manipulate large-scale environments that affect entire regions. Flooding a valley to reveal a submerged ruin, collapsing ancient structures to open new routes, or using weather and time of day as puzzle variables are all possibilities that an open world enables. This would lean more into the Metroidvania aspects that have always been present in the series and allow for interesting elements that take advantage of backtracking for discoveries.
Traversal would also take on new importance. Lara’s climbing axes, rope arrows, and swimming abilities could be used not just to solve puzzles, but to carve personalized paths through the world. That level of freedom could make exploration feel uniquely player-driven rather than developer-dictated. I imagine something akin to FromSoftware’s designs that opens up shortcuts, allowing for quick traversal between already explored areas and new locations. This approach could set Tomb Raider: Catalyst apart from other open-world action-adventure games by making environmental interaction the core mechanic rather than combat or map clearing.
Should Tomb Raider Go Open World?
This is the question dividing fans. On one hand, a fully open world aligns naturally with Tomb Raider’s themes. Lara is an explorer. Giving her a world without walls feels like a logical evolution. It could enhance immersion, deepen environmental storytelling, and give players unprecedented agency. While the narrative should definitely remain the driving force, Crystal Dynamics could open a branching story by allowing players to tackle different tombs in any order. This could play into time, whereas Lara could find an untouched ruin, but if she delays in going there, she may encounter hostile explorers who beat her to the punch.
On the other hand, there is risk. Tomb Raider’s strongest moments often come from tightly scripted sequences and carefully paced puzzle chambers. An open world could dilute that focus if not handled with precision. Empty spaces, repetitive side content, or overly generic activities would undermine what makes Tomb Raider special. The Survivor Trilogy did suffer from this somewhat, and those were not fully open worlds.
The key will be restraint. If Crystal Dynamics treats the open world as a framework for handcrafted experiences rather than a checklist playground, Tomb Raider: Catalyst could strike the perfect balance. The Survivor Trilogy proved that the studio understands how to blend narrative, exploration, and challenge. An open world simply raises the stakes. As one of the most anticipated upcoming action-adventure games, Tomb Raider: Catalyst represents a crossroads moment for the franchise. If Crystal Dynamics makes the choice to go open world, I am beyond excited to see how it implements this idea in 2027.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Netflix -
Image Courtesy of Netflix -
Image courtesy of Valve
