IMHO.

Tomb Raider I (1996) vs Tomb Raider II (1997)

Tomb Raider I (1996) and Tomb Raider II (1997) 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. Both released in 2012. Tomb Raider II (1997) scores higher on Steam reviews (85.1% positive) than Tomb Raider I (1996) (83.8% 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 Tomb Raider I (1996)

Choose Tomb Raider I (1996) if it matches what drew you to this matchup. 1,842 Steam reviews back the pick.

Choose Tomb Raider II (1997)

Choose Tomb Raider II (1997) if it matches what drew you to this matchup. Tomb Raider II (1997) launched in 2012.

Both Tomb Raider I (1996) and Tomb Raider II (1997) sit in Action and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (83.8% vs 85.1% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.

Side-by-side comparison

Tomb Raider I (1996) vs Tomb Raider II (1997) — Steam metadata comparison
Tomb Raider I (1996) — Steam game coverTomb Raider I (1996)Tomb Raider II (1997) — Steam game coverTomb Raider II (1997)
Released20122012
GenresAction, AdventureAction, Adventure
PlatformsWindowsWindows
Steam DeckDeck UnsupportedDeck Unsupported
Price6.99 USD6.99 USD
Steam reviews83.8% positive (1,842 reviews)85.1% positive (935 reviews)
MultiplayerSingle-player onlySingle-player only
DevelopersCore DesignCore Design

Side by side

Tomb Raider I (1996) vs Tomb Raider II (1997) — FAQ

Which is better, Tomb Raider I (1996) or Tomb Raider II (1997)?
On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Tomb Raider I (1996) sits at 83.8% positive (1,842 reviews), Tomb Raider II (1997) at 85.1% (935). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
Are Tomb Raider I (1996) and Tomb Raider II (1997) 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.
Tomb Raider I (1996) vs Tomb Raider II (1997) (2026) · imho.run