In 2008, Traue was chosen for the lead female role in the film Pandorum, a science fiction/thriller film directed by Christian Alvart, written by Travis Milloy, and starring Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster.

In 2013, Traue played villain Faora in the Superman film Man of Steel, to positive reviews. In preparation for the role of Faora, Traue underwent an intense four-month training and dieting program.

In 2015, Traue portrayed Bony Lizzie in the Universal Pictures action-fantasy film Seventh Son. She received critical acclaim in Germany for portraying the fictional character of Giselle Neumayer in the 2016 ARD-produced TV movie Der Fall Barschel, and nominations as best actress in German TV productions for 2016 both for her female lead roles in the TV mini series Weinberg and Berlin 1. She has since been cast in several German and international movies and TV productions in lead roles or recurrent supporting roles, including the 2017 movie Bye Bye Germany alongside actor Moritz Bleibtreu directed by Sam Garbarski, and the 2017 Amazon series pilot episode Oasis. Traue’s further acting appearances in 2017 and 2018 include the German Netflix series production Dark (as Agnes Nielsen), and German movies Das Ende der Wahrheit, Spielmacher and Ballon. In 2019, Traue leads the cast in the German ZDFneo TV mini series Dead End.