Choose Tomb Raider Game of the Year
Choose Tomb Raider Game of the Year if you want the Multi-player side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 94.5% positive across 51,545 reviews.
Tomb Raider Game of the Year vs Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
Tomb Raider Game of the Year and Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition both land in Action, Adventure on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, Adventure on Steam. Tomb Raider Game of the Year (2013) is 5 years older than Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (2018). Tomb Raider Game of the Year scores higher on Steam reviews (94.5% positive) than Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (84.9% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
Choose Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition if it's the newer release (2018) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 23,350 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Tomb Raider Game of the Year and Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition sit in Action and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Tomb Raider Game of the Year |  Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2018 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure | Action, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 39.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 94.5% positive (51,545 reviews) | 84.9% positive (23,350 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Single-player only |
| Developers | Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal, Feral Interactive (Mac), Nixxes | Eidos-Montréal, Crystal Dynamics, Nixxes, Feral Interactive (Mac), Feral interactive (Linux) |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure on Steam.
- Tomb Raider Game of the Year (2013) is 5 years older than Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (2018).
- Tomb Raider Game of the Year scores higher on Steam reviews (94.5% positive) than Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (84.9% positive).
- Tomb Raider Game of the Year is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (19.99 USD vs. 39.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Tomb Raider Game of the Year is Deck Verified, Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is Deck Playable.
Tomb Raider Game of the Year vs Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition — FAQ
- Which is better, Tomb Raider Game of the Year or Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition?
- On Steam reviews Tomb Raider Game of the Year scores higher (94.5% positive) than Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (84.9% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Tomb Raider Game of the Year is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Tomb Raider Game of the Year or Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition first?
- If you want chronology, Tomb Raider Game of the Year (2013) came out before Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (2018). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Tomb Raider Game of the Year and Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition similar?
- They overlap on Action, Adventure on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Does Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition have multiplayer like Tomb Raider Game of the Year?
- No. Tomb Raider Game of the Year supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player), while Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is listed as single-player only.