Lord of the Rings Video Games, Ranked Worst to Best

PlayStation 5, 2023
also on PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One

Combining stealth, action, and platforming gameplay, Gollum delivers an original story for its title character set in between the events of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring. Critics note that extensive knowledge of Tolkien's books is a prerequisite for enjoying the game, but that's just the least of Gollum's problems. "Dull" and "tedious" are words that reviewers have used again and again to describe gameplay, while the controls leave something to be desired. But the biggest flaw is the game's visuals—or maybe it's the many game-breaking bugs. At any rate, it's a complete package: completely terrible.

"Gollum is probably the worst game set in the famous world, repulsive and unstable like the main character himself. The idea was really good and you can tell that the developers know and understand the source material, but the game they made offers outdated graphics, frustrating platforming, enormous amount of glitches and primitive stealth mechanics." —Eurogamer Poland

Xbox 360, 2009
also on PlayStation 3, PC, Nintendo DS

LOTR games fall into three rough categories: (1) Those based directly on Tolkien's books; (2) Those inspired by the books (and set in the same world) but featuring a new original story; and (3) Those based on Peter Jackson's film adaptations. The 2009 action game Conquest falls into the last group—though it mainly includes story elements that were cut from the film trilogy—while also borrowing heavily from the gameplay of Star Wars: Battlefront, a series that comes from the same developer, the now-dissolved Pandemic Studios.

Despite upgrading its engine to allow for large-scale battles, enlisting Jackson's effects house Weta Digital to provide digital models, and borrowing the score and some of the actors from the hit films (especially Hugo Weaving ad Elrond), Pandemic could not duplicate the critical success of either its Star Wars games or Jackson's films. Instead, critics complained of a shallow, dull, and poorly executed game that even die-hard LOTR fans would have a hard time enjoying.

"It's uglier than Gollum and twice as annoying as that whiny Frodo chap. Even brutalising fat hobbitses as Sauron himself can do little to alleviate the feeling that Conquest is a cheap, lazy and regressive game that is the very worst kind of franchise cash-in." —Telegraph

iOS, 2012

An ostensibly free-to-play mobile strategy game based loosely on Peter Jackson's film trilogy, Kingdoms is a slow-moving city builder (with some simplistic battle mechanics thrown in) that required a great deal of time—or real-life currency—to make much progress. It was also, as Pocket Gamer UK pointed out at the time, a re-skin of the Arthurian city builder Kingdoms of Camelot (released just a few months earlier in 2012), which provided yet another reason for critics to deem the game a soulless cash grab. The grabbing worked for a while—The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth grossed nearly $100 million in its first year online—but the game was eventually shut down in 2017.

But before that, an expansion, Desolation of Smaug, launched in 2013. And Kabam also released a web-based PC game, The Hobbit: Armies of the Third Age, in 2013, though that game (unreviewed by any of our usual publications) was shuttered less than a year after launch.

"The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth lures you in with the promise of a strategic city builder, but once you're on the hook, the fun dissipates as you are repeatedly penalized unless you keep a steady stream of costly mithril flowing through your city. I like strategic city-building games, and I like Tolkien's universe. I don't like The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth." —Game Informer

Wii, 2010
also on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2

Few critics enjoyed this kid-friendly action-adventure game from Warner Bros. Interactive, their first LOTR release after taking over the rights to adapt Peter Jackson's film series from Electronic Arts. Sean Astin and Viggo Mortensen are among the actors from those films who reprise their roles in Aragorn's Quest, which begins 15 years later but retells the titular story, with players taking control of Aragorn for most of the game (and Frodo in a smaller portion).

Note that the version of Aragorn's Quest released on PS2 is almost different enough to be considered another game altogether (though it didn't receive many reviews, so it does not have a Metascore of its own). That version features different gameplay modes, camera angles, and levels and incorporates more RPG elements than the Wii/PS3 releases.

"Ultimately, it feels almost disrespectful that Tolkien's rich and evocative mythology should be reduced to collecting 'Gandalf Tokens' and bowdlerising one of the 20th century's greatest mythologies. The pity is that that Aragorn's Quest works well enough to prove that LOTR does indeed have the makings of an epic RPG. Unfortunately, this isn't it." —The Guardian

Xbox, 2002
also on PC, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance

Though it came out less than a year after the movie of the same name, this Fellowship is not connected to Peter Jackson's film but is instead a licensed adaptation of Tolkien's novel. (Jackson's next two LOTR films would each get videogame adaptations from EA, but development delays meant that Fellowship never did.)

