Over the years, Square Enix has published some seriously popular game franchises. From Final Fantasy to Octopath Traveler to Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix is best known for its JRPGs. But until recently, Square Enix also had another big brand under its belt: Tomb Raider. From 2009 to 2022, Square Enix owned the developer Crystal Dynamics, best known for its work on several massive games in the Tomb Raider franchise. And during that time, Square Enix had the honor of publishing the first-ever co-op Tomb Raider title, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.
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This unusual game may have starred Lara Croft, but it didn’t explicitly carry the Tomb Raider name on the cover. Even so, it’s considered a part of the Tomb Raider franchise, and an unusual entry at that. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light was originally released in the PS3/Xbox 360 era. Unlike prior Lara Croft games, Guardian of Light emphasized co-op gameplay. Players could portray Lara herself or as a Mayan warrior and ally, Totec. And now, the game has returned to modern Xbox consoles thanks to a Game Pass re-release.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light Joins Xbox Game Pass
On September 30th, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light arrived on Xbox Game Pass. It is available as part of the Standard and Ultimate subscription tiers, letting players experience the 15-year-old game on Xbox One or Xbox 360. While the game does include a single-player campaign for solo gamers to enjoy, the co-op mode remains the highlight of this classic. And thankfully, Crystal Dynamics is bringing that back as the game arrives on Xbox Game Pass.
Xbox Game Pass Subscribers will be able to enjoy local or online co-op for Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. Playing online on Xbox requires a Game Pass membership, but most people returning to this game most likely have that requirement locked down. That said, if you do want to check out the retro title without an online subscription, it is also available as a one-time purchase for $14.99. And honestly? Given the game’s age, those graphics still hold up pretty well.
The first co-op entry in a longstanding franchise can be a mixed bag. But in the case of Guardian of Light, critical reception was pretty solid. The game received an aggregate 85 Metacritic rating in its release year and had sold over 1 million copies after just 2 years on the market. In fact, it performed so well that it got a sequel in the 2014 release of Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris.
Nintendo Switch owners have been able to revisit both of these co-op Lara Croft games since 2023, when they were re-released in The Lara Croft Collection. But now, the first game is returning to Xbox consoles as well, giving even Tomb Raider fans a chance to check out the co-op action.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is now available via Xbox Game Pass or as a standalone purchase for the Xbox One or Xbox 360. The sequel is not on Game Pass, but is also available as a standalone purchase for $19.99 for Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S.
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
