Tomb Raider: Catalyst slips to 2028 — and PS5 players won't get a disc
Tomb Raider: Catalyst has been pushed to 2028, making it the second Lara Croft title in a row to miss its original release window. Amazon Games head Jeffrey Gattis confirmed the new timeframe in an interview with The Game Business, though no specific quarter was given. The shift means PS5 owners will have no disc option — Sony's physical media manufacturing cutoff lands in January 2028, before Catalyst is expected to ship.
The delay, explained
Catalyst was announced in December 2025 as a brand-new Tomb Raider story, separate from the remake releasing alongside it. That remake — Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis — was itself delayed last month, now set for February 12, 2027, per the PlayStation Blog. Gattis gave no official reason for Catalyst's slip, but the logic is straightforward: Amazon doesn't want two major Tomb Raider releases competing with each other in the same calendar year. Crystal Dynamics is running separate teams on each game, so Legacy of Atlantis's delay didn't mechanically force Catalyst back — it was a scheduling call.
The disc problem
The more consequential wrinkle is Sony's disc sunset. Sony announced it will stop manufacturing PS5 physical discs after January 2028. A Catalyst release anytime in 2028 falls after that cutoff, meaning no boxed copy will exist for PlayStation 5. Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam) may still support physical releases — that situation hasn't changed. For anyone who buys discs to resell, lend, or just own something tangible, the PS5 version of Catalyst will be download-only. It would be the first mainline Tomb Raider game without a disc option on a PlayStation platform.
What the game actually is
Catalyst is set in northern India. Lara triggers a mystical catastrophe that awakens ancient mechanical guardians protecting hidden treasures. She has to stop the threat while being hunted by a ruthless rival group of treasure hunters. The game runs on Unreal Engine 5 and targets PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Beyond the 2028 window, Amazon has said it has nothing new to share on a specific launch date.