Frodo, Aragorn, and Gandalf are all playable characters in this third-person action-adventure, but critics felt the game failed to capitalize on its IP. Instead, it was repetitive, generic, and dull, and plagued by poor AI and lackluster combat. Sales were disappointing enough that Vivendi Universal canceled plans to adapt the next two books, leaving the market to EA's more successful film tie-ins.

"Ultimately an average game at its best and a frustrating and boring one at its worst. It's also exceedingly short." —GameSpot

PC, 2023
also on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X

Set after the events of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this Epic Games Store exclusive (also now on PS5 and soon on XBX) follows a group of Dwarves (led by Gimli, who is voiced as in the most recent films by John Rhys-Davies) as they head out on an adventure to reclaim their homeland. Gameplay blends survival with crafting in a procedurally generated world that is playable solo or with others online.

Though reviews spanned a wide spectrum of opinions, the majority of critics found the gameplay too tedious to make players want to spend much time in an otherwise immersive at atmospheric fantasy world.

"Return to Moria has a TON of potential, but overall I would say the worldbuilding and fantastic job they did on bringing Moria to life is what carries the title; not necessarily the survival mechanics or gameplay. Aside from singing mining songs with friends, I can't think of much that it brings to the table that I haven't seen done better in other survival games like Valheim or Conan Exiles." –MMORPG.com

GameCube, 2003
also on PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Game Boy Advance

Another title that surfaced during the theatrical run of the Peter Jackson LOTR trilogy that nevertheless had no connection to the films, this 2003 title from short-lived Texas studio Inevitable Entertainment (later Midway Studios Austin) is an officially licensed adaptation of Tolkien's pre-LOTR novel of the same name. The action-adventure game is chiefly a platformer (with a few combat, stealth, and puzzle elements in the mix) that gives you control of Bilbo Baggins as it follows the basic story of the book, though it adds some story details not present in the original. A few reviewers felt that younger gamers might get some enjoyment out of it, but most considered it an uninspired, too-derivative platformer.

Note that the handheld version (for GBA) is very different in both look and gameplay but also received middling reviews.

"The Hobbit basically consists of this: Jump here, Shimmy there, Climb up here, and Whack this thing. That's The Hobbit. If it didn't have the Lord of the Rings storyline backing it up, we'd be struggling to call it a game." —GameBiz

Xbox 360, 2011
also on PlayStation 3, PC

A hack-and-slash with RPG elements, 2011's War in the North was the first game released following Warner Bros. Interactive's 2009 acquisition of the rights to adapt both Tolkien's books and Peter Jackson's films. (Previously, the rights to adapt the book and film franchises were held separately by Vivendi and EA, respectively.) Developed by Snowblind, the studio behind the excellent Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, the game borrowed its overall look from the films, though it used new voice actors and drew elements from the books that were not in the movie trilogy—but it didn't really share a focus with either, instead depicting a side quest taken on by a trio of playable characters: a ranger, a dwarf, and an elf, who can be played separately or all at once via online co-op.

Unlike some of the LOTR games already discussed, North was aimed at older audiences, but that maturity didn't necessarily translate to a better game. Some critics liked the co-op gameplay, but many complained about the poor AI and lack of originality, and quite a few reviewers felt that North wore out its welcome after just a few hours.

"Lord of the Rings: War in the North is fine for a few hours of jolly good fun, but once you realise that the game has played its hand early and really has nothing else to offer then the lustre is soon lost. Poor AI, boring combat and pointless quests all add up to a disappointing game that would be better off dropped into the fires of Mordor." —Xbox Achievements

PlayStation Portable, 2005

The first LOTR game released for Sony's then-new handheld device, 2005's Tactics is a turn-based tactical RPG adapted from Peter Jackson's film trilogy—to the point where it even includes a few clips from the movies. But that doesn't mean its a faithful adaptation; instead, Tactics takes many liberties with the story, necessitated in part by giving players the option to play as either side (the Fellowship or Sauron's armies). And while some critics found it a decent (if short) strategy game, more than one reviewer described the gameplay as "clunky" and smaller in scale than its source material would suggest.

"While in terms of accuracy to the world it's the least accurate LoTR licence yet, in other areas it's terribly close to the books. It's slow-paced. It's a little unwieldy. It's hardly glamorous. However, it's also something which wraps you up in its own world for hours at a time." —Eurogamer

iOS, 2010

The first (of many) Lord of the Rings titles released for Apple mobile devices, Middle-earth Defense is a basic turn-based tower defense game with a Tolkien theme. That theme includes seven battle locations borrowed from the book and film franchises as well as placeable units that include Hobbits, Elven archers, and even named heroes like Gandalf, Aragorn, and Legolas. Some critics felt Defense did a solid job incorporating the LOTR theme, but others found it lacking as a tower defense game.

