A prequel, Lost Planet 3 takes place long before the first game, following the story of Jim Peyton revealing the events that led to the first game.

After nearly being buried alive in a cave an elderly Jim Peyton is found by his granddaughter Diana. Realizing that he does not have long to live he begins to tell her how he came to be on E.D.N. III. Fifty years earlier looking to support his family, Jim joins an expedition to mine the resources of E.D.N III. Funded by the NEVEC corporation, the expedition hopes to tap E.D.N III's "Thermal Energy", a blood like substance that could solve the Earth Energy problem. Jim meets Dr. Kendric Kovac, operations director Phil Braddock, Doctor Roman, head technician Gale and fellow Rig pilot Laroche. On a job to repair the comms relay, Jim begins to suspect there is a saboteur on the base when he sees someone near the damaged relays. He finds that Doctor Roman has had similar sightings, but dismisses his suspicions and focuses on working to support his family.