Speculation has run rampant about the release of the PC version of Rise of the Tomb Raider. The game has popped up here and there, but nothing concrete has been set in stone regarding the PC release until now. The game has been confirmed for a January 28 release.
Shack News quickly runs down the news, detailing that Rise Of The Tomb Raider will be available digitally and physically for PC. The game will launch digitally on Amazon, as well as the app store for Windows 10 and for gamers on Steam.
The base price for Rise of the Tomb Raider on PC will be $59.99, and there will be a deluxe edition available for $89.99 that will come bundled with the season pass. Finally, there will be a collector's edition priced at $149.99 that will come with a 12-inch replica statue of Lara Croft, as well as replicas of Lara's journals and a jade necklace. Shack News notes that the game's collector's edition will be equivalent to the one that was available for the Xbox One during the holiday season.
Most PC gamers are probably curious exactly what sort of benefits they can look forward to with the game launching on the high-end platform. Well, Crystal Dynamics has acknowledged that PC gamers will be able to get full 4K resolution along with some additional features courtesy of port house Nixxes.
One thing they don't mention in the press release is whether or not the game on PC will have fully unlocked frame rates or if it will be capped at 60fps. The Xbox One and Xbox 360 versions of the game ran at 30fps. It would be a real treat for PC gamers if it were possible to run the game at the higher resolutions and at higher frame rates to get the most out of the sequel to the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot.
PC gamers must be relieved that they're getting the game so soon after it launched for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One back during November. The game's timed exclusivity on Microsoft's home consoles was only for a few months before the PC received its version, and nearly a year for the PS4.
Yes, PlayStation 4 owners won't be able to get their hands on the game until the holiday season 2016. However, there may be some behind-the-scenes politics that cause the game to launch sooner than the holiday season. It's going to be a serious sales burn if they wait an actual year before launching Rise of the Tomb Raider on Sony's home console. The nostalgic franchise was always known as a PlayStation series, despite being on PC since its original release. Preventing the PlayStation audience from getting their hands on the game was a risky move from Microsoft and we'll see how well it all pays off.
For now, PC gamers can look to get their hands on the third-person, platforming shooter come January 28th. Originally, some Amazon leaks hinted at a January 29th release for Rise of the Tomb Raider, and an update on the SteamDB hinted at a January 1st release. It appears the January 1st date was just in relation to some updates being added in the backend by Crystal Dynamics, because the game won't be ready until the end of the month.