"Though dressed in full Lord of the Rings regalia, Middle-earth defense is an entry-level tower defence game that hits the basics, but doesn't reach any new heights." —Pocket Gamer UK

Game Boy Advance, 2004

A turn-based tactics game from Griptonite Games (now part of EA), The Third Age is yet another LOTR game to let players choose a side: good (with selectable commanders including Gandalf, Aragorn, and Elrond) or evil (Saruman, the nameless "Mouth of Sauron," and the Witch-King of Angmar). Additional characters from the films are also available as secondary heroes as you play through missions based on events from Peter Jackson's trilogy. Many reviewers compared the game to Fire Emblem—specifically deeming it an inferior version of that franchise—and several critics found it surprisingly generic.

Note that despite sharing a title and a release window, the console version of Third Age is actually an almost entirely different game (in a different genre and from a different developer) and is thus ranked separately.

"Merely an interesting take on The Lord of the Rings license instead of the great game it could have been." —GamePro

PC, 2003

Developed by Liquid Entertainment, this PC-exclusive 2003 real-time strategy game—despite the timing, it's licensed from the books and not the films—was influenced both by Warcraft III and by Liquid's previous game, Battle Realms. Players choose one of two factions—good (the Free People of Middle-earth) or evil (the Minions of Sauron) and fight through a campaign that incorporates settings and characters from Tolkien even if it doesn't always stick to the books' story. Critics felt that LOTR fans would appreciate War of the Ring far more than experienced RTS gamers.

"The orchestral score and voice acting are good, and the detailed graphics are incredibly well animated, but those features and Tolkien's story aren't enough to distinguish this game from all the other strategy titles out there." —GamePro

Xbox 360, 2012
also on PlayStation 3, PC (2013)

The first MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) game to be set in Middle-earth—and one of the first MOBAs to be released on consoles rather than PC—Guardians features 5v5 battles with players choosing from 36 Lord of the Rings characters ranging from Gollum to Gandalf regardless of side. Reviews were mixed at the time of the game's release—only half of our critics had a positive impression overall—though the bulk of the complaints concerned technical and connectivity issues and not the gameplay itself.

"Guardians of Middle-earth sacrifices a lot of complexity to work as a console game. Hardcore MOBA fans will disapprove of the changes, but genre newbies looking for some team-based, Tolkien-inspired fun will happily take these heroes and villains to war." —GamesBeat

PlayStation 4, 2014
also on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita, Wii U

Released on every then-current platform, the second LEGO-fied take on Peter Jackson's films adapted the first two parts of The Hobbit prequel trilogy—but not the concluding film. (That third Hobbit film, The Battle of the Five Armies, had yet to come out, and plans to add content from that film to the LEGO game via DLC never came to fruition, though a separately developed Five Armies mobile game was released to little fanfare in late 2014.) Developed, like all recent LEGO games, by TT Games, Hobbit is a humorous, family-friendly action-adventure game set in a semi-open world (specifically, Middle-earth). Many critics were charmed by the game despite finding it flawed in both pacing and endpoint—exactly like the two films it is based on.

"LEGO: The Hobbit is a fun game with a huge, sprawling world, but in the end it's a bittersweet experience, mostly because of the story that's missing." —Gamer.no

Switch, 2019
Also on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

A relatively minor release, Adventure Card Game is a loose adaptation of Fantasy Flight's tabletop 2011 strategy game The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. Drawing from The Hobbit as well as the LOTR book trilogy, the digital version of the deck-building game features solo PvE gameplay (in which you battle against Sauron) as well as online co-op, including cross-play across the different console versions. Critics had a few quibbles with the game's lack of polish, lack of PvP gameplay, and lack of content compared to the tabletop version, but they generally embraced the game—and its unique style of gameplay compared to recent card battlers.

"It is lovely and refreshing to play a digital card game that isn't so desperate to be the next big thing in esports that it tears whatever heart and soul it might have had right out of the experience. I walked into The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game fully expecting yet another attempt to 'do Hearthstone' on the Nintendo Switch. I walked away thoroughly impressed with how completely the game surprised me." —Digitally Downloaded

Xbox, 2004
also on PlayStation 2, GameCube

EA's 2004 role-playing game draws from Peter Jackson's film trilogy for its story, setting, and characters—supplementing that with some original characters and plot developments present in neither the films nor the books—and (unofficially) from Final Fantasy for its gameplay, especially its turn-based combat. The result is very different from EA's two previous LOTR releases (which were action games based on The Two Towers and The Return of the King), and critics didn't necessarily like the franchise's new direction, though reviews for The Third Age were generally decent overall. Reviewers' chief complaints were that the game was both too easy and too simplistic.

