Tomb Raider Controls & Menu/Inventory System

This page covers controls for the Windows PC, Macintosh and PlayStation games. Click these links to download the Nokia N-Gage or Pocket PC manuals. Follow this link for the official manual in PDF format.

Follow this link for Mipo's Seamless Controller Setup for Original Tomb Raider Games, using JoyToKey.

Follow this link for a Tomb Raider I: XBox/Playstation Controller Fix by CrimsonBlitz and posted on the Steam community forum.

The following lists basic controls, as well as complex moves involving combinations of controls for Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider Gold and the Unfinished Business expansion. Most Macintosh keys are the same as those for the PC. Where they differ, Mac controls are listed in green. PlayStation controls are in blue and Sega Saturn in orange. Instructions for saving and loading games, using the inventory, etc., are at the bottom of the page.

Whether you are using a keyboard for the Windows or Macintosh game, a PlayStation controller or gamepad, you can change the controls to suit your taste. (See Menu/Inventory System & Hotkeys, below.)

This page also includes notes about Weapons & Ammunition and links to All Weapon Locations. More details are available in the walkthrough.

IMPORTANT: If you are coming to TR1 after playing the later games, note that there are fewer, simpler controls. Lara cannot crouch or crawl, sprint, climb ladders or monkey bars, use flares, binoculars or vehicles, swing on ropes, etc. If you have never played Tomb Raider before, you should also familiarize yourself with the unique control system for jumping. It seems odd at first, but it is actually very easy to make Lara do what you want if you just follow certain basic steps, covered on my Tips & Strategy page.

NOTE FOR iOS/ANDROID GAME: The touch controls are fairly straightforward except when you need to drop down after traversing along a narrow crevice. To do this, you must first turn off auto-grab in the Controls menu. Then hold Action to hang on as you traverse and release it to let go.


Basic Moves

MOVE

CONTROLS
(PC/Mac/PlayStation/Saturn)

DESCRIPTION/NOTES

Run

Up Arrow
D-Pad Up
D-Pad Up

Press forward with left or right to move in that direction.

Hop Back

Down Arrow
D-Pad Down
D-Pad Down

 

Turn Right

Right Arrow
D-Pad Right
D-Pad Right

Hold to pivot on the spot.

Turn Left

Left Arrow
D-Pad Left
D-Pad Left

Hold to pivot on the spot.

Walk

Shift
R1
L

Used in combination with the direction keys/buttons for slower movement. Lara will never walk off an edge, though she will run off. It's also handy for areas with spikes, broken glass, barbed wire, etc. Lara won't take damage if she WALKS through these.

Jump

Alt
Command
Square
A

Makes Lara jump straight up. More complex jumps are covered under combo moves, below.

Sidestep Left/Right

Delete/Page Down
L2/R2
X/Z

 

Roll/Reverse

End, or 5 on numeric keypad, or Up + Down Arrows together
backslash [\]
Circle
R

Lara drops to the ground and comes up facing the opposite direction.

Draw/Holster Weapon

Space Bar
Triangle
C

 

Action

Ctrl
X
B

Actions include firing weapons, picking up objects on the ground, using switches, keys, puzzle items, etc. (Also used to make Lara grab in certain combo moves, below.)

Look

0 on numeric keypad + arrow keys
L1 + D-Pad
Y + D-Pad

Look (labeled "Ins" on some keyboards) shifts perspective to what Lara sees. Hold Look while pressing direction keys/buttons to look in different directions.

(NOTE TO LAPTOP USERS: Many laptop computers have no numeric keypad, so you'll need to reassign the Look key in order for it to work. See the Menu & Inventory section below.)


