Choose Tomb Raider III (1998)
Choose Tomb Raider III (1998) if it's currently about 83% cheaper on the Steam Store. Tomb Raider III (1998) launched in 2012.
Tomb Raider III (1998) vs Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
Tomb Raider III (1998) 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 III (1998) (2012) is 6 years older than Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (2018). Both sit near 85% positive on Steam (Tomb Raider III (1998): 572 reviews, Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition: 23,350). 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 III (1998) and Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition sit in Action and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (85% vs 84.9% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Tomb Raider III (1998) |  Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2018 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure | Action, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Playable |
| Price | 6.99 USD | 39.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 85% positive (572 reviews) | 84.9% positive (23,350 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Core Design | Eidos-Montréal, Crystal Dynamics, Nixxes, Feral Interactive (Mac), Feral interactive (Linux) |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure on Steam.
- Tomb Raider III (1998) (2012) is 6 years older than Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (2018).
- Both sit near 85% positive on Steam (Tomb Raider III (1998): 572 reviews, Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition: 23,350).
- Tomb Raider III (1998) is currently ~83% cheaper on Steam than Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (6.99 USD vs. 39.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Tomb Raider III (1998) is Deck Unsupported, Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is Deck Playable.
Tomb Raider III (1998) vs Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition — FAQ
- Which is better, Tomb Raider III (1998) or Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Tomb Raider III (1998) sits at 85% positive (572 reviews), Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition at 84.9% (23,350). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Tomb Raider III (1998) or Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition first?
- If you want chronology, Tomb Raider III (1998) (2012) 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 III (1998) 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.