OpenLara (Tomb Raider in the browser)

OpenLara runs the original Tomb Raider (1996) in a desktop browser tab. It is an open-source re-implementation of the classic Tomb Raider engine by XProger, and the official web build on his site needs no files of your own. When we checked in October 2026 it loaded to the Tomb Raider title screen, but the server is slow: expect to wait for the first load. Phone support is untested.

What it is

OpenLara is a from-scratch engine for the classic Tomb Raider games, written in C++ by Timur Gagiev (XProger). The GitHub repository was created in August 2016, has over 5,000 stars, and still received small fixes in July 2026. The code is released under the BSD-2-Clause licence. It reads the original level files, so it is not a remake with new assets: it plays the game’s own levels with its own renderer, adding things like a first-person camera, water caustics and modern gamepad support.

The engine was written mainly for the first game. Levels from Tomb Raider II, III and IV can be loaded too, but the roadmap on GitHub, opened in 2021, lists full TR2 to TR4 support as later milestones, after a planned rewrite of the engine.

The browser version

The web build lives at the author’s page, xproger.info/projects/OpenLara. It uses WebAssembly and WebGL, and it streams the game’s level data from the author’s own site, so it starts without any files from you. Tomb Raider itself belongs to its publisher: the series moved with Crystal Dynamics to Embracer Group in 2022.

What you get:

• The Tomb Raider title screen and passport menu, using the PlayStation version’s data.
• In the web build’s code, the passport offers two levels to start from: Caves and City of Vilcabamba. The README describes the page as a “WebGL build with demo level”. We did not play through to check how far the web version goes.
• A Browse Level button under the game that opens a level file from your own computer (.PHD, .PSX, .TR2 or .TR4).
• A Go fullscreen button. The game picks its text language from your browser language.

The page itself says it was last updated in August 2022, and it loads over plain http.

How to play

1. Open the web build in a desktop browser and wait for “Downloading data” to finish. The first load can take a minute.
2. Click the game picture so it takes keyboard input, then press Go fullscreen if you like.
3. Press Enter on the passport to start, and pick a level.

Controls

These are the web build’s default keys. Change them in the game’s options. A gamepad works too.

Native builds

The latest release on GitHub has standalone builds for Windows, Linux, macOS, Raspberry Pi, Android and iOS, plus homebrew builds for consoles and handhelds such as Nintendo Switch, 3DS, PS Vita, Xbox, Xbox One, Game Boy Advance, 3DO and 32X. Most of these files date from 2019 to 2024.

Unlike the web version, the native builds do not include the game. They need the data files from a copy of Tomb Raider you own. Tomb Raider I-III Remastered on Steam is the official way to buy the game today.

Other Tomb Raider engine projects

• TRX (Tomb Raider I-III Community Edition) is an open-source re-implementation of Tomb Raider I, II and III, built from decompilation work, with bug fixes and optional extras such as a photo mode and a sprint move. It is actively developed (version 1.11.1 in September 2026), runs on Windows, Linux and macOS, and needs your own game files. It does not run in a browser.
• OpenTomb is an older open-source engine for Tomb Raider I to V. Its repository was last updated in early 2025.

Is it safe and legal?

• OpenLara is an unofficial fan project, not made or endorsed by Crystal Dynamics, Embracer Group or Core Design.
• The engine code is open source under BSD-2-Clause. The level data the web version streams is not covered by that licence; it remains the publisher’s property.
• We found no record of a takedown against OpenLara. We only link the author’s own page and repository.

Not working?

• Stuck on “Downloading”: the author’s server is slow. Wait, or reload the page. On our first try the load stalled, and a reload worked.
• Keys do nothing: click the game picture first so it has keyboard focus.
• “WebGL context lost”: reload the page, as the message asks.
• Want a faster, maintained PC version: use TRX or the official remaster with your own copy of the game.

Unofficial. This page is written by an independent directory. It is not made by, endorsed by or affiliated with Eidos Interactive or Timur Gagiev (XProger) (OpenLara (Tomb Raider in the browser)'s author). We do not host any files, and we never link to game files, ROMs or ISOs.