Best games
The best Crystal Dynamics games
The 12 best games from Crystal Dynamics, ranked from 4,330 critic and player ratings.
The best Crystal Dynamics game is Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, with a critic score of 91/100. Updated September 2026.
- Ranked releases span 1999 to 2020.
- Average critic score across the 12 ranked games: 76/100.
- 4,330 critic and player ratings behind this ranking.
- About 14 hours to finish one of them on average (main story).
How this ranking is built
- Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
- A game only enters the ranking with at least 80 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
- Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
- Release window covered: 1970 to 2026.
- 12 games are listed on this page, carrying 4,330 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 29 September 2026.
Top 12
01
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
A third-person action-adventure game set after the events of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (1996). Kain has established a vampiric empire in the world of Nosgoth, but when his lieutenant and progeny, Raziel, evolves wings before him, Kain casts him down in jealousy. Centuries later, Raziel awakens in a corrupted form and sets out to take revenge against his former brethren.
91
/100
02
S
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Join Lara Croft on her first great tomb raiding expedition as she seeks to discover the secret of immortality. Featuring high-octane action set in the most beautiful and hostile environments on earth, Rise of the Tomb Raider delivers cinematic survival action-adventure.
87
/100
03
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is a re-release of Tomb Raider, developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square-Enix for the Playstation 4 and the Xbox One. The game is optimized for next-gen consoles, with the help of outside developers including United Front Games and Nixxes Software. Definitive Edition includes several visual and game play enhancements, and is packaged with all available downloadable content for the game. The game was released on January 28th, 2014.
86
/100
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
A third-person action-adventure game set after the events of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (1996). Kain has established a vampiric empire in the world of Nosgoth, but when his lieutenant and progeny, Raziel, evolves wings before him, Kain casts him down in jealousy. Centuries later, Raziel awakens in a corrupted form and sets out to take revenge against his former brethren.
91
/100
02
S
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Join Lara Croft on her first great tomb raiding expedition as she seeks to discover the secret of immortality. Featuring high-octane action set in the most beautiful and hostile environments on earth, Rise of the Tomb Raider delivers cinematic survival action-adventure.
87
/100
03
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is a re-release of Tomb Raider, developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square-Enix for the Playstation 4 and the Xbox One. The game is optimized for next-gen consoles, with the help of outside developers including United Front Games and Nixxes Software. Definitive Edition includes several visual and game play enhancements, and is packaged with all available downloadable content for the game. The game was released on January 28th, 2014.
86
/100
04
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
As Lara Croft races to save the world from a Maya apocalypse, she must become the Tomb Raider she is destined to be.
80
/100
05
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is a platform action video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and iOS as part of the Tomb Raider series through digital distribution. Unlike previous games in the series, the game does not carry the Tomb Raider brand and has a heavy emphasis on cooperative gameplay. In multiplayer, players take the role as either Lara Croft or a 2,000-year-old Mayan warrior named Totec. They must work together in order to stop the evil spirit Xolotl and retrieve the Mirror of Smoke. A single-player campaign mode is available that does not include the non-playable character AI following or helping Lara.
79
/100
06
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
Soul Reaver 2 picks up where Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver left off, with Raziel having just plunged through the Chronoplast time portal in his relentless pursuit of Kain. Over the course of his quest for revenge, Raziel must unearth the mysteries of Nosgoth’s ancient races, expose the machinations behind the corruption of the Pillars, and the vampire genocide. Throughout the game, Raziel acquires numerous new abilities, weapon enhancements, and spells, all of which are critical to the completion of his epic adventure. Soul Reaver is a third-person combat adventure filled with devious puzzles and kick-ass combat. Fly, swim, jump, and even travel from the material world to the spectral realm to overcome obstacles and conquer your enemies. With over 40 abilities to choose from, no two fights will ever be the same.
77
/100
07
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris is the sequel to Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, and the second game in a spin-off from the main Tomb Raider series. The two-player cooperative campaign from the first game is expanded to support up to four players. They need to work together in a platform environment to explore the temple, defeat hordes of enemies from the Egyptian underworld, solve puzzles, and avoid traps, using a high-angle perspective like the previous game. When playing together, the level lay-outs change to support cooperative actions.
75
/100
08
Tomb Raider: Underworld
Tomb Raider: Underworld represents a new advancement in exploration-based gameplay. As fearless adventurer Lara Croft explore exotic locations around the world, each designed with an incredible attention to detail resulting in breathtaking high-definition visual fidelity that creates a truly believable world and delivers a new level of challenge and choice. Reach new heights with the broadest range of acrobatic abilities and utilize objects within the environment to uncover new paths to explore. Discover ancient mysteries of the underworld hidden within the coast of Thailand, frozen islands of the Arctic Sea, the jungles of Mexico, and more. Each level is an elaborate multi-stage puzzle masked within an interactive environmental playground offering more flexibility over how the area is solved. Choose to pacify or kill, target multiple enemies at once with the new dual-target system, and shoot with one hand while suspended with the other.
