19 Games Like Tomb Raider
Our curated list of games like Tomb Raider offers other amazing action adventures that utilise exploration and survival on the same scale as the popular Tomb Raider franchise.
Tomb Raider is one of the classic franchises in the gaming industry with the series starting back in 1996 with Lara Croft as the main character. After a long period without a core game the series got a reboot in 2013 with a highly successful Tomb Raider game that explored the origins of Lara Croft as she sets out on her first expedition in the fictional Japanese island of Yamatai.
In terms of gameplay this 2013 version Tomb Raider and the subsequent reboot games stuck closely to the original franchise with a third person adventure full of action, exploration and survival mechanics. While the settings have changed throughout the franchise each generally blends real world and fictional elements to create something familiar but special. Mechanics have similarly evolved with platform elements, stealth, quick time events, RPG features and plenty of direct combat alongside the core survival adventure.
The games like Tomb Raider here promise other great action adventures with strong stories, themes of survival and varied gameplay mechanics. This list includes options for all popular video game platforms and varied settings such as high action, fantasy, realistic and post-apocalyptic.
Batman: Arkham City
Batman: Arkham City takes place in the Batman universe and was released in 2011 for Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game blends fast paced action with an impressive storyline and an open world environment. Every part of the game world in Arkham City is an enjoyable experience from the well-written narrative to the character design and even just the game areas that players will explore. It is no surprise that the game has received wide spread acclaim and there is no excuse to not have th...[Read Review]
Just Cause 2
Just Cause 2 offers similar gameplay to its predecessor with players again playing as Rico Rodriguez as he attempts to save the world from an evil dictator. The game is based on an island setting with plenty of movie style action within the game. Just Cause 2 takes place on the island of Panau and features a slightly larger game world than the original at approximately 400 square miles. The game takes place several years after the original but the stories are only loosely linked with Rico Rodrig...[Read Review]
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a PlayStation 3 exclusive (later brought to PlayStation 4 as a remaster) that takes you across the globe in an impressive action adventure with a sprinkle of environmental puzzles. With the second release in the Uncharted franchise improving on the original you’ll find a wealth of enhancements in the areas of story telling, character development and voice acting. Like the original Uncharted the game follows the adventure of Nathan Drake across a range of envir...[Read Review]
Far Cry Primal
Joining the other Far Cry titles but putting a prehistoric twist on it is Far Cry Primal a title available across Windows, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Intended to be a spiritual predecessor to the games in the Far Cry franchise you’ll step back in time to take on the role of a hunter in a large world from the past. Not only are you responsible for yourself but also an entire tribe who you will guide with upgrades and crafting to survive the harsh environments. It’s a twist uncharted ...[Read Review]
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Arkham Asylum kicks off the Batman: Arkham Asylum story arc and was released in 2009 offering a blend of action, adventure and story as players control superhero Batman against his long time enemy, the Joker. With a focus on melee combat blended with stealth and gadget based action it’s a strong opening act to the Arkham Asylum experience which was further built upon over the years. This founding story of the Arkham Asylum plot follows the Joker’s attempt to seize control of Arkham Asylum ...[Read Review]
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception continues the Uncharted series with action, adventure and third person shooting that the series is known for. Just like previous games the title is a PlayStation 3 exclusive developed by Naughty Dog. This time around players will join Nathan Drake as he adventures through the desert in search of the lost location, Iram of the Pillars. The game has a large variety of environments that players have the opportunity to explore though with jungle sequences, a sink...[Read Review]
Just Cause
Just Cause is an action adventure game that has players taking control of an agent and exploring an open world tropical environment. The game launched in 2006 with its success leading to a sequel 4 years later. In the game players will jump into the shoes of Rico Rodriguez, one of the top agents for an organisation known only as the Agency. It is your job to stop the corrupt government on the tropical island of San Esperito and capture any weapons of mass destruction that they have been stockpil...[Read Review]
Horizon Zero Dawn
Explore a unique world of machine like animals in Horizon Zero Dawn an action role playing title with a futuristic and dystopian setting unlike other adventure games with its blend of primitive and advanced technology. Initially a PlayStation 4 exclusive title Horizon Zero Dawn was expanded outside the PlayStation universe with a Windows release three years after the games initial release. Playing as Aloy, a female hunter who lives within a world ravaged by robots players find themselves in a po...[Read Review]
Far Cry 3
