IMHO.

Rise of the Tomb Raider™ vs Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition

Rise of the Tomb Raider™ 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. Rise of the Tomb Raider™ (2016) is 2 years older than Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (2018). Rise of the Tomb Raider™ scores higher on Steam reviews (92.7% 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 Rise of the Tomb Raider™

Choose Rise of the Tomb Raider™ if you want the Steam Leaderboards, Tracked Controller Support, and VR Supported side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 92.7% positive across 31,139 reviews.

Choose Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition

Choose Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition if it matches what drew you to this matchup. 23,350 Steam reviews back the pick.

Both Rise of the Tomb Raider™ 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

Rise of the Tomb Raider™ vs Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition — Steam metadata comparison
Rise of the Tomb Raider™ — Steam game coverRise of the Tomb Raider™Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition — Steam game coverShadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
Released20162018
GenresAction, AdventureAction, Adventure
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxWindows, macOS, Linux
Steam DeckDeck PlayableDeck Playable
Price29.99 USD39.99 USD
Steam reviews92.7% positive (31,139 reviews)84.9% positive (23,350 reviews)
MultiplayerSingle-player onlySingle-player only
DevelopersCrystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal, Feral Interactive (Mac), Feral Interactive (Linux), NixxesEidos-Montréal, Crystal Dynamics, Nixxes, Feral Interactive (Mac), Feral interactive (Linux)

Side by side

Rise of the Tomb Raider™ vs Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition — FAQ

Which is better, Rise of the Tomb Raider™ or Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition?
On Steam reviews Rise of the Tomb Raider™ scores higher (92.7% 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, Rise of the Tomb Raider™ is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
Should I play Rise of the Tomb Raider™ or Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition first?
If you want chronology, Rise of the Tomb Raider™ (2016) 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 Rise of the Tomb Raider™ 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.