Rise of the Tomb Raider is a great addition to the Switch 2 library
The Tomb Raider series has had its ups and downs over the years, but in my opinion the latest trilogy, which is admittedly getting a little long in the tooth now, is pretty great. Starting in 2013 with Tomb Raider, each subsequent release got better, with higher stakes and a wider range of features. Now, in 2026, two of the three titles are available on Switch 2. And while the previous port of Tomb Raider might not have impressed due to it primarily being worked around the limitations of the more primitive Switch 1 hardware, Rise of the Tomb Raider is only available on Switch 2, so it fares much better.
In Rise of the Tomb Raider, players take control of a Lara Croft who’s now even more emboldened to throw herself into danger in the name of adventure. This time she’s travelled to Siberia in search of the legendary city of Kitezh. Though making things troubling is the fact that she’s not the only one seeking it out; she frequently encounters a mysterious paramilitary organisation called Trinity, which believes the city may hold the key to immortality.
As you’d expect, the gameplay of Rise of the Tomb Raider is very similar to that of its predecessor, with you, in control of Lara, having to traverse arduous environments, solve puzzles and engage in bouts of combat. It’s an engaging mix, with all aspects here being rewarding and enjoyable. There’s a solid sense of exploration, too, with opportunities to go off the beaten path to find additional secrets and recover valuable resources. These can then be used to upgrade Lara’s gear, making your further exploits a bit more manageable. Needless to say, it all makes for a very enjoyable campaign, with plenty of hair-raising set-pieces to experience along the way.
Perhaps the biggest deviation from 2013’s Tomb Raider here is that there’s no competitive multiplayer mode, which surely most will find as a positive rather than a negative. Instead, Rise of the Tomb Raider features an Expeditions mode, which allows you to replay chapters of the game with additional conditions, as well as Score Attack and custom scenarios called Remnant Resistance. Performing well in these modes rewards you with points, which can then be used to unlock additional modifiers which can be used to further improve the mode’s longevity.
With this being the 20 Year Celebration edition of the game on Switch 2, there is an online co-op multiplayer Endurance mode available, however. There’s lots of other additional content, too, some of which was previously exclusive to the PS4 version of the game. There’s the Blood Ties story DLC, for example, as well as Extreme Survivor difficulty, additional costumes and weapon skins, and more. All in all, there’s a hell of a lot of content here to keep you occupied.
As good as this port of Rise of the Tomb Raider is, though, there are some issues too be aware of. The framerate is mostly stable, for example, but there are some moments where it can dip a little. More troublesome to some will be the fact that while there’s an option to aim using gyro controls in the game’s menu, it simply doesn’t work. Hopefully this will be something that’s addressed in a future patch. So, it’s not perfect, but if you’re yet to play this second entry in the Survivor trilogy or wish to be able to revisit it on the go, this port should serve you well.
Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration is available on PS4, Xbox One, Switch 2 and PC.
