The first five Tomb Raider games are iconic and gave us some fantastic levels to shoot, sneak, and loot our way through. This list compiles the top 30 most iconic classic Tomb Raider levels so you can relive the nostalgia.
In honor of the Tomb Raider I–III Remastered collection, we look at the most iconic levels in the franchise.
30. Venice – Tomb Raider 2
Venice from Tomb Raider 2 is a fantastic level and is beautifully crafted. Not only does it have a fantastic soundtrack, but it also introduces the ability to shoot through windows or smash them by jumping through them.
For an early-game level, Venice gets intense quickly, as you have to use a speedboat to traverse the rivers, as well as use it to jump through a timed gate with explosions happening behind you.
29. Caves – Tomb Raider 1
Caves are where the iconic Tomb Raider franchise started. The level doesn’t offer much to look at, and overall, it is quite a quick level. That being said, it provides some fun jumps and introduces the player to all the mechanics, such as levers underwater and pushing blocks into place.
28. Lost Valley – Tomb Raider 1
Lost Valley is an incredibly cool level and introduces dinosaurs, with a T-Rex serving as a mini-boss. It also has one of the first proper puzzles in the game, where you have to collect cogs to change the water levels. Not only this, but Lara also gets her first new weapon: the Shotgun.
27. The Lost City of Tinnos – Tomb Raider 3
Taking place in Antarctica, this level immediately puts you on high alert as you enter the level with sirens going off. There are a lot of creepy enemies that you have to fight, coinciding with a fantastic soundtrack and some great platforming to go along with it. Some Tomb Raider 3 levels are incredibly tedious, but this isn’t one of them.
26. High Security Compound – Tomb Raider 3
High Security Compound is a truly unique level where you have had your weapons stripped of you. While this has happened in all of the Tomb Raider games, this time, you have to rely on your fellow prisoners to take the hits and deal damage to the guards and keep them busy. It can be a lot of fun exploring the prison and trying to make your big break, and things can get pretty chaotic!
25. The Great Wall – Tomb Raider 2
For the starting level of the game, the Great Wall is amazing. It offers some great visuals and introduces tigers to the mix. This level doesn’t hold your hand like Tomb Raider 1’s first level. There are traps galore, from moving spike walls to hoards of baby spiders. The Great Wall has it all and will test your mettle for future levels.
24. Floating Islands – Tomb Raider 2
Floating Islands is incredibly eerie. With barely any background noises or music, you find yourself in somewhat of a void with creepy soldiers floating through the air coming to attack you. It can also be incredibly difficult to traverse, and one wrong step will have you crashing into the dark depths and hitting the game over screen.
23. Area 51 – Tomb Raider 3
If you’ve ever wanted Lara to explore a bizarre high-security lab, this is the perfect level for that. You get to uncover what scientists are up to and discover some shocking details along the way. Area 51 is a lot of fun, even if it doesn’t feel like a typical Tomb Raider level to some degree.
22. Antarctica- Tomb Raider 3
Antarctica pushes you to the absolute limit. While you can swim through the waters, be careful that you don’t get hypothermia, which can kill you in a matter of seconds. This makes it one of the hardest levels to traverse, as you need to be sure where you’re going in the water so you don’t die!
20. Angkor Wat – Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
Angkor Wat is a pretty unique level in the Tomb Raider franchise. Instead of having a tutorial level that you explore, you are run through the level by Lara’s mentor, Werner Von Croy. It also introduces new mechanics, like rope swinging.
The level can be pretty fun once you get past the arduous amount of cutscenes and the awkward banter between Lara and Werner.
19. 40 Fathoms – Tomb Raider 2
40 Fathoms can be quite difficult if you struggle with underwater levels. That being said, it has some great exploration to it, and it feels strangely eerie. Prepare to dive into deep waters filled with sharks and other creatures lurking in the dark.
18. The Lost Library – Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
The Lost Library is a fantastic Tomb Raider level and one of the more iconic Tomb Raider levels from this game in particular. Exploring the lost library, you get to fight some truly bizarre metal enemies and complete some fun puzzles. Moving the planets into the correct places is one of the more fun puzzles this level offers. Overall, the Lost Library really showcases those classic Tomb Raider vibes.
17. Lud’s Gate – Tomb Raider 3
Lud’s Gate is a bit of a peculiar Tomb Raider level as it has various aesthetics. While Lara is in a leather catsuit, she explores the Natural History Museum in London. Lud’s Gate comes in at the longest level in Tomb Raider 3, as there is a lot to explore and collect along the way. That said, it’s a fantastic level with an iconic cutscene at the end to finish it.
16. Sanctuary of the Scion – Tomb Raider
Sanctuary of the Scion completes the Egypt section of Tomb Raider, and they created a fantastic level to complete it. You have to make your way through the air on high platforms, collect two ankhs, and avoid getting killed by Atlanteans and chomping metal doors.
The underwater part of the level is phenomenal, too. Being able to see two Egyptian gods underwater is somewhat eerie.
