Tomb Raider Remastered controls explained: Modern and Tank differences
How do the old school controls compare to the update?
Remasters are ubiquitous in the gaming world. From upcoming Star Wars: Dark Forces to the recent The Last of Us Part 2, it doesn't matter how old a game is to receive the remaster treatment – a rerelease with its original aesthetic replaced with a modern look.
What the recent Tomb Raider Remastered has done, however, needs to be commended. We're given the option to switch off the remaster – the modernised look and controls – to experience the first three Tomb Raiders as they were on the PS1.
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Art must be preserved, not continually altered to please modern tastes, so developers Aspyr should be praised for providing this option.
However, games get remade and remastered for a reason. A lot of old controls are so different to our modern titles that they might be difficult for younger gamers to get to grips with. And the old Tomb Raider games have the infamous tank controls – everywhere in the '90s, not so much today.
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If you're struggling, fear not. We'll take a look at the main difference between the two control options below, and share how to use both of them.
Tomb Raider Remastered controls explained — modern and tank differences
In the traditional Tomb Raider tank controls, Lara moves in exactly the directions of the controller's D pad or analogue stick.
For example, up will move the character forwards, down will move them backwards, and left and right will make them turn in either direction. All of this is regardless of the camera's position. In the old Tomb Raider games, it's essentially an invisible grid on which we move.
The updated 'modern controls' of Tomb Raider Remastered, on the other hand, allow you to move out of the aforementioned grid and run about more fluidly. Using the left analogue stick, you can move Lara in any direction you please. And the right stick will spin the camera around, as you'd expect from a modern game.
Like with the graphics, you can flit between old and new as you like (just head into the 'Controls' section of the pause menu to switch at any time).
On top of this, some of the buttons get moved around when you switch between tank controls and modern controls — noticeably the jump, action and shooting controls get repositioned depending on whether you want a retro feel or not.
Tomb Raider Remastered tank controls
If you're a fan of the originals, you'll know the tank controls like an old friend. But we'll share the list of inputs below for newcomers (or perhaps those feeling rusty). Check out the control menu from the game below:
This above screen grab is taken from the menu of the PS5 version, but fear not, we'll share the complete list of controls from all platforms.
Tomb Raider Remastered tank controls on PS5
- Run - Up
- Back - Down
- Left - Left
- Right - Right
- Walk - R1 + direction
- Dash - R2
- Jump - Square
- Action - X
- Equip Weapon - Triangle
- Shoot - X (when weapon is equipped)
- Roll - Circle
- Duck - L2
- Photo Mode - R1 + L1
Tomb Raider Remastered tank controls on PC (mouse and keyboard)
- Run - W
- Back - S
- Left - A
- Right - D
- Walk - Shift + direction
- Dash - Alt + direction
- Jump - Alt
- Action - Cntrl
- Equip Weapon - Space
- Shoot - Cntrl (when weapon is equipped)
- Roll - End, or 5 on number pad, or up and down arrows together
- Duck - C
- Photo Mode - P
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Tomb Raider Remastered tank controls on Xbox (or PC with controller)
- Run - up
- Back - down
- Left - left
- Right - right
- Walk - RB + direction
- Dash - RT
- Jump - X
- Action - A
- Equip Weapon - Y
- Shoot - A (when weapon is equipped)
- Roll - B
- Duck - LB
- Photo Mode - RB + LB
Tomb Raider Remastered tank controls on Switch
- Run - up
- Back - down
- Left - left
- Right - right
- Walk - R + direction
- Dash - ZR
- Jump - Y
- Action - B
- Equip Weapon - X
- Shoot - B (when weapon is equipped)
- Roll - A
- Duck - L
- Photo Mode - R + L
Tomb Raider Remastered modern controls
And now for the modern controls. These will be a bit more intuitive for younger gamers, but we'll share the button list regardless!
Jump and Action are now in far more normal-feeling positions, as is the ability to aim and shoot your weapons. The screen grab below is from the PS5 version:
But let's take a look at the controls for every platform.
Tomb Raider Remastered modern controls on PS5
- Move - left stick
- Look around - right stick
- Walk - Square + left stick
- Dash - L3
- Jump - X
- Action - Triangle
- Equip Weapon - L2 (hold)
- Shoot - R2
- Roll - Circle
- Duck - L1
- Photo Mode - R1 + L1
Tomb Raider Remastered modern control scheme on PC
- Move - WASD
- Look around - mouse
- Walk - Left ALT + direction
- Dash - Left shift
- Jump - space
- Action - E
- Equip Weapon - right click (hold)
- Shoot - left click
- Roll - left ctrl
- Duck - C
- Photo Mode - P
Tomb Raider Remastered modern controls on Xbox (or PC with controller)
- Move - left stick
- Look around - right stick
- Walk - X + left stick
- Dash - L3
- Jump - A
- Action - Y
- Equip Weapon - LT (hold)
- Shoot - RT
- Roll - B
- Duck - LB
- Photo Mode - RB + LB
Tomb Raider Remastered modern controls on Switch
- Move - left stick
- Look around - right stick
- Walk - Y + left stick
- Dash - L3
- Jump - B
- Action - X
- Equip Weapon - ZL (hold)
- Shoot - ZR
- Roll - A
- Duck - L
- Photo Mode - R + L
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