Combo Moves

MOVE

CONTROLS
(PC/Mac/PlayStation/Saturn)

DESCRIPTION/NOTES

Standing Jump

Alt + Up Arrow
Command + Up Arrow
Square + D-Pad Up
A + D-Pad Up

Press keys/buttons together to jump forward approximately 1 terrain square (see Tips & Strategy)

Backflip

Alt + Down Arrow
Command + Down Arrow
Square + D-Pad Down
A + D-Pad Down

 

Sideflip

Alt + Left/Right Arrow
Command + Left/Right Arrow
Square + D-Pad Left/Right
A + D-Pad Left/Right

 

Running Jump

Up Arrow then Alt
Up Arrow then Command
D-Pad Up then Square
D-Pad Up then A

Press Forward and then immediately press Jump to run two steps then jump forward approximately 2 terrain squares (see Tips & Strategy)

Jump and Grab

[standing or running jump] + Ctrl/X/B

Do the standing or running jump (above), adding Action to grab a ledge or other object ahead (see Tips & Strategy)

Safety Drop

Ctrl + Down Arrow
D-Pad Down + X
D-Pad Down + B

Walk to the edge of a drop-off. Turn around so Lara's back is toward the edge. Then press Action + Back to drop and hang from the edge. Continue holding Action to hang on. Release it to let go and drop. The safety drop minimizes damage taken from falling.

See the note above about safety dropping in the iOS/Android game.

Reverse/Safety Drop

End (or Up + Down Arrows) + Ctrl
Circle + X
R + B

Stand facing a drop-off about 2 steps from the edge. Press the keys/buttons for Roll then Action to drop, roll and hang from the ledge. Release Action to let go and drop.

Traverse (shimmy)

Ctrl + Left/Right Arrow
X + D-Pad Left/Right
B + D-Pad Left/Right

While hanging from a ledge (holding Action), use direction keys/buttons to move to either side. Release Action to let go and drop.

Pull Up/Vault

Ctrl + Up Arrow
X + D-Pad Up
B + D-Pad Up

While hanging from a ledge (holding Action) press Up to pull up. While standing, use the same combo to vault up on a low block or ledge.

Handstand/Walkover

Ctrl + Shift + Up Arrow
X + R1 + D-Pad Up
B + L + D-Pad Up

While hanging from a ledge (holding Action), hold Walk then press Up, and Lara will pull up to a handstand then do a walkover onto the ledge (generally useless but spiffy).

Grab & Pull Up

Alt + Ctrl + Up Arrow
Square + X + D-Pad Up
A + B + D-Pad Up

If a ledge is too high to climb using just Action + Up, position Lara against the wall below the ledge and then use this combo to jump up, grab the edge and pull up.

Push/Pull Block

Ctrl + Up/Down Arrow
X + D-Pad Up/Down
B + D-Pad Up/Down

Position Lara so her chest is against a movable block. Hold Action and she'll go into a crouch, then press Up or Down to push or pull the block

Swan Dive

Shift + Alt + Up Arrow
R1 + Square + D-Pad Up
L + A + D-Pad Up

Standing on a platform (ideally above water), hold Walk and press Jump and Forward and Lara will do a graceful swan dive. (Note that she gets a bit of an arc on this dive, so if you're aiming for a small pool, you may need to step back from the edge before diving.)

Forward Roll

Up Arrow...Walk + Jump
D-Pad Up...R1 + Square
D-Pad Up...L + A

Same as the Swan Dive but used on a flat surface. While running, press Jump and Walk and Lara will take a flying leap, somersault and come up onto her feet. (Not necessary but can help avoid damage from certain traps.)


Swimming

MOVE

CONTROLS
(PC/Mac/PlayStation/Saturn)

DESCRIPTION/NOTES

Dive/Swim Underwater

Alt + Arrow Keys
Command + Up/Down/L/R
Square + D-Pad
A + D-Pad

Jump alone makes Lara dive below the surface; it also makes her swim underwater in whatever direction she's facing (use with direction keys/buttons)

Pivot Underwater

Arrow Keys
D-Pad
D-Pad

Direction buttons alone will make Lara pivot underwater or angle toward the bottom (Up) or the surface (Down)

Swim on Surface

Arrow Keys, Delete, Page Down
D-Pad, L2, R2
D-Pad, X, Z

Dog paddle (Up), backstroke (Down), pivot (Left/Right), sidestroke (same as Sidestep Left/Right). Note that Lara swims much faster underwater than she does on the surface.

