As one of the most popular IPs in history, The Lord of the Rings has retained a level of noticeable prominence in the gaming industry since the medium’s conception. From officially licensed games to more canon-breaking experiments, you will never lack for a Middle-earth interactive experience if you enter this vast world of imaginative brilliance, and whether we’re talking about a strategic game from 2004 or an AAA action title from 2017, a lot of creative brainpower has gone over the past three decades into making sure that you can step into J.R.R. Tolkien’s fictional world in almost any shape or form and make the adventure your own.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at some of the most popular and even infamous Lord of the Rings projects in history and try to determine the one game to rule them all. The ranking is obviously subject to taste and a plethora of personal preferences, but I’m sure that as you read further, you’re going to agree that our picks for the best Middle-earth games in history coincide with your own to a large degree. And if you’re new to the whole interactive Middle-earth experience, there’ll be no time like the present to finally learn more and even dive into some of these games.
10. The Lord of the Rings: Gollum (2023)
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is, without a shadow of a doubt, the worst Middle-earth game to ever have been conceived, and possibly one of the worst games in history. The fact that Daedalic Entertainment’s 2023 title even makes it into this list isn’t a testament to the game’s own scant qualities, but rather all the controversy it generated with its arrival a few weeks ago.
This bug-riddled, poorly-made, and torturous journey as the creature Gollum in the depths of Sauron’s domain would never be worth spending $50 on, and if we’re being entirely frank, we’d rather it didn’t exist at all.
9. The Lord of the Rings: War in the North (2011)
Depending on who you ask, War in the North is either a vastly underrated game or a mediocre cringe-fest of epic proportions. But one thing can be said with absolute certainty: War in the North is one of the rare few role-playing Lord of the Rings games in existence. In this story, you take control of a party of three rangers, modeled after Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli’s exploits in the main story. The three traverse unseen parts of Middle-earth, and as the title suggests, fight against the Dark Lord’s minions in the northern theater of the war.
The role-playing elements in War in the North have been played down to give it more room for the action, and if you’re not used to a more robust gaming experience where everything falls seamlessly into place, you can grow to appreciate War in the North for what it’s trying to do, rather than what you think it ought to do.
8. The Lord of the Rings: Conquest (2009)
Much like other licensed games from Electronic Arts, Conquest is based on Peter Jackson’s cinematic trilogy in terms of aesthetics and style. The game is a third-person actioner that features a number of playable classes, like warrior, archer, mage, and even rogue dagger-wielders. The campaign takes place during the War of the Ring and includes iconic locations such as Helm’s Deep, Minas Tirith, and the slopes of Mount Doom. Gameplay consists of a set of objectives that might eerily remind you of a multiplayer skirmish, with the good guys always somehow ending up on the defensive and fighting against ranks and ranks of Mordor’s hordes.
Every now and again, Conquest gives you the opportunity to play as a Lord of the Rings hero, and these characters are strong enough to turn the tide of the battle on their own. For instance, you can play as ordinary mages through the campaign, but it is only when you wield Gandalf’s power that you begin to see what a sorcerer can be capable of against a large number of mobs. All in all, Conquest is a fun game for Lord of the Rings fans, but beyond that simple praise, don’t expect it to do anything extraordinary.
7. The Lord of the Rings Online (2007)
If you’re a fan of MMORPGs and have ever craved to see one set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, then The Lord of the Rings Online is as close to a fully immersive experience as you’re going to get in that description. LOTR Online has been praised for its deep faithfulness to the lore, its expansive gameplay that features many quests, NPCs, items, and for paying homage to World of Warcraft in a way that few other games would dare even attempt.
Of course, the game doesn’t get that same level of support as Standing Stone Games, but if you’re an initiate of MMORPGs, you’ll lose yourself in its world in no time. The Lord of the Rings Online would be considered an outdated game by many in the industry, so manage your expectations before diving in.
6. LEGO The Lord of the Rings (2012)
LEGO The Lord of the Rings was an inevitable game, but it sure took its time arriving at the scene. Taking inspiration from many LEGO video games that came before it, this title is set in an open-world environment that allows you to traverse all of Middle-earth in a seamless manner. The graphics design is also impeccable, putting it above many of its peers in the LEGO roster and bringing to life many iconic locations from The Lord of the Rings saga. In this game, you’ll be solving LEGO puzzles, fighting against Orcs and Uruk-hai, and even engaging in boss battles like Lurtz and the Witch-King against the backdrop of the trilogy’s narrative.
This LEGO adaptation may not be the most realistic Lord of the Rings experience you can imagine, but we can safely say that it’s one of the most fun.
5. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014)
Taking inspiration from Rocksteady’s Batman Arkham series, especially in terms of combat, Shadow of Mordor was arguably the best Lord of the Rings game to come out in almost a decade. The relentless combo build-up, the perfectly-timed parries, the insane number of mobs, and the bleak world design of Mordor, all helped turn Shadow of Mordor into a must-play experience.
Perhaps most important of all is the introduction of the Nemesis system, which turns Sauron’s lieutenants into compelling villains that progress through the narrative alongside the player. An orc commander might become obsessed with you after an encounter, or he might come back from the dead to hunt you down. Shadow of Mordor’s NPCs are dynamic beings with their own personalities and stories, and the AI integrates all of that so seamlessly into the playthrough that each gamer will end up having a unique experience.
4. Middle-earth: Shadow of War (2017)
Shadow of War builds on everything Shadow of Mordor did right and ends up with a sequel that improves every aspect of the original. The environments are more varied, the Nemesis system has been upgraded in a noticeable way, and the story is much more serviceable than the shallow cardboard-cutout excuse of a plot we saw in Shadow of Mordor, even to the point of including the legendary Nazgul as villains.
If the first game was about the struggle of a ghost — bereft of his past and future — against Sauron’s evil, then the sequel brings another addition to the fore in Gondor. Or rather, the last remnants of Gondor in the lands of shadow, fighting in the fortress city of Minas Ithil to preserve the realms of men to the West. Oh, did we also mention the Nazgul? You can’t go wrong with the Nazgul and the natural sense of dread they bring to the equation. Shadow of War is a Middle-earth experience to remember, so if you haven’t played it already, do yourself a favor and purchase it as soon as you can.
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth (2004)
Have you ever dreamed of a Lord of the Rings video game that meticulously simulated the events of Peter Jackson’s cinematic trilogy? The Battle for Middle-earth is a real-time strategy game developed by Electronic Arts and published in 2004, starting with the Fellowship’s descent into the mines of Moria and ending with the Battle of the Morannon (also known as the Battle of the Black Gate) and the destruction of the One Ring.
Almost every important event from those movies is depicted in The Battle for Middle-earth and given a life of its own. You can take command of the Rohirrim and fight off the Uruk-hai at the Battle of Helm’s Deep. You can repel Sauron’s armies at Minas Tirith while you wait for reinforcements from Rohan. There is even a pool of heroes from the movies, each with their unique abilities, assisting you in this campaign. Some actors from the movies, like Ian McKellen (Gandalf), reprise their roles for the game and voice new lines, so if you’re a fan of RTS games and want a Middle-earth experience in that context, The Battle for Middle-earth is the game for you.
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II (2006)
The Battle for Middle-earth II came out in 2006 and introduced an alternative campaign to the story. In it, you take command of the Elven forces to the north and fight against Sauron’s armies under the leadership of the Mouth of Sauron. The game’s main protagonist is Glorfindel, who is assisted in this task by Gimli’s father, Gloin.
Unlike the original Battle for Middle-earth, the sequel revolves around the northern hemisphere of the war and features locations such as the Mirkwood, Rivendell, Erebor, and even the Grey Havens. The sequel was also overhauled in terms of gameplay design, introducing a ton of new features, units, and even a free building mechanic.
But most fans love The Battle for Middle-earth II because of its DLC: The Rise of the Witch-King. Taking place many hundreds of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings, this expansion pack deals with the Witch-King’s rise to power in the north, and how he came to destroy the kingdom of Arnor, who, at the time, was the twin brother of Gondor to the south-east.
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
The Return of the King picks up the narrative right at the end of The Two Towers, with Gandalf and the rest of Eomer’s riders coming to save the day during the Battle of Helm’s Deep. The game is a third-person hack-and-slash title taking place across the third Lord of the Rings movie, and completely committed to delivering that version of the world as seen in Peter Jackson’s movies.
What’s more exciting is the fact that almost the entire cast reprises their roles in the EA game. Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, and even Christopher Lee are all there to make the game as immersive as possible, and the level design features many nods to the cinematic masterpiece that preceded it. Every level starts with a cinematic from the game, and the cherry on top of the cake is that these intros include never-before-seen footage from The Lord of the Rings movies, footage that you can’t even find in the movies’ extended editions.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King isn’t simply a generic license game. Even now, you can revisit it and have many hours of fun going through the campaign with different heroes. Each hero has a unique set of abilities, and you can earn points to unlock new combos and even more powerful abilities. Yes, Shadow of Mordor and even The Battle for Middle-earth are all brilliant Lord of the Rings games in their own right, but perhaps none of them are capable of invoking that sense of nostalgic longing as The Return of the King does.
And besides, when all is said and done, the 2003 PlayStation 2 and Xbox game is much more challenging and fun to experience than all of them combined, even if the graphics and gameplay mechanics are a little outdated by today’s standards.Â