72
/100
09
Legacy of Kain: Defiance
Legacy of Kain: Defiance is an action-adventure game developed by Crystal Dynamics and released in 2003. It is the fifth entry in the Legacy of Kain series and continues the intertwined stories of Kain and Raziel. Players alternate between controlling the two protagonists, each with distinct abilities and combat styles. The game combines exploration, puzzle-solving, and fast-paced melee combat in a gothic fantasy setting.
70
/100
10
Tomb Raider: Anniversary
Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a remake of the original Tomb Raider with a technically more advanced graphics engine. It has the same basic storyline, though some cutscenes and much of the dialogue within have been expanded or modified in other ways. Locations correspond to those of the original version and are accessed in the same order, but have been re-designed with different layouts and mostly completely different puzzles which allow implementation of new moves: swinging on ropes and using a grappling hook at specific points.
69
/100
11
Marvel’s Avengers
68
/100
12
Tomb Raider: Legend
60
/100
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
As Lara Croft races to save the world from a Maya apocalypse, she must become the Tomb Raider she is destined to be.
80
/100
05
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is a platform action video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and iOS as part of the Tomb Raider series through digital distribution. Unlike previous games in the series, the game does not carry the Tomb Raider brand and has a heavy emphasis on cooperative gameplay. In multiplayer, players take the role as either Lara Croft or a 2,000-year-old Mayan warrior named Totec. They must work together in order to stop the evil spirit Xolotl and retrieve the Mirror of Smoke. A single-player campaign mode is available that does not include the non-playable character AI following or helping Lara.
79
/100
06
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
Soul Reaver 2 picks up where Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver left off, with Raziel having just plunged through the Chronoplast time portal in his relentless pursuit of Kain. Over the course of his quest for revenge, Raziel must unearth the mysteries of Nosgoth’s ancient races, expose the machinations behind the corruption of the Pillars, and the vampire genocide. Throughout the game, Raziel acquires numerous new abilities, weapon enhancements, and spells, all of which are critical to the completion of his epic adventure. Soul Reaver is a third-person combat adventure filled with devious puzzles and kick-ass combat. Fly, swim, jump, and even travel from the material world to the spectral realm to overcome obstacles and conquer your enemies. With over 40 abilities to choose from, no two fights will ever be the same.
77
/100
07
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris is the sequel to Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, and the second game in a spin-off from the main Tomb Raider series. The two-player cooperative campaign from the first game is expanded to support up to four players. They need to work together in a platform environment to explore the temple, defeat hordes of enemies from the Egyptian underworld, solve puzzles, and avoid traps, using a high-angle perspective like the previous game. When playing together, the level lay-outs change to support cooperative actions.
75
/100
08
Tomb Raider: Underworld
Tomb Raider: Underworld represents a new advancement in exploration-based gameplay. As fearless adventurer Lara Croft explore exotic locations around the world, each designed with an incredible attention to detail resulting in breathtaking high-definition visual fidelity that creates a truly believable world and delivers a new level of challenge and choice. Reach new heights with the broadest range of acrobatic abilities and utilize objects within the environment to uncover new paths to explore. Discover ancient mysteries of the underworld hidden within the coast of Thailand, frozen islands of the Arctic Sea, the jungles of Mexico, and more. Each level is an elaborate multi-stage puzzle masked within an interactive environmental playground offering more flexibility over how the area is solved. Choose to pacify or kill, target multiple enemies at once with the new dual-target system, and shoot with one hand while suspended with the other.
72
/100
09
Legacy of Kain: Defiance
Legacy of Kain: Defiance is an action-adventure game developed by Crystal Dynamics and released in 2003. It is the fifth entry in the Legacy of Kain series and continues the intertwined stories of Kain and Raziel. Players alternate between controlling the two protagonists, each with distinct abilities and combat styles. The game combines exploration, puzzle-solving, and fast-paced melee combat in a gothic fantasy setting.
70
/100
10
Tomb Raider: Anniversary
Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a remake of the original Tomb Raider with a technically more advanced graphics engine. It has the same basic storyline, though some cutscenes and much of the dialogue within have been expanded or modified in other ways. Locations correspond to those of the original version and are accessed in the same order, but have been re-designed with different layouts and mostly completely different puzzles which allow implementation of new moves: swinging on ropes and using a grappling hook at specific points.
69
/100
11
Marvel’s Avengers
68
/100
12
Tomb Raider: Legend
60
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Crystal Dynamics game?
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver currently tops the ranking with a score of 91/100 across 243 ratings. Ranking updated September 2026.
How is this ranking built?
Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.