Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered

Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered is a 2025 action-adventure compilation developed and published by Aspyr Media in partnership with Crystal Dynamics. Released on February 14, 2025, it serves as the direct, highly anticipated follow-up to the massively successful Tomb Raider I-III Remastered collection.

This package preserves and modernizes the second half of the original Core Design era, often referred to as the “Darkness Trilogy.” It includes Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (1999), Tomb Raider Chronicles (2000), and the notoriously controversial Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (2003). By bringing these titles to modern hardware, the collection allows players to experience the chronological climax of the original Lara Croft continuity—from her presumed death in the Egyptian pyramids to her gritty, fugitive status in the criminal underworld of Paris.

Gameplay

Like the previous remastered collection, IV-VI Remastered runs on a hybrid engine, utilizing the original 1990s and early 2000s source code wrapped in a modern graphical shell. However, the mechanics across these three games are vastly different from the first three, requiring Aspyr to adapt to a much more complex set of systems.

Key gameplay mechanics and additions include:

The Graphics Toggle: The beloved feature returns, allowing players to press a single button to instantly switch between the original, low-polygon graphics and the beautifully overhauled modern visual style, complete with baked-in lighting, updated skyboxes, and highly detailed textures.
Rescuing The Angel of Darkness: The most significant draw of this collection is the playable state of The Angel of Darkness. Originally released in an unfinished, deeply broken state, Aspyr completely overhauled the game’s agonizingly sluggish controls. With the new “Modern” analog control scheme, Lara and Kurtis Trent move smoothly and responsively, allowing the game’s ambitious blend of stealth, RPG mechanics, and platforming to finally function as intended.
Modernized Control Scheme: For The Last Revelation and Chronicles, the optional modern control scheme returns alongside the classic “tank controls.” This allows players to navigate the complex hub worlds of Egypt and the stealth-heavy VCI Headquarters in Chronicles with full 3D camera control and omnidirectional movement.
Ropes and Grapples: The collection accurately preserves the expanded traversal mechanics of this era. Players must utilize the rope-swinging mechanics introduced in The Last Revelation and the grappling-hook stealth of Chronicles, both of which benefit greatly from the improved frame rates and modernized camera.
Photo Mode and Enhancements: The collection features an expanded Photo Mode, over 150 new achievements/trophies, fully 3D item pickups (replacing the old 2D sprites), and modernized health bars for boss encounters.

Development and Legacy

Following the explosive success of the first collection in early 2024, the announcement of IV-VI Remastered in October 2024 sent shockwaves through the Tomb Raider community. While modernizing the PS1 games was a major technical feat, the community knew that tackling The Angel of Darkness was a Herculean task. The game’s original code was infamously held together by digital duct tape.

Aspyr once again worked closely with prominent figures in the Tomb Raider modding community, many of whom had spent the last two decades independently trying to patch and fix The Angel of Darkness on PC. Rather than remaking the game entirely, they meticulously smoothed out the animation blending, fixed the broken RPG progression triggers, and stabilized the frame rate.

Upon its release in February 2025, the collection was celebrated as a massive preservation victory. Critics and fans praised the stunning visual upgrades to the Egyptian tombs of The Last Revelation, but the highest praise was reserved for the redemption of The Angel of Darkness. While the remaster couldn’t restore the cut content that Eidos forced Core Design to delete back in 2003, it finally allowed players to experience the game’s phenomenal gothic story, brilliant soundtrack, and moody atmosphere without fighting the controls, giving Core Design’s final Tomb Raider game the respect it was originally denied.

Key Features:

The Darkness Trilogy — Play through the darker, narrative-heavy second half of the classic era: The Last Revelation, Chronicles, and The Angel of Darkness.
Instant Visual Toggle — Seamlessly flip between the nostalgic retro graphics and a gorgeous, fully remastered modern art style on the fly.
AoD Redeemed — Experience The Angel of Darkness as it was meant to be played, featuring drastically improved performance and a modernized, responsive control scheme.
Classic or Modern Controls — Choose between the punishing but precise classic tank controls or the smoother, camera-oriented modern analog movement for all three games.
Modern Quality of Life — Enjoy an extensive Photo Mode, modernized boss health bars, fully 3D item models, and a massive list of new achievements and trophies.