15. Gallows Tree – Tomb Raider Chronicles
Gallows Tree is one of the levels in Tomb Raider Chronicles, and it is fantastically eerie and dystopian. For the eighth level in the game, it certainly feels like it ramps up the overarching mood and theme of the game. The level is thick with atmosphere.
14. Escape With The Iris – Tomb Raider Chronicles
Escape With the Iris is a fascinating Tomb Raider level, yet it feels like it’s entirely from a different game. Now that Lara has gone full spy mode, you have to open vents in the ceiling, search through cabinets, and even kick doors down! Tomb Raider Chronicles introduces a lot of new mechanics, but for this level, it works incredibly well. Escape With The Iris is a lot of fun and can get quite intense.
13. Temple Ruins – Tomb Raider 3
Temple Ruins is one of the earlier levels in Tomb Raider 3 and has some iconic moments. From quicksand swallowing you whole to monkeys stealing your items, Temple Ruins is a lot of fun and introduces a lot of the new mechanics that Lara will have to deal with throughout Tomb Raider 3.
This level doesn’t hold your hand in the slightest and instead punishes every wrong move with traps galore.
12. Tomb of Semerkhet – Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
Tomb of Semerkhet has a great atmosphere to it, and it can feel quite thick and creepy. You can explore a great Tomb and play a board game called Rules of Senet. It’s pretty simple to play, but it’s required to complete the puzzles of the level. In terms of puzzles, it’s a fairly unique one, so Tomb of Semerkhet is one of the most iconic Tomb Raider levels.
11. Old Mill – Tomb Raider Chronicles
The Old Mill level is quite a dark but fun one. Taking place in Ireland, you get to meet the villain of the area named Verdilet. While he’s a bit of an average villain, the Ireland levels are quite cool and some of the game’s darkest levels. You also get to play as teenage Lara, which makes you feel even more vulnerable in this dimly lit location.
10. Atlantis – Tomb Raider 1
Atlantis introduces the gory aesthetic for the final levels, with pulsing walls and a heartbeat in the background to add to it. It’s quite a grotesque level, and the enemies fit in perfectly. Overall, Atlantis is a lot of fun and is one of the most iconic Tomb Raider levels of all time, purely in terms of aesthetics.
9. Barkhang Monastery- Tomb Raider 2
Barkhand Monastery has some great lore, and you have to work with the indigenous people to fight off the mobs who are trying to take over the Monastery. This level is combat-heavy, but it’s also a lot of fun to see Lara have allies on a level. Barkhang Monastery is a fun and iconic Tomb Raider level at that.
8. Red Alert! – Tomb Raider Chronicles
Red Alert sees Lara become a spy, and she gets to use a sniper rifle to make her way through the level and escape. You also have to complete a target practice-style minigame. Overall, this level is one of the hardest in the game and perhaps one of the hardest Tomb Raider levels of all time.
7. Temple of Xian – Tomb Raider 2
Temple of Xian throws a billion traps and puzzles at you, and it can be an incredibly challenging level to get through. It’s quite a lengthy level to get through and can really test your sanity. That being said, it’s an iconic level from Tomb Raider 2.
6. Opera House – Tomb Raider 2
Opera House is a great level in Tomb Raider 2 and has a peculiar eerieness to it. With Bartoli’s henchmen hiding in every corner, be prepared to get jumpscared by at least one of them. This level also has some truly fantastic platforming that will test your patience.
5. Coastal Ruins – Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
Coastal Ruins is quite a pretty level but soon takes a turn once you break through the wooden boards and into the so-called “Egyptian Adventure.” There are mummies galore and some pretty sneaky puzzles that require a lot of finesse to pull off.
4. Palace Midas – Tomb Raider 1
Palace Midas introduces quite an interesting mechanic that may take many players by surprise at first glance. Not only do you have to collect Lead bars, but you also have to turn them into gold. The level can be quite long and tedious, but seeing Midas’ hand makes it worth it. Just be careful not to jump into it yourself!
3. Aldwych – Tomb Raider 3
Taking place in London, Aldwych is a fantastic place that is located in an abandoned tube station. The fast-paced trains that can kill Lara in a matter of seconds bring a whole new level of intensity to Aldwych.
2. Wreck of the Maria Doria – Tomb Raider 2
The Wreck of the Maria Doria is fun level and involves a lot of swimming and exploration. Not only this, but you’re exploring a wreckage that’s upside down. Overall, Wreck of the Maria Doria is a very eerie level and remains one of the most iconic Tomb Raider levels of all time.
1. St Francis’ Folly – Tomb Raider 1
St Francis’ Folly has some of the best level designs out of all of the classic Tomb Raider games. With a fantastic soundtrack and some fun but simple puzzles to solve, this level is peak Tomb Raider. Thor’s room is easily one of the best in the level.
That concludes our list of some of the classic series’s most iconic Tomb Raider levels. What are your favorite Tomb Raider levels?
