Tomb Raider: Side Scroller Edition is complete, giving Lara Croft's classic adventures a fan-made 2.5D makeover with a free release planned for May 2026.
The project comes from Axel "Delca" Hatté and Trxye, who have reworked several levels from the original Tomb Raider trilogy into a side-scrolling format rather than the fixed, full-3D perspective that defined Core Design's early games. According to the announcement, the finished release will include 11 familiar locations and will be distributed through TRCustoms, the long-running hub for levels built with the Tomb Raider Level Editor.
That toolset was originally released for Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, but fans have spent years stretching it far beyond its original purpose. Side Scroller Edition looks like one of the more dramatic examples: it keeps Lara, traps, combat and recognizable Tomb Raider spaces, then reframes them like a classic action-platformer.
The developers shared the completion news alongside a gameplay and features trailer on X, calling it a "Classic Tomb Raider" project "fully reimagined as a side-scroller." Hatté had shown footage of the idea as far back as 2022, including versions of locations such as Croft Manor, the Great Wall of China and the wreck of the Maria Doria.
The reveal has already drawn attention from Tomb Raider fans, including one community response that called it "a fan project not to be missed." Craig Derrick, a Lucasfilm Games executive producer who worked on Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, also praised the project and said he had once built a similar concept at LucasArts while exploring plans to revive classic LucasArts games.
Side Scroller Edition arrives at a busy moment for Lara Croft. The wider franchise also has an Amazon show in production, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis positioned as a remake of the original game and Tomb Raider: Catalyst described as a follow-up to 2008's Tomb Raider: Underworld.