Shadow of the Tomb Raider remains a gorgeous title — one that took full advantage of the Xbox One X when it released in 2018. While many players likely cranked the visuals up to 4K, though, the game did include a “High Framerate” setting that usually saw frames-per-second fluctuating between the 40s and 50s. How does the game run now that Microsoft’s newer, far more powerful console is out? What can you expect from Shadow of The Tomb Raider on Xbox Series X?
By all indications, Shadow of the Tomb Raider does a much better job in its high frame rate mode on the Series X. It looks to keep a locked 60 FPS throughout, and that includes wandering around the Hidden City of Paititi, whose stunning vistas and long draw distances really taxed the One X. You can expect a smoother gameplay experience as a result. In fact, you have to wonder if the Series X could’ve handled a 4K/60 mode just as admirably. Shadow of the Tomb Raider doesn’t appear to be pushing the Series X as much as it did Microsoft’s last top-of-the-line machine.
Thanks to the Series X’s internal SSD, you’ll also see noticeable improvements in load times for Shadow of the Tomb Raider. This includes starting the game up — a much faster process now — as well as fast traveling between various campfires. I can confirm, as well, that Shadow of the Tomb Raider supports the new Quick Resume feature. If you drop out of Paititi to go play some Destiny 2: Beyond Light, Lara will be right where you left her when you return.
All in all, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is markedly improved on the Xbox Series X, and is worth checking out if you haven’t played it already. It’s too bad Square Enix seems happy to let this title fade away. Targeted Series X optimizations would do it wonders, and perhaps make it one of the best-looking games on the console, period.