PlayStation must have launched the latest edition of the State of Play. Somewhere between all those big and flashy game trailers came some good news for the old-school Tomb Raider fans. The official Tomb Raider account had announced that Tomb Raider: Anniversary, the PS2 classic, would be released in the PlayStation Plus Classic Catalog this year. Yes, it is the one that’s basically a PS2 game emulated for the modern consoles. So… yeah… It’s just one of those things.
The water is boiling hot if you just take some time to scroll through replies to the announcement. The players are not exactly happy about it, are they? Well, it’s good to have some more games being added, yes. But the response is one loud voice demanding something more. It’s like saying, “I want a steak dinner,” and someone literally hands you a stale French fry. The demand is clear as day: Where is the LAU remastered trilogy??
For those who might not be so deep into Tomb Raider lore, LAU is an acronym for Legend, Anniversary, and Underworld. This is the mid-2000s trilogy that more or less rebooted the Lara-female for the newer generation. For ages, the players have been begging for an official, full-on remaster of these games. Especially after the very successful remasters of the first games of the very first tomb raiders that came out not so long ago. That was a huge hit! So everyone is thinking that the next logical step is to get the same treatment for the Legend trilogy, right? Apparently, according to this announcement, it is not.
This mix of tweets is both an entertaining spectacle and a clear indicator of the disappointment and confusion at large. As one user called teenage spirit pretty much put the sentiment out there: “It’s nice to have this port, but we’re still waiting for LAU remastered.” They are not alone, though, as in every other comment, one will find “LAU Remastered.” User JM™: Playing with Soul! just posted “LAU Remastered 👈😍👌,” probably the most concise description of how the situation stands right now.
Adding to this, there is confusion about which version this even is supposed to be. User Benni ✌🏽 put forth the real question: “Legend and Anniversary PS2 versions are so damn ass, why not the PS3 version?” Well, they’re onto something! The PS3 versions got a graphical bump, so this PS2 classic deal feels like a step backward from the very beginning. It honestly feels like they’re digging up that older, less-good version for some reason. Then we have Ordinary Gamer wondering about trophies: “Same trophies as PS3 version or new trophy list?” Absolutely justifiable for all the trophy hunters. Yohan Raider replied saying it is a brand new list, which is… Interesting? Why change them? Who knows.
So, this is pretty much every ounce of energy left for this whole thing. User ChickenThawtPie said it all: “Bro.. just remake it I don’t wanna play this 😭,” which is a whole mood. At the same time, Snow Kat ❄️ screamed, “MY GOD ANNOUNCE A NEW GAME ALREADY.” You can almost feel the frustration so thick in the air. It almost feels as if the Tomb Raider community is stuck in this weird limbo, with these little bone-throw announcements, where what they really want is a proper dinner-a new game or remaster collection.
A couple of the responses are a bit more biting. Virgo tweeted, “So depressing to see all these amazing PS releases for 2026 and then you have Tomb Raider being run into the ground since 2013 by Crystal Dynamics, slowly losing all relevance and cultural impact.” Oof. It’s like being thrown a knife. Almost fair. And Corey Mckee didn’t want to mince his words either: “Dont care. Release a physical remaster of the legend trilogy. Not digital crap.” So much for a physical collection from this fanbase.
A question on availability was raised too. Wolfen1138 | Live on Twitch said, “Wait, will this be available to buy???” And it’s a valid question. The tweet says it will be joining the PlayStation Plus Classic Catalog, which usually means it’s part of the subscription and not a standalone purchase. Therefore, if your subscription has since expired, you are probably out of luck. And Secret Guy wanted a more concrete timeline: “When they say ‘later this year,’ October, November?” That kind of ambiguity never really did anyone any favors in the excitement department.
Among all the clamoring for LAU were a few random suggestions. One from Gaming_Thru_The_Ages: “Gameboy TR games next please.” And J.C.Cox simple and straightforward: “underworld next?” Guess if they’re doing Anniversary, they might as well do the full set. But the core message is undeniable. The Tomb Raider players have spoken; they want a full-fledged HD remaster of the Legend, Anniversary, and Underworld games, and this PS2 classic announcement feels like a big slap to the face.
A bizarre move from Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix. Seeing the recent remasters of the classic games really showed that there’s a massive demand for modernized versions of other Tomb Raider titles. People actually enjoyed the remaster! So to follow that up with what is basically a barebones port of one game from the PS2 era… well, just a missed opportunity. It feels like they really don’t want to listen to what the players truly want. The comments section is a solid front, a chorus all united for one thing. It’s very rarely so clear in gaming communities.
So, yes, the PS Plus will get the classic Tomb Raider: Anniversary for its library. They will be able to dig into it later this year, 2024. But for a fairly huge chunk of the Tomb Raider community, real news comes from what didn’t get announced. Waiting for an actual definitive remaster of the LAU Trilogy has gone on far too long, and patience from those fans is growing even thinner with each passing day. This whole situation just stands as a reminder of how sometimes companies do not really know what their players want. And it’s coming through very clearly, very loudly, through the players.