Note that the Game Boy Advance version of Third Age is a different game entirely (despite sharing a title) and is thus ranked separately.

"It is a good RPG for the casual gamer and maybe for the Lord of the Rings modern-media fan, but anyone who seriously enjoyed, say, 'Xenogears' will have an incredibly difficult time enjoying this little scrap of meat. It's pretty, it sounds nice, and it has all the trappings of a Lord of the Rings product, but it ultimately lacks substance." —RPG Fan

Xbox 360, 2006
also on PC

Getting a console release in addition to appearing on PC unlike its PC-only 2004 predecessor, EA's 2006 real-time strategy game sequel again features twin campaigns: one for the "good" (Fellowship) side and a second for "evil" (Sauron). Both are set during the War in the North, though the stories unfold differently for each campaign. Hugo Weaving returns from Peter Jackson's films to voice Elrond. Critics scored the PC version higher than the console release (which is expected for a complex strategy game), but the latter still impressed reviewers with its surprisingly usable control scheme.

A PC-only expansion, 78 The Rise of the Witch-King, was released in 2006.

"A great game for anyone who enjoys The Lord of the Rings, fantasy, strategy games, or Xbox Live. It's a surprisingly well ported game that really shouldn't play anywhere near as good as it does." —Gamer 2.0

PlayStation 4, 2017
also on Xbox One, PC

The sequel to 2014's Shadow of Mordor couldn't quite match the latter's level of acclaim but received solid reviews nevertheless. Developed again by Monolith Productions, Shadow of War features similar action-adventure gameplay set in Middle-earth in between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (and drawing inspiration from both the books and the films), with players taking on procedurally generated enemies via the game's expanded "Nemesis System." In fact, there's more of just about everything in the sequel—so much so that more than a few critics complained of bloat (as well as a subpar narrative). And there was also at least one complaint about Shadow's gamification of slavery. But some reviewers found Shadow to be superior to its predecessor.

In addition to numerous smaller DLC packs, a major story expansion, 63 Blade of Galadriel, followed in 2018, while another expansion, tbd Desolation of Mordor, was released a few months later.

"Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is a massive game that feels a lot like its predecessor, but now it's filled with even more things to collect and more missions to finish. But when does a game contain too much? As I reached the end of the campaign, the good times I had turned into a series of chores. Luckily, players can avoid most of the busywork by not worrying about the online conquests or the endgame, but for those that do? Be prepared to grind for it." —GameCritics

Xbox 360, 2012
also on PlayStation 3, PC, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita, iOS (2013)

The first crossover between TT Games' LEGO videogame series and The Lord of the Rings (specifically, Peter Jackson's film trilogy), LEGO The Lord of the Rings borrowed some of the music and dialogue of the movies and paired it with a much more comedic and family-friendly take on the epic story. The action-adventure gameplay features an open world Middle-earth and over 80 playable characters drawn from the films and the books. Critics saw an imperfect but greatly enjoyable game.

A sequel based on The Hobbit films would follow in 2014.

"It is what it is: An enjoyable time in Middle-earth as all of the favorite characters from the nine members of the Fellowship. The standard issues with LEGO games are there, but with a deep amount of gameplay, numerous characters to choose from, and the feeling of actually watching or reading the trilogy means plenty of fun for those looking for a break from the gory versions of hack-and-slash games." —Gaming Nexus

PC, 2004

EA's 2004 real-time strategy game was based on the film trilogy, and even incorporated film clips, music, and voice talent from the movies. Critics felt that hardcore RTS fans might be put off by the game's relative simplicity but suggested that most gamers—and especially LOTR fans—would be engrossed by Battle, which featured separate campaigns for the "good" and "evil" sides of the action.

A sequel, which we covered a few entries back, was released two years later.

"And while it doesn't achieve the same epic sense of scale as Jackson's movies, it's still an engrossing and well-made real-time strategy game that captures the essence of J.R.R. Tolkien's wondrous world." —GameSpot

PlayStation 2, 2002
also on Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance

The first licensed adaptation of any of Peter Jackson's LOTR films—as we previously mentioned, development on a Fellowship of the Ring game stalled, preventing the release of a game tied to that first film, though some of its story beats appear here instead—Two Towers is one of more action-forward titles on our list. The third-person hack-and-slash/beat-em-up game attempted to blend footage from the film (and voice work from some of the film's stars like Viggo Mortensen and Elijah Wood) into its new digital imagery, and did so successfully, according to critics who liked just about everything about The Two Towers except its short length.