If you like open world games but also enjoy them with plenty of shooter action as part of the core gameplay loop you’ll love what Far Cry 3 brings to the table with vast strides over the previous entries in the franchise. The game is the third in the series of open world shooters and mixes a number of different genres together which has proved a successful formula with gamers and critics across the games released so far and continues with Far Cry 3. Far Cry 3 uses a first person perspective and ...[Read Review]
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Taking the popular Metal Gear Solid franchise further with the ninth core game in the stealth franchise players will lead the familiar mercenary of Snake through a campaign in Soviet occupied territory. Advancing the story nine years after the events of the previous game (Ground Zeroes) you’ll tie up a number of loose ends as you advance through the levels that offer greater player freedom than past titles. Mainly focused around the Afghanistan and Angola-Zaire border with Punished (Venom)...[Read Review]
Batman: Arkham Origins
Batman: Arkham Origins is the third game in the Arkham series of Batman games and continues to offer an open world adventure with particular appeal for fans of the Batman universe and the previous games. Batman: Arkham Origins continues to evolve your gameplay experience with a number of minor tweaks, new locations and challenges thrown at players while also being the first in the series to add online multiplayer gameplay. As the game title suggests the storyline is all about the origins of the ...[Read Review]
I Am Alive
I Am Alive belongs to the survival horror genre and lets players explore a decaying and dangerous game world very similar to other post-apocalyptic games. Players join the game a year after a cataclysmic event that destroyed many American cities with earthquakes and other natural disasters. As you would expect these events led to a massive shortage in resources for the population leaving many citizens to die in the aftermath or turn to violence in order to meet their needs. In the game players j...[Read Review]
Just Cause 3
Ultimate freedom is the objective of Just Cause 3, a game in the open world adventure that continues the over the top destruction opportunities of its predecessors. Taking place half a decade after the popular Just Cause 2, the main character Rico Rodriguez returns once again to release an island from dictator control. While your journey is to stop the evil plans of General Sebastiano Di Ravello who wishes to expand his rule to the rest of this world. While this is your main objective there is p...[Read Review]
Mercenaries 2: World In Flames
Mercenaries 2: World In Flames is all about huge explosions and the open world environment. The game was released in 2008 and is available for PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows. In the game you’ll take on the role of a mercenary (in case you hadn’t gathered that from the name) and battle against a power hungry tyrant as you try to complete your contract. Mercenaries 2 offers plenty of freedom and lets players literally blow up everything in the game as they complete missions the way they want. Play...[Read Review]
Far Cry 4
Action and adventure hit new heights in Far Cry 4, a game that sticks to the open world shooter mechanics developed from previous additions in the franchise pretty closely. While new mechanics are few and far between in Far Cry 4 it’s a solid experience set in one of the more unique settings of the series. Set in Kyrat players assume the role of Ajay Ghale who returns home from America to spread his mother’s ashes. Upon returning though you find yourself in the centre of the civil war taking pla...[Read Review]
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Marking game number 4 for the Uncharted series and Nathan Drake Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End pulls him right out of retirement to reunite with this brother and Sully to search for clues and find Captain Henry Avery’s treasure. Serving as the final instalment in the franchise Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End delivers an impressive send off to the characters of the franchise both from a story and gameplay perspective while continuing the impressive and often extreme action adventure gameplay that the seri...[Read Review]
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction is the 2010 addition to the long term franchise and completely reinvents the franchise with all new mechanics and a great level of polish. Continuing on from the previous game in the franchise players will quickly find themselves in familiar territory. If this is your first time playing a Splinter Cell game you won’t feel out of place either with a quick introduction to the game that brings everyone up to speed on the current situation. The campaign follows...[Read Review]
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands continues the story of the previous games with another great addition to the series. The game was developed for Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 with exclusive games on other platforms. The game fits into the Prince of Persia storyline after The Sands of Time but before The Two Thrones so it definitely helps if you’ve had previous exposure to the series before jumping into the game. However, because the gap between these games amounts to seven years the g...[Read Review]
Far Cry 2
Far Cry 2 belongs to the open world genre and released back in 2008. The game has very few ties to the original Far Cry and is an entirely new experience for players to enjoy. In the game players will have the opportunity to explore a number of African inspired landscapes that are locked in a civil war. You’ll assume the role of a mercenary in Far Cry 2 as you travel across desert and jungle to find and assassinate the head of a gun running rink, known only as The Jackal. Far Cry 2 introduces pl...[Read Review]
