Unannounced “ambitious” VR Tomb Raider game uncovered following its cancellation

While the VR market has been home to plenty of interesting, fun, creative and transformative titles, the AAA space has struggled somewhat to find its footing in the scene. One franchise which was set to enter the VR market is Lara Croft’s Tomb Raider. Unfortunately, the previously-unannounced “ambitious” project has since been cancelled.

As reported by the publication MP1st, Vertigo Studios – the team behind the VR spin-off Metro Awakening – was working on “an ambitious, standalone Tomb Raider VR title” prior to its closure last month.

Though nothing was ever officially announced, the cancelled project appeared to be quite a good way into its development, with the publication reporting that work had begun on the project back in 2024.

Utilising Unreal Engine 5, this Quest 3 / PSVR2 / PC VR title looked to offer a rather compelling gameplay loop involving climbing; zip-lining and swimming all-the-while trying to solve environmental puzzles and engaging in combat. Enemies are said to have included skeletons with shields; bats; scorpions; hyenas and a giant guardian statue.

The report includes a bunch of additional materials, including concept art, footage and even 20 minutes of early development gameplay.

As mentioned, many different AAA franchises have struggled to adapt their work for the VR space. That said, this unannounced Tomb Raider title looked like it could have been a ton of fun. It is unfortunate that we’ll never get the chance to experience it.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the pre-release footage? Could a VR Tomb Raider game have worked well? Will VR ever hit the mainstream? Let us know down below.

Become a Patron!