Tomb Raider III vs Tomb Raider: Underworld
Tomb Raider III is an action-adventure game from Core Design (1998) while Tomb Raider: Underworld is an action-adventure open-world game from Crystal Dynamics (2008).
Quick answer: Tomb Raider: Underworld has the higher Metacritic, 80 to 76.
Tomb Raider III
What each one is
Tomb Raider III is filed under Action-Adventure. In contrast, Tomb Raider: Underworld under Action-Adventure and Open-World.
Tomb Raider III is an action-adventure video game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. It was first released for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows in 1998, and for Mac OS in 1999. It is the third title in the Tomb Raider series, following Tomb Raider II (1997). The story follows archaeologist-adventurer Lara Croft as she embarks upon a quest to recover four pieces of a meteorite that are scattered across the world. To progress through the game, the player must complete a series of levels that involve solving puzzles, traversing dangerous locations, and defeating enemies.
Tomb Raider: Underworld represents a new advancement in exploration-based gameplay. As fearless adventurer Lara Croft explore exotic locations around the world, each designed with an incredible attention to detail resulting in breathtaking high-definition visual fidelity that creates a truly believable world and delivers a new level of...
Story, characters and reception
Plot
A corporation called RX-Tech excavates the crash site of a meteorite that impacted on Antarctica millions of years ago and finds strange Rapa Nui -like statues alongside the grave of one of HMS Beagle 's sailors. Meanwhile, archaeologist -adventurer Lara Croft is searching for an artefact known as the Infada Stone in the ruins of an ancient Indian Hindu temple once inhabited by the Infada tribe. After taking the artefact from a researcher working for… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Although Tomb Raider III received generally favourable reviews from critics, it did not fare as well as its two predecessors. Edge considered Tomb Raider III "a valid addition to the growing franchise", stating that it offers more attractive graphics and more innovation than Tomb Raider II , while Next Generation called it the biggest and most rewarding game of the series. CVG described it as a perfect mix of the exploration and puzzles of the… (Wikipedia)
Plot
The story begins in medias res ; Lara Croft navigates her home Croft Manor after an explosion, then is shot at by her tech assistant Zip. One week earlier, Lara is investigating a sunken island in the Mediterranean Sea as part of her search for Avalon , hoping it will lead her to an explanation for the disappearance of her mother Amelia and salvage her father Richard's academic reputation despite the scepticism of Zip and her research assistant Alister.… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Tomb Raider: Underworld received generally positive reviews from critics. The Xbox 360 , PC and PlayStation 3 versions of the game were generally highly praised, with many critics comparing Underworld to older titles in the series, such as GamesRadar and The Guardian . In reviews, the environments have been widely praised, many reviewers also praised Lara's motion captured movements and the much less linear style of gameplay, while some… (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Tomb Raider III | Tomb Raider: Underworld | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | — | 6.8/10 |
| Steam rating | — | Mostly Positive (77%, 6,883) |
| Critic aggregate | 76/100 | 80/100 |
| Price | Unknown | $0.98 |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | Untested | unsupported |
| Released | 1998 | 2008 |
| Developer | Core Design | Crystal Dynamics |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Tomb Raider III vs Tomb Raider: Underworld, 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
Tomb Raider IIIAction-adventure gameTomb Raider: UnderworldAction-adventure open-world gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Tomb Raider IIINo descriptive tagsTomb Raider: UnderworldAdventure, Action, Female ProtagonistThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Tomb Raider IIIMetacritic 76Tomb Raider: Underworld ✓Metacritic 80Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Content and scale
Tomb Raider III—Tomb Raider: Underworld6,883 reviewsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Tomb Raider IIIUnknownTomb Raider: Underworld$0.98Read live from Steam and subject to change.
Tomb Raider: Underworld takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The better reviewed of the two: Tomb Raider: Underworld (Metacritic 80)
Where they differ
AdventureActionFemale ProtagonistThird PersonPuzzleSingleplayer
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Tomb Raider III is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Tomb Raider: Underworld is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Tomb Raider III | Tomb Raider: Underworld | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | — |
| Minimum CPU | — | Intel Pentium 4 3+GHz |
| Minimum RAM | — | 1 GB |
| Install size | — | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Tomb Raider III · Tomb Raider: Underworld.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Tomb Raider III and 1 for Tomb Raider: Underworld. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Tomb Raider III and Tomb Raider: Underworld in scope?
Tomb Raider III lists little scope data. Tomb Raider: Underworld has drawn 6,883 Steam reviews.
Is Tomb Raider III or Tomb Raider: Underworld better?
Neither carries enough reviews for us to score it reliably, so we do not call a winner. The table above shows what each does have.
Which is cheaper, Tomb Raider III or Tomb Raider: Underworld?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get Tomb Raider III or Tomb Raider: Underworld?
Tomb Raider: Underworld has the higher Metacritic, 80 to 76. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
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
All comparisonsHow 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.