# Tomb Raider: OpenLara’s browser demo or TRX for the full adventures?

Canonical: https://playable.wtf/guides/tomb-raider-versions/

Written: 2026-10-17

Try a demo level in OpenLara, or prepare your owned Tomb Raider I–III files for an installed TRX adventure. The browser demo and trilogy engine have different scope.

## Choose a demo or an adventure

For a quick encounter with classic Lara movement, start with [OpenLara's WebGL demo](https://playable.wtf/games/openlara/). For an installed adventure through games you own, choose [TRX Community Edition](https://playable.wtf/games/lostartefacts-trx/). Both replace a classic engine, but their linked starting points have very different scope.

A hosted demonstration or an installed trilogy engine

| Project | What you start with | Reason to choose it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [OpenLara WebGL](https://playable.wtf/games/openlara/) | The creator's included demo level | Try the engine in a browser before preparing a native setup. |
| [TRX](https://playable.wtf/games/lostartefacts-trx/) | Your original Tomb Raider I, II or III files (A TR1 PC demo is also offered.) | Play the supported adventures with configurable controls, UI and rendering. |

TRX's creators report all three games playable from beginning to end. That claim stops at I–III: Tomb Raider IV is still in development. OpenLara's repository screenshots of later games do not expand the content supplied by its browser demo.

## Try OpenLara and learn the controls

Follow the [WebGL demo link in OpenLara's README](https://github.com/XProger/OpenLara#openlara) using a WebGL-capable browser. The demo level is supplied; a standalone download is a separate link. For a full adventure from an owned installation, TRX offers the more explicit setup described below.

OpenLara's engine defines these default keyboard bindings. If you have already changed its settings, use your configured layout:

OpenLara engine defaults

| Action | Input |
| --- | --- |
| Move / turn | Arrow keys |
| Jump / walk | Alt / Shift |
| Action / draw weapons | Ctrl / Space |
| Look / roll | C / A |
| Inventory | Esc |

Practice walking, turning and jumping before combining them near a drop. The [engine's input definitions](https://github.com/XProger/OpenLara/blob/master/src/core.h) are the basis for these defaults; they do not establish a particular phone's touch layout.

## Prepare the TRX game files

Use original **TR1, TR2 or TR3** files from an owned Steam, GOG or disc installation. Keep each game's files separate. TRX's combined layout uses `games/tr1/`, `games/tr2/` and `games/tr3/`, with game-specific subfolders.

1. **Windows installer:** choose a destination, select your owned game packs or the TR1 PC demo, and let the installer remap the files.
2. **Windows/Linux archive:** extract the combined package, then copy the original files into the matching hierarchy shown in the [installation guide](https://github.com/LostArtefacts/TRX/blob/trx-1.11.1/docs/trx/INSTALLING.md).
3. **macOS:** copy `TRX.app` from the disk image into Applications and run it once. For the full games, use Show Package Contents and place the files under `Contents/Resources/games/<game-id>/` as the guide specifies.

Do not merge an old per-game installation into the new layout blindly. If TRX reports a legacy layout, back up saves, then use a fresh combined extraction and copy the owned data into the new game directories.

## Set up TRX controls and options

In TRX, open **Controls** before committing to a long level. Keyboard and controller layouts are configurable, with two bindings per action. Set movement, walk, jump and action where you can reach them together; a comfortable action key matters for grabbing ledges as well as interacting.

Choose it for specific conveniences such as UI scaling, photo mode and adjustable draw distance. It is not an HD texture-pack system: the [project FAQ](https://github.com/LostArtefacts/TRX/blob/trx-1.11.1/README.md#qa) says that support is not planned. Its supported platforms are Windows, Linux and macOS.

TRX remembers the last game or expansion selected. If it opens the demo when you wanted a full game, change the selection in the passport. A shortcut can choose a game explicitly with `--mod tr1`, `--mod tr2` or `--mod tr3`. The [creator's command-line guide](https://lostartefacts.dev/trx/docs/) lists the separate expansion identifiers.

## Keep the right saves

OpenLara's web save slots live in the current browser profile's IndexedDB storage. Keep that profile and site's data if you want to return to them. The [web save implementation](https://github.com/XProger/OpenLara/blob/master/src/platform/web/main.cpp) does not turn those slots into a TRX save import.

For a bundled Windows/Linux TRX installation, the default save directory is `saves/` beside the application; custom installations can override it with `TRX_SAVES_DIR`. Preserve the actual save directory before replacing the installation. Keep the original backup until a restored slot loads in the correct game.

For phone play, neither the linked OpenLara demo nor TRX supplies a confirmed mobile route in this comparison. [PrinceJS offers documented touch controls](https://playable.wtf/guides/prince-of-persia-versions/) if a classic traversal game on a phone is the priority.

## Project reading

- [OpenLara · WebGL demo and standalone route](https://github.com/XProger/OpenLara#readme)
- [OpenLara · default keyboard layout](https://github.com/XProger/OpenLara/blob/master/src/core.h)
- [OpenLara · browser save implementation](https://github.com/XProger/OpenLara/blob/master/src/platform/web/main.cpp)
- [TRX 1.11.1 · games, controls and scope](https://github.com/LostArtefacts/TRX/blob/trx-1.11.1/README.md)
- [TRX 1.11.1 · installation and save directories](https://github.com/LostArtefacts/TRX/blob/trx-1.11.1/docs/trx/INSTALLING.md)
- [TRX · game and expansion selection](https://lostartefacts.dev/trx/docs/)