Rise of the Tomb Raider vs Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Rise of the Tomb Raider is an action-adventure open-world game from Crystal Dynamics (2015) while Shadow of the Tomb Raider is an action-adventure open-world game from Crystal Dynamics (2018).
What each one is
Steam files Rise of the Tomb Raider under Action-Adventure and Open-World. In contrast, it files Shadow of the Tomb Raider under Action-Adventure and Open-World.
Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration includes the base game and Season Pass featuring all-new content. Explore Croft Manor in the new “Blood Ties” story, then defend it against a zombie invasion in “Lara’s Nightmare”.
As Lara Croft races to save the world from a Maya apocalypse, she must become the Tomb Raider she is destined to be.
At a glance
| Rise of the Tomb Raider | Shadow of the Tomb Raider | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.2/10 | 7.5/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (94%, 155,369) | Very Positive (85%, 87,978) |
| Critic aggregate | 86/100 | 77/100 |
| Price | $4.49 | $5.99 |
| Install size | 25 GB | 40 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | playable |
| Released | 2015 | 2018 |
| Developer | Crystal Dynamics | Crystal Dynamics |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Rise of the Tomb Raider vs Shadow of the Tomb Raider, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Rise of the Tomb RaiderAction-adventure open-world gameShadow of the Tomb RaiderAction-adventure open-world gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Rise of the Tomb RaiderAdventure, Action, Female ProtagonistShadow of the Tomb RaiderAdventure, Action, Female ProtagonistThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Rise of the Tomb Raider ✓Score 8.2 · 94% on Steam · 86 criticShadow of the Tomb RaiderScore 7.5 · 85% on Steam · 77 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Rise of the Tomb Raider155,369 reviews · 25 GBShadow of the Tomb Raider87,978 reviews · 40 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Rise of the Tomb Raider ✓$4.49Shadow of the Tomb Raider$5.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Rise of the Tomb RaiderPlayableShadow of the Tomb RaiderPlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Rise of the Tomb Raider takes 2 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueRise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Xbox
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Rise of the Tomb Raider (GamingPickz Score 8.2)
- The cheaper right now: Rise of the Tomb Raider ($4.49)
- Lighter on storage: Rise of the Tomb Raider (25 GB)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
AdventureActionFemale ProtagonistSingleplayerThird PersonExplorationOpen WorldAction-Adventure
Where they differ
Third-Person ShooterParkourRPGQuick-Time Events
ViolentGoreDarkHeist
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Rise of the Tomb Raider is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Shadow of the Tomb Raider is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Rise of the Tomb Raider | Shadow of the Tomb Raider | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | NVIDIA GTX 650 2GB | Nvidia GTX 660/GTX 1050 |
| Minimum CPU | Intel Core i3-2100 | i3-3220 INTEL |
| Minimum RAM | 6 GB | 8 GB |
| Install size | 25 GB | 40 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Rise of the Tomb Raider · Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Rise of the Tomb Raider and 1 for Shadow of the Tomb Raider. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider in scope?
Rise of the Tomb Raider has drawn 155,369 Steam reviews and installs in 25 GB. Shadow of the Tomb Raider has drawn 87,978 Steam reviews and installs in 40 GB.
Is Rise of the Tomb Raider or Shadow of the Tomb Raider better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Rise of the Tomb Raider rates higher (8.2 to 7.5). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Rise of the Tomb Raider or Shadow of the Tomb Raider?
Rise of the Tomb Raider is cheaper right now at $4.49, against $5.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.