The Next Tomb Raider Might be Revealed at The Game Awards

Lara Croft is officially back on the big stage. The organisers of The Game Awards 2025 have confirmed that the show will include a look at "the future of Tomb Raider", teased through a special Fortnite island and a post from host Geoff Keighley.

The announcement is vague enough to send fans into full conspiracy mode. Is this finally our first proper look at the next Unreal Engine 5 Tomb Raider from Crystal Dynamics? Or is Amazon about to pull the curtain back on its Tomb Raider live-action plans for Prime Video? For players in the UAE, there’s also the practical bit: the reveal is happening at a deeply unfriendly hour.

Here’s what’s confirmed, what’s realistic, and how to actually watch it from Dubai or anywhere else in the region.

What has actually been confirmed?

The basics are simple: Lara Croft is showing up at The Game Awards. Everything else is still guesswork.

• A Fortnite “The Game Awards Vote” island includes a portal teasing a Tomb Raider announcement.
• Geoff Keighley posted that “Lara Croft returns at The Game Awards” along with the line “a look at the future” of the franchise.
• No one has said the word “game” or “trailer” yet, on purpose.

So far, the messaging is carefully worded. The Fortnite island and Keighley’s post confirm that something Tomb Raider-branded is happening during the show, but they stop short of promising a new mainline game, a full trailer, or even gameplay. The phrase “future of Tomb Raider” is broad enough to cover anything from a logo tease to a cross-media roadmap segment.

Could this be the next Unreal Engine 5 Tomb Raider?

The safest bet is still “yes, it’s game-related” – at least in part. Crystal Dynamics has already said it’s working on a new mainline Tomb Raider.

• In 2022, Crystal Dynamics confirmed it had “just started” development on a new Tomb Raider using Unreal Engine 5.
• Since then, the studio has gone through several rounds of layoffs across 2023–2025, while insisting that Tomb Raider development continues.
• The most recent restructuring was pitched as a way to “optimise” work on the new Tomb Raider and future projects.

Given how long AAA games take, a full gameplay slice might be ambitious, but a CG teaser, a proper title, or a “here’s the new era of Lara” concept trailer feels very plausible. For returning fans, the Unreal Engine 5 angle suggests more detailed environments and lighting than the previous reboot trilogy. If you’ve just revisited Lara through classics like Tomb Raider: Anniversary on PS Plus, which we covered here, this could be your first look at where the series goes next on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Or is this about Prime Video’s Tomb Raider plans?

There’s a non-zero chance the “future” tease has TV energy written all over it. The VGC report notes that the reveal could be related to Prime Video’s upcoming live-action Tomb Raider project instead of (or as well as) a game.

• Amazon is already investing in game adaptations, including Fallout, God of War and a Life Is Strange series.
• Tomb Raider has been mentioned in that broader Prime Video slate before.
• The Game Awards is increasingly used to push cross-media deals, not just pure games.

For UAE viewers who split their time between PlayStation and Prime Video, a joint segment wouldn’t be surprising: a quick CG tease for the new game followed by a logo or casting tease for the series. We’ve already seen how Amazon handles game-to-TV moves with projects like Life Is Strange on Prime Video, and Tomb Raider fits that same push to turn gaming IP into streaming franchises.

When and where to watch in the UAE

Good news: The Game Awards is free to stream. Bad news: the timing is rough if you have a job, school, or a normal sleep pattern.

• The Game Awards 2025 stream starts 4:30pm PT / 7:30pm ET / 12:30am GMT on 12 December.
• That translates to 4:30am on Friday, 12 December in the UAE (Dubai/Abu Dhabi time).
• The show streams on YouTube, Twitch, and other platforms listed on the official The Game Awards watch page, with an extra feed on Prime Video this year.

If you’re committed to catching Lara live, you’re looking at a pre-work wake-up or an all-nighter. More sensible humans can just watch the official replay on YouTube once they’re awake. For context on who else might share the stage with Tomb Raider, we’ve already broken down this year’s nominees and UAE timings in our TGA 2025 nominations guide.

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