New Tomb Raider game bizarrely scheduled for deadly 2026 launch alongside GTA 6, claims rumor

A lot of us are highly anticipating the next mainline installment of Tomb Raider. While we’ve been treated to remasters of the beloved PS1 classics as well as numerous crossovers, it’s nigh time Lara Croft starred in a new AAA adventure across the globe. A new adventure has been in development at Crystal Dynamics over several years now using Unreal Engine 5, and, although we are yet to see anything of the game other than artwork of Unified Lara, there are hints the game isn’t too far away. Many have speculated the release of TR12 during the series’ 30th anniversary, but a rumor claims the new Tomb Raider game may bizarrely be scheduled for a deadly 2026 launch alongside GTA 6.

Rumor claims new Tomb Raider game 2026 release might be delayed by GTA 6

On the Tomb Raider subreddit, alleged leaks were shared in a now deleted post. The user warned that the “post shall soon be taken down,” but screenshots were acquired before the post was deleted.

The most interesting claim about the rumor is Tomb Raider’s release window. Apparently, Crystal Dynamics is “currently targeting a May 2026 release,” however, “Grand Theft Auto VI could cause a delay or a month of early release”. In addition to this, it’s claimed that a “fan event is planned for February 14, 2026, to early-celebrate the series’ 30th anniversary, where a first look at the title is expected”. While this is the alleged plan, the rumor claims there is the possibility the next TR could be revealed at The Game Awards in December, instead.

Starting off with the possibility of a 2026 release, this doesn’t seem implausible. Next year is the series’ 30th anniversary, and recent job listings suggest Crystal Dynamics are in the “strike teams” phase of development.

An Embracer report also revealed that Crystal Dynamics have brought in an “external partner” to help with development, and that an unnamed AAA game has been slightly postponed to FY 2026/27 as “management is now taking the more prudent view that the game will likely need a few more quarters to polish”. This AAA game isn’t confirmed to be Tomb Raider, but it’s the belief as Embracer have stated the unnamed game is expected to deliver “financial dynamics more similar to Kingdom Come: Deliverance II,” which sold over 3 million copies as of May.

While a 2026 release is plausible, May seems a definite no-no. Releasing in the same month as GTA 6 would be absolute death regardless of Tomb Raider’s popularity, and it would be the same for any other popular franchise. Coming out before May is hard-to-believe because we’ve seen absolutely nothing of the game. October 2026 is plausible on paper because it’s when the series’ 30th anniversary takes place, but the issue with Fall is that there’s always the possibility GTA 6 gets delayed from May into Summer or Fall.

Aside from a release next year, there are other interesting claims. Supposedly, the title is not referred to as Tomb Raider 12 internally by Crystal Dynamics, despite the fact the game is a unification of all the Tomb Raider timelines with the Survivor trilogy recognised as Lara’s canonical origin. It’s also claimed that “the project underwent a major creative overhaul in summer 2023 along with the unexpected layoffs”. These layoffs occurred in September 2023.

Lastly, there’s also the claim that “Apart from Dead By Daylight, two additional major collaborations are planned for the remainder of the year”. This presumably means video games, and there’s no hint as to the identity of these crossovers.

Remember to take these claims with a massive grain of salt. Nothing is official about the next Tomb Raider other than it’s in development by Crystal Dynamics using Unreal Engine 5, it will be published by Amazon Games, it is a unification of all timelines with the Survivor trilogy as Lara’s origin, and Camilla Ludington is not reprising her role as Lara Croft.

In other gaming news, the release time for Death Stranding 2 is nearly here with early access available.