Lara Croft has been through a lot. Honestly, looking back at the 2013 reboot, she was practically a different person—scared, shivering, and just trying to survive a shipwreck. But by the time Rise of the Tomb Raider PS4 players got their hands on the sequel, things had shifted. This wasn't just a survival story anymore. It was the moment Lara actually became the Tomb Raider we remember from the 90s, just with better hair physics and a lot more emotional baggage.
It’s weird to think about the drama surrounding this release. You might remember the whole "timed exclusive" mess with Microsoft. PlayStation fans had to wait a full year while Xbox players were already scaling Siberian mountains. But when the 20 Year Celebration edition finally hit the PS4 in 2016, it felt like the definitive version of the game. It came packed with all the DLC, VR support for the Croft Manor mission, and a level of polish that made the wait almost worth it. Almost.
The Siberian Cold and Why It Matters
Most of the game takes place in the Kitezh region of Siberia. It's bleak. It's freezing. It’s also stunningly beautiful in a way that pushes the PS4 hardware to its absolute limits. Crystal Dynamics nailed the atmosphere here. You aren't just looking at snow; you’re trudging through it, watching Lara shiver and ring out her hair after falling into a frozen lake.
The environmental storytelling is where the game really wins. You’ll stumble across old Soviet installations that feel heavy with history. These aren't just set dressing. They tell a story of a failed expedition and a desperate search for immortality that mirrors Lara’s own obsession. It’s dark stuff.
Lara is chasing the Divine Source. Her father died obsessed with it, and now she’s basically burning her life down to prove he wasn't crazy. It’s a classic "sins of the father" trope, but Camilla Luddington’s performance gives it enough weight to make you actually care. You feel her desperation. It's uncomfortable at times, watching her push herself toward a breakdown just to find a myth.
Combat, Stealth, and the "Predator" Feel
If you played the first game, you know the combat was a bit of a mixed bag. In Rise of the Tomb Raider PS4, they leaned much harder into the "guerrilla warfare" aspect. You aren't just a girl with a bow; you're a ghost in the woods.
I love the crafting system here. It’s fast. You’re sprinting away from a Trinity squad, grabbing some dry branches and a bottle, and suddenly you’ve got a Molotov cocktail. It feels frantic and rewarding. You can climb trees to drop down on enemies or dive into freezing water to pull them under. It’s very Rambo: First Blood, and it fits the desperate tone of the narrative perfectly.
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The skill tree is actually meaningful too. Sometimes in these games, you end up with a bunch of perks you never use. Here, unlocking the ability to shoot two arrows at once or craft grenades on the fly actually changes how you approach a combat arena. You start feeling like a hunter. It’s a massive jump from the first game where you often felt like you were just reacting to things. Now, you’re the one setting the traps.
The Problem With Trinity
If there’s one weak spot, it’s the villains. Trinity is your standard, shadowy, "we want to rule the world" organization. Konstantin and Ana are okay as antagonists, but they’re a bit one-dimensional compared to Lara’s complex internal struggle. They serve their purpose—giving you someone to shoot—but they don't leave a lasting impression. You're mostly there for the tombs and the history, not the bad guys' monologues.
Solving the "Tomb" Problem
One of the loudest complaints about the 2013 reboot was that there weren't enough, well, tombs. It felt more like an action-adventure game that happened to have some caves in it. Rise of the Tomb Raider PS4 fixed that. The optional Challenge Tombs are easily the best part of the experience.
They aren't just "pull this lever" puzzles. They require you to understand physics, water levels, and timing.
- The Voice of God: This tomb involves managing wind and counterweights. It’s atmospheric and creepy.
- The Red Mine: You’re dealing with explosive carts and water. It feels dangerous.
- Prophet's Tomb: This one is a masterclass in scale and lighting.
Each tomb rewards you with a unique ancient ability. It makes exploration feel essential rather than a chore for completionists. If you skip the tombs, you’re missing the soul of the game. Period.
Technical Performance on PS4 and Pro
Running Rise of the Tomb Raider PS4 on a base console is still a great experience, but the PS4 Pro is where it shines. You get choices. Do you want 4K (checkerboarded) at 30fps? Or do you want a high frame rate mode that targets 60fps? Personally, the 60fps mode is the way to go. The combat feels so much more responsive when the frame rate is doubled.
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Even on the base PS4, the lighting engine is incredible. The way light filters through the ice in the Siberian caverns or hits the gold artifacts in a dusty tomb is top-tier. It's one of those games that makes you stop and use the photo mode every ten minutes.
The 20 Year Celebration Content
Since the PS4 version is the "20 Year Celebration" edition, you get the Blood Ties and Lara's Nightmare expansions. Blood Ties is basically a walking simulator set in Croft Manor. It’s quiet. It’s emotional. You’re looking through old letters and artifacts to prove Lara’s ownership of the house. It adds a ton of lore about her mother and her childhood.
Then you have Lara's Nightmare, which is just Lara shooting zombies in the manor. It’s a weird tonal shift, but it’s a fun arcade mode if you just want to test your reflexes. The addition of the "Endurance Mode"—where you have to manage hunger and cold while raiding procedurally generated tombs—adds a lot of replayability that the first game lacked.
What Most People Miss About the Story
There is a subtle thread about Lara’s mental health that often gets overlooked. She isn't okay. Throughout the game, you find journals where she talks about her inability to fit back into "normal" society. She’s addicted to the adrenaline and the discovery.
It makes the ending of the game hit a lot harder. It’s not just about saving the world; it’s about Lara realizing she can’t go back to who she was before Yamatai. She’s committed to this life, for better or worse. It sets up Shadow of the Tomb Raider perfectly, where her obsession starts to have actual negative consequences for the world around her.
Actionable Insights for Players in 2026
If you’re picking this up today, there are a few things you should do to get the most out of it.
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First, turn up the difficulty. The "Survivor" difficulty removes the health regeneration and makes resources much scarcer. It forces you to actually engage with the hunting and gathering mechanics. Without it, the game can feel a bit too much like a standard cover shooter.
Second, don't rush the main path. The hub areas, like the Soviet Installation and the Geothermal Valley, are packed with side quests and hidden secrets. Talk to the NPCs. They give you gear, like the lockpick or the battery pack, which opens up areas you couldn't reach before.
Third, engage with the language proficiency system. Finding murals and documents increases Lara's knowledge of Greek, Mongolian, and Russian. This allows her to read higher-level monoliths which reveal the locations of "Coin Caches." These coins are used at the supply shack to buy the best gear in the game, including the tactical shotgun and the suppressor.
Lastly, play the Blood Ties DLC early. It gives so much context to Lara's motivations that the main story feels more impactful. It’s only about an hour long, but it’s the emotional heart of the PS4 edition.
Rise of the Tomb Raider PS4 remains a high-water mark for the series. It balanced the action of the modern era with the puzzle-solving roots of the original games in a way that the third game struggled to maintain. It’s a polished, brutal, and deeply atmospheric journey that still earns its spot on any gamer’s shelf.
Start by focusing on your bow upgrades—the "True Shot" and "Double Shot" skills are literal lifesavers in the late-game Trinity encounters. Once you've mastered the bow, the rest of the game's systems fall right into place.