"Sometimes the fighting gets so intense, you can feel the fate of Middle Earth weighing down on you more and more with each blow." —Game Informer

PlayStation 4, 2014
also on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC

The second LOTR title developed by the Warner Bros.-owned studio Monolith Productions following the very different Guardians of Middle-earth, 2014's Shadow of Mordor counts both the books (including Tolkien's once-unpublished "legendarium" material) and films as influences on its partly original story set between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The open-world action-adventure game combines stealth and combat, and featured a bespoke "Nemesis" system that not only provided for procedurally generated foes but tracked their progress, allowing surviving enemies to level up and become tougher to defeat. The lengthy development time—which included consultation with Peter Jackson and staff at his effects house Weta Workshop—seems to have paid off: Shadow of Mordor sold over three million copies, won multiple awards, and received a positive reception from critics, some of whom praised it as the best LOTR game of all time.

An expansion, 61 Lord of the Hunt, was released later in 2014, while another expansion, 68 The Bright Lord, arrived in 2015, followed by additional DLC in later years. A full sequel (the aforementioned Shadow of War) would arrive in 2017.

"Shadow of Mordor is that ultimate rarity. It tells a fun little story that would be enough to hold up most games on their own. But it also provides all of the tools to ensure that the most interesting tales to come out of the game will be the ones that were not scripted." —Polygon

PlayStation 2, 2003
also on Xbox, PC, GameCube, Game Boy Advance

EA built upon the success of its first LOTR film tie-in with a sequel the next year, released to coincide with Peter Jackson's trilogy-concluding feature. Return of the King is another Gauntlet-inspired hack-and-slash game, though every aspect of the game has been fleshed out a bit more compared to The Two Towers. The sequel offered more freedom of movement, more interaction with the surroundings, more playable characters, more enemies to fight at once, and bigger levels. The result was one of the better movie tie-in games ever released.

"It's one of the finest crossover titles I've ever played; mainstream gamers will enjoy it for its excellent use of the movie license, sharp visuals, and easy-to-pickup gameplay, but it also has enough challenge and variety for hardcore players to soak up." —GameSpy

PC, 2007

An MMORPG set in Middle-earth sounds like a no-brainer, and in 2007 it finally arrived in the form of The Lord of the Rings Online (originally subtitled Shadows of Angmar). Players customize their characters by choosing from four races (since expanded to seven, a group that includes expected choices like Hobbits and more obscure ones like the Beorning) and even more classes and professions, and they get free roam of a Third Age-era Middle-earth divided into what now spans five different lands. While those characters all fall on the side of the Fellowship, a unique PvMP (Player v. Monster Player) mode does allow players the opportunity to act as a Sauron-following monster and battle against other players.

Critics loved the game when it first launched, and it has continued to be mentioned positively in the years since it launched. More importantly: It still has a large an active community. Some sources estimate its current active user base at over 3 million, and LOTRO even managed to near its all-time concurrent traffic peak in 2022—a full 15 years after its original release.

Though ownership of the game changed hands over the years—it's now published by Daybreak Game Company—LOTR Online has remained both online and in continuous development (also under multiple companies, beginning with Turbine) since its 2007 launch and its 2010 shift to a free-to-play model. That ongoing development has translated into numerous updates and quite a few paid expansions. Some of those received a very positive reception from critics, though many did not receive enough reviews to calculate a Metascore. Here's a list:

85 Mines of Moria (2008)
83 Siege of Mirkwood (2009)
tbd Rise of Isengard (2011)
88 Riders of Rohan (2012)
tbd Helm's Deep (2013)
Mordor (2017)
Minas Morgul (2019)
War of Three Peaks (2020)
tbd Fate of Gundabad (2021)
Before the Shadow (2022)
Corsairs of Umbar (due in late 2023)

LOTRO will have a rival in the near(-ish) future: Amazon Games is currently developing an all-new (and still untitled) MMORPG set in Middle-earth. And it will be based on Tolkien's books and not, as you might expect, the recent Amazon series The Rings of Power.

"It's absolutely no exaggeration to say that this is far and away the best game for anyone who hasn't played an MMOG before to cut their teeth on. Even more than the familiar universe, the excellent interface and gameplay design Turbine have crafted turn this into an experience which those who have previously avoided the lure of MMOs will find tough to resist." —Eurogamer