The last few years have been an interesting time for Lord of the Rings games. The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, which released in 2023 after a two-year delay, received pretty much universally negative reviews from critics and fans alike. This year’s much-anticipated, and also delayed, Tales of the Shire has likewise had a mixed reception, though I personally loved its cozy vibes. But despite these recent missteps, not every attempt to make a Lord of the Rings game has failed. In fact, the franchise has spawned classics that still hold up today.
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Tolkien’s beloved franchise has spawned a wide variety of games in its time. After all, Middle-earth is a massive place steeped in lore that can easily lend itself as a setting in all manner of games. And over the years, it has, from straightforward movie tie-ins to LEGO renditions to survival mining action in Return to Moira. But if you’re looking for one of the old, classic Lord of the Rings games that still hold up, these three should top your list.
3. The Lord of the Rings Online
The Lord of the Rings MMORPG first released in 2007, but surprisingly, it’s still pretty solid. The game lets you join up with friends and explore the vast world of Middle-earth, and despite getting on in years, it still has a pretty active fanbase. For an MMORPG, the amount of solo content is impressive, letting you roam the world of Lord of the Rings with pretty good graphics for the time. Many LOTR fans say they still get a lot out of this game, and it’s still getting fairly regular updates with new content to explore.
Best of all, the game is free-to-play from levels 0-95. While there are still some expansions and other items locked behind a paywall, most of the game’s core content is now completely free. So, if you’re looking for an immersive Lord of the Rings experience on a budget, this one will get you pretty far.
2. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
The newest game on our list is still over 10 years old, and it honestly still holds up well. Though it received a solid sequel in 2017’s Shadow of War, we’re focusing on the game that started it all for this list. Shadow of Mordor introduced gamers to Monolith’s unique Nemesis System. This dynamic feature makes randomly generated enemies feel more real thanks to their ability to remember past encounters, develop personal rivalries, and generally have a full-on personality all their own.
In addition to being a unique and immersive playing experience thanks to this system, Shadow of Mordor depicts the world of Middle-earth with stunning accuracy. Unlike earlier LOTR games that try to recapture familiar plot elements, this open-world game tells a unique story set between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. So you get all the fun of running around Middle-earth and occasionally spotting familiar faces, but with a brand-new story. Best of all, this one is available on Steam, so it’s easy to jump back into or visit for the first time if you haven’t had the pleasure.
1. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
The LOTR movie tie-in games from EA were some of my favorite games as a kid, and I’m not alone. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers walked so its sequel, Return of the King, could run. It adapts the movie into a third-person hack-and-slash action game with fast-paced combat. Though similar to its predecessor, this game let you engage more with your surroundings, making players feel immersed in the world of Middle-earth. In that way, it remains one of the most enjoyable Lord of the Rings games around for pure immersion in the world of the films.
In fact, this game is so beloved that many fans are begging for a remake, alongside a pretty impressive GOG petition. After all, the original was released in 2003 for the PS2, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance, making it pretty tricky to revisit. If you happened to hang onto one of these retro consoles, though, it’s one of the best games to revisit if you’re feeling like sinking into Middle-earth. Maybe one day we’ll get a remake to let us experience it with modern graphics. But until then, no modern LOTR games have quite managed to recapture the experience.
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