Climb Out of Water

Ctrl + Up
X + D-Pad Up
B + D-Pad Up

Swim to the water's edge and press Action and Up to pull up onto a ledge.



Weapons & Ammunition

WEAPON

AMMO (per pickup)

Pistols

unlimited

Shotgun

2 rounds/box

Magnums

25 rounds/pair of clips

Uzis

50 rounds/pair of clips   

As you play through the game, you'll collect various weapons and ammunition. Often you'll find ammo for weapons you don't yet have, since the more powerful guns aren't available until later in the game.

Note that for some weapons, ammo is tracked differently before and after you obtain the weapon. For example, each magnum clip pickup is actually 25 rounds. Before you obtain the magnums, each pickup is counted as one item in your inventory. Later, when you get the gun, the number of magnum rounds in your inventory appears to multiply, but actually the game starts counting individual rounds instead of pickups. Similarly, if you've collected 10 Uzi clip pickups, they're counted as 500 individual rounds once you get the Uzis. Shotgun shells are counted individually both before and after you obtain the weapon.

The levels in which each weapon can be found are noted below and in the walkthrough headers. Details are in the walkthrough text. Every weapon can be obtained in more than one location. So don't worry if you miss one; there will be other opportunities. All weapon locations are linked from the next section.



Weapon Locations

The links below lead to the relevant sections of the guide. (Avast, mateys! There be spoilers ahead.) If all else fails, you can use cheat codes to obtain all weapons, or download a save file to obtain all the weapons normally available at a particular point in the game.

PISTOLS: starting weapon

SHOTGUN: Lost Valley, Tomb of Qualopec (secret #1), St. Francis' Folly (secrets #2 and #3), The Cistern, Natla's Mines (secret #2 and dropped by an NPC).

MAGNUMS: Colosseum (secret #3), Palace Midas (secret #3), The Cistern, Tomb of Tihocan (dropped by an NPC), City of Khamoon, Obelisk of Khamoon, Scanctuary of the Scion, Natla's Mines (dropped by an NPC).

UZIS: Sanctuary of the Scion (secret), Natla's Mines (dropped by an NPC), Atlantis.



Menu/Inventory System & Hotkeys

At start-up, press Left/Right to rotate between snapshot (training level), passport (game options: new game, load saved game, exit), Walkman™ (music/sound volume), and keyboard/controller (customize controls). Press Enter to choose one. Additional hotkeys for adjusting graphics settings in-game are found in the instruction booklet.

Use the following controls during gameplay:

PC & Macintosh

Escape = pause the game and go to the menu rings to access inventory, compass, collected items and Passport (to save/load/quit)

left/right arrows = rotate menu ring; turn pages in passport once it is selected (to choose between save game, load saved game and exit)

up/down arrows = switch between the different menu rings

Enter = to choose item from ring

Escape = press to deselect an item, press again to return to the game

F5 = shortcut to save game

F6 = shortcut to load saved game

PlayStation & Saturn

Select = pause the game and go to the menu rings to access inventory, compass, collected items and Passport (to save/load/quit)

D-Pad left/right = rotate menu ring; turn pages in passport once it is selected (to choose between save game, load saved game and exit)

D-Pad up/down = switch between the different menu rings

X (PS1), B (Saturn) or Select = to choose item from ring

Triangle (PS1), C (Saturn) or Start = press to deselect an item, press again to return to the game

To change the controls (PC, Mac, PlayStation or Saturn)

Following the steps above, go to the Controls icon in the main menu ring. Press Enter/Select. Press left/right arrows or D-Pad left/right to switch from Default Keys to User Keys. Use arrow keys or D-Pad to move to the control you want to change. Press Enter/Select to highlight it. Then press the desired key/button. If you choose a key that's already in use, the conflicting controls will blink until you change one of them. When you're finished, press Escape or Start/Triangle to return to the game.

Main Controls Page | TR1 Walkthrough | Unfinished Business Walkthrough | Main Page