20 Essential Video Games You Must Play Before You Die

19. Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider Lara Croft box art 1996
Core Design

Almost as famous for spawning the first ever virtual super celebrity, Tomb Raider wasn't the first 3D action adventure game ever released, but it remains the most influential.

Back in 1996, gaming was yet to truly hit the mainstream and Sony's groundbreaking Playstaion had been in the hands of European gamers for less than a year. Released to little fan-fare, Tomb Raider went on to sell 7 million copies and become one of the most widely acclaimed titles ever seen.

Taking control of one of gaming's first genuine heroines, Tomb Raider took players to some of the strangest corners of the globe in a quest for forgotten artefacts. One of the first games that rewarded genuine exploration, it was years ahead of its time both in terms of graphics and storyline.

 
First Posted On: 
Managing Editor
Managing Editor

WhatCulture's Managing Editor and Chief Reporter | Previously seen in Vice, Esquire, FourFourTwo, Sabotage Times, Loaded, The Set Pieces, and Mundial Magazine