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Shadow of the Tomb Raider coming to Xbox Game Pass

The Xbox Game Pass third-party library is about to get stronger with the addition of Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Ozzie Mejia

February 5, 2019 2:24 PM

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The Xbox Game Pass lineup continues to grow stronger by the day, already featuring a number of first-party Xbox games. However, the service's third-party lineup just got a major shot in the arm with the addition of one of 2018's biggest games. On Tuesday, Microsoft announced that Shadow of the Tomb Raider is on its way to Xbox Game Pass.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider brings an end to the rebooted Lara Croft trilogy, with Lara Croft journeying through the dangerous jungles of the Amazon to put a stop to evil organization Trinity once and for all. The timing is noteworthy here, as Shadow of the Tomb Raider has been out for less than six months. Shacknews found it to be perfectly enjoyable, lauding the addition of new traversal mechanics, Arkham-style corridor sequences, and new combat tools, even if the story's ultimate resolution feels a little weak. A small clip from our review, discussing some of the game design:

Shadow of the Tomb Raider certainly didn't hold back with its tombs, offering up some of the most intricately-designed labyrinths in the series. Lara retains her key abilities from the past two Tomb Raider games, but is given some seemingly minor additions that add tremendously to the formula. Rappeling and overhang climbing feel like small tweaks, but they go a long way in opening up exploration possibilities. They also add to the tense atmosphere whenever platforms start to fall apart and players are suddenly on a timer.

Other critics were generally positive, with review scores varying from the mid-7s and above.

Those who still need to catch up with the rest of the Tomb Raider trilogy can also turn to Xbox Game Pass to help with that. Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition hit the service back on January 31, featuring the full 2013 reboot, along with all of its DLC.

Look for Shadow of the Tomb Raider to hit Xbox Game Pass on February 7. The Xbox Game Pass service is available for $9.99 a month, with Microsoft running a "first month for $1" promotion for a limited time.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?