Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 298 sampled Steam reviews (282 positive / 16 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing27% mention it
- Visuals & art14% mention it
- World & exploration10% mention it
- Combat10% mention it
- Progression & loot5% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Story & writing31% mention it
- World & exploration19% mention it
- Bugs & crashes19% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
89%
53 reviews
5-15h
93%
101 reviews
15-40h
97%
113 reviews
40-100h
100%
25 reviews
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 86 | 30 |
| Creator reviews (4 tracked) | – | 89 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 94% | 89 | 1191 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 85 | 82 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 95% | 90 | 288 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 300 reviews sampled · 822 total reviews in window · weighted 205.5 up / 10.7 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (153)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 85
“The main game itself is easily worth the price of admission. A gripping story in spite of its cliches, with an expanded serving of the gameplay that made Tomb Raider such a wild ride, Rise of the Tomb Raider is a damn fine sequel that does everything a sequel needs to do. What’s more, it truly cements Lara’s new adventures as a series with a solid future, and I’m excited to see where Croft and Trinity go next.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Like its predecessor, Rise of the Tomb Raider is awash in stuff to do, at story's expense.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“So is Rise of the Tomb Raider Microsoft's answer to Uncharted? Yes and no. It manages to capture the spirit of Sony's series albeit with a darker tone, but its let down by a short campaign and threadbare replayability. There simply isn't enough of a reason to go back to it once you're done. Wait for a discount or till it hits other platforms at a hopefully cheaper price before buying.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Without a doubt, one of the best action games of this year, a must-buy for Xbox gamers. The series is stronger than ever and we can't wait to see where it will go next.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Rise of the Tomb Raider is a game that is built on the solid foundations of the first installment of the rebooted cycle and as such it works great. Unfortunately, because of the few novelties (e.g. heavily modified crafting system), the game is no longer the emotional roller-coaster that it was during our stay on Yamatai island. As a next installment in the series the adventures of Lara Croft work well, but the famous Miss Archaeology won't come away completely unscathed from a duel with Uncharted 4.”
read full review ↗ - 68
“Ultimately, Rise of the Tomb Raider is akin to a direct-to-DVD sequel. It apes the look and style of the original but nothing comes together in a way that's nearly as impressive. I played the reboot four times over and it remains one of the few games I've reached 100% completion, going around and collecting every trinket just because I wanted to explore every inch of its fantastic world. I doubt I'll ever touch its sequel again. It's a decent action-adventure game with some nice moments but it's also lacking in the ambition and artistry embodied by its predecessor. In the end it's merely a fun but mostly forgettable time.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Rise of the Tomb Raider is an excellent sequel to the reboot launched in 2013. The story, as expected, is full of mysteries and twists, which is great considering it is an adventure game. Introducing new mechanics, the gameplay follows the pattern seen in its predecessor. Visually, the game is very beautiful, delivering stunning landscapes.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“The switch to a style of play that doesn't rely solely on raw firepower is the absolute key to the game's success and that, mixed with a plethora of action-packed adrenaline-boosting scenes, makes Lara's second return an absolute blast to play.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“A solid, lengthy, entertaining romp across both tombs and not-tombs, with a quality PC port. If you want more Tomb Raider 2013, this offers improvements on most of that game's mechanics and is unlikely to disappoint.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Rise of the Tomb Raider is the complete package for both newcomers and series veterans. Barring some wonky gunplay, the base game is superb, with its sublime exploratory mechanics, wonderful semi-open world hubs that deliver tons of side content, and sensational graphics. Lara's Nightmare does feel like a bit of a throwaway, but Blood Ties and the Baba Yaga DLC are more than worth your time if you want to stray away from the main adventure. Lara Croft is back where she belongs, and you owe it to yourself to join the 20 year celebration and get back to some tomb raiding.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“If it isn't broken, don't fix it was the mantra behind Rise of the Tomb Raider's development: they took the formula from the last game, they added new elements to it and polished some of the mistakes. Sadly, though, the game is far from perfect. However, we are happy to know that the saga is in good hands... Welcome back Miss Croft!”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Rise of the Tomb Raider is a stellar title for the fall season, and a sequel that addresses most of the complaints about its predecessor. Crystal Dynamics is really knocking it out of the park with the reboot of Lara Croft and I cannot wait to see how it evolves over time. Anyone with an Xbox One needs to pick this title up. It once again makes a solid case for my top ten list of games of the year.”
read full review ↗
The Jimquisition
Slant Magazine
Gadgets 360
PLAY Zine
GRYOnline.pl
Paste Magazine
Portal E7
Pure Xbox
PC Invasion
Push Square
LevelUp
ZTGD…and 141 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Update notes for Sept. 27, 2022Sep 27, 2022
- [10-25-2016] PC Patch notes for patch 1.0.753.2 (Patch #10)Oct 25, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Available Now - Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year CelebrationOct 11, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Available Now - Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year CelebrationOct 11, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration Now AvailableOct 11, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- [10-11-2016] PC Patch notes for patch 1.0.751.5 (Patch #8)Oct 11, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- [10-11-2016] PC Patch notes for patch 1.0.751.5 (Patch #8)Oct 11, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- [07-08-2016] PC Patch notes for patch 1.0.668.0 (Patch #7)Jul 8, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- [07-08-2016] PC Patch notes for patch 1.0.668.0 (Patch #7)Jul 8, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- [03-29-2016] PC Patch notes for patch 1.0.647.2 (Patch #6)Mar 29, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- [03-11-2016] PC Patch notes for patch 1.0.638.6 (Patch #5)Mar 11, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- [03-11-2016] PC Patch notes for patch 1.0.638.6 (Patch #5)Mar 11, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- [03-01-2016] PC Patch notes for patch 1.0.629.3 (Patch #4)Mar 1, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- [02-19-2016] PC Patch notes for patch 1.0.623.2 (Patch #3)Feb 19, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- [02-12-2016] PC Patch notes for patch 1.0.616.4 (Patch #2)Feb 12, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- PC Patch notes for patch 1.0.610.1Feb 5, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- PC Patch notes for patch 1.0.610.1Feb 5, 2016significant · resets scoring window