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 |
DESCRIPTION/NOTES |
Run |
Up Arrow |
Press forward with left or right to move in that direction. |
Hop Back |
Down Arrow |
|
Turn Right |
Right Arrow |
Hold to pivot on the spot. |
Turn Left |
Left Arrow |
Hold to pivot on the spot. |
Walk |
Shift |
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 |
Makes Lara jump straight up. More complex jumps are covered under combo moves, below. |
Sidestep Left/Right |
Delete/Page Down |
|
Roll/Reverse |
End,
or 5 on numeric keypad, or Up + Down Arrows together |
Lara drops to the ground and comes up facing the opposite direction. |
Draw/Holster Weapon |
Space Bar |
|
Action |
Ctrl |
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 |
Look (labeled "Ins" on some keyboards) shifts perspective to what Lara sees. Hold Look while pressing direction keys/buttons to look in different directions. |
Combo Moves
MOVE |
CONTROLS |
DESCRIPTION/NOTES |
Standing Jump |
Alt + Up Arrow |
Press keys/buttons together to jump forward approximately 1 terrain square (see Tips & Strategy) |
Backflip |
Alt + Down Arrow |
|
Sideflip |
Alt + Left/Right Arrow |
|
Running Jump |
Up Arrow then Alt |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
DESCRIPTION/NOTES |
Dive/Swim Underwater |
Alt + Arrow Keys |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 & MacintoshEscape = 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 & SaturnSelect = 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. |
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Main Controls Page | TR1 Walkthrough | Unfinished Business Walkthrough | Main Page
Copyright © 1998- Stellalune. Special thanks to Maurice for the PlayStation menu controls and Restz for the Saturn controls. All rights reserved. Feel free to link to this page but do not copy it. To give me your feedback, send email to or visit tombraiders.net. Lara Croft, Tomb Raider, and the Tomb Raider logo are trademarks of the Crystal Dynamics group of companies. All rights reserved.