There have been some fantastic Lord of the Rings video games (as well as some less so). J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy trilogy The Lord of the Rings was written during World War II.
Furthermore, the plot is a classic “good versus evil” story set in Middle-earth.
A mystical alternate version of the real Earth revolves around a group of creatures and people. (i.e., dwarves, wizards, and men) on a quest to keep an almighty ring known as the Ring of Power out of the hands of the Dark Lord Sauron and his evil forces.
However, the Lord of the Rings grew in popularity during the twentieth century, culminating in Peter Jackson’s cinematic adaptations of the three books from 2001 to 2003 and his adaptation of The Hobbit (the prequel) from 2012 to 2014.
Additionally, the Lord of the Rings franchise had video games and movies. From the beginning of video games until the present, several Lord of the Rings games has been released.
With that in mind, which of these games does the best job of turning Middle-mystical earth’s world into a virtual and interactive experience?
Many developers have tried to access Mordor throughout the years, but the road is littered with the vanquished and broken.
In addition, a few genuinely excellent games have graced our presence among a sea of half-baked cash-ins and cheap mobile strategy games.
There are several contenders for the Finest Lord of the Rings video games of all time, but which one is the best?
1. Middle-earth: Shadow Of Mordor
Platforms; PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Windows PC
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor was developed by Monolith Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
Shadow of Mordor follows Talion, a ranger, and Celebrimbor, a phantom (ghost), on their journey for vengeance against Sauron’s soldiers, who ordered the deaths of their loved ones.
Additionally, the shadow of Mordor is a third-person open-world action-adventure game that is similar to The Witcher franchise in terms of gameplay.
Furthermore, its combat system was identical to the same publisher’s Batman: Arkham series. In addition, the Nemesis system, in which the behavior of the in-game foes (Uruks) reacts to your actions, is the most unique and distinct component of Shadow of Mordor.
2. The lords Of The Rings Online
Platforms: iOS, Android, and Windows.
The Lord of the Rings Online is one of the lords of the rings video games. The game debuted in 2007 and hasn’t stopped since is gaming’s ultimate take on Tolkien’s lore.
Even though it just celebrated its tenth anniversary, Turbine’s MMORPG is still one of the most visually appealing genres.
Furthermore, this Middle-earth is divided into 25 different zones and constantly changing; for example, the game’s most recent expansion, War of Three Peaks, was released near 2020.
3. The Lord’s of the Rings: The Battle of The Middle Earth 2
Platforms: PC
Although this sequel shortens the overall experience, EA refines and fleshes out many of the LOTR series’ gameplay components.
As a result, the game is richer and more engaging overall. Furthermore, the game is an excellent RTS experience on the Xbox 360, with some complex controls that are nevertheless manageable.
Despite this, The Battle for Middle-Earth II shines brightest on PC thanks to its user-friendly keyboard and mouse interface. Additionally, battles are more epic than ever here, thanks to the additional capacity to create permanent structures and the addition of Goblins, Dwarves, and Elves.
4. Lego Lords Of The Rings
Platforms: PlayStaion 3, PlayStation $, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, MacOS, iOS, Android, Windows.
Lego Lords of the rings is one of the lords of the rings video games you should play. Lord of the Rings is one of Traveler’s Tales’ famous Lego-themed video game adaptations of popular movie franchises.
Unlike the Middle-earth series, which used the books as source material, Lego Lord of the Rings used the film adaptations of Peter Jackson’s films. In truth, the plot is identical to that of the three films, albeit tweaked to fit Lego’s childlike humor and weirdness.
Furthermore, there are numerous playable characters in Lego Lord of the Rings, each with its own set of abilities. Additionally, in the game’s version of Bag End, the user can construct their character and the established characters from the movies.
5. The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King
Platforms: Windows
One can’t help but desire to act out the battle of Minas Tirith or the exhilarating charge of the Rohirrim when seeing these moments.
Players can do just that in this 2003 ARPG. While the on-screen action and cinematic elements may appear rudimentary to modern eyes, they are excellent for nearly two decades old software.
EA Redwood Shores’ attempt is hard to beat in film-to-game adaptations. Moreover, many of the saga’s essential characters will be playable as players fight their way through many of RotK’s rich, fascinating sequences.
The excellent multiplayer options add to the enjoyment.
6. The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
Platforms: PlayStation 2 and Xbox
The Musou genre is one of the more popular pathways open for licensed brands in Japan, but this is not the case for Western IPs.
Meanwhile, the Lord of the Rings appears to be a great candidate for the Dynasty Warriors treatment, with endless large-scale fights and exotic powers. Until then, Stormfront Studios’ hack and slash adventure will have to satisfy.
In addition, the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was a critical and financial success at a time when video games seemed destined to make a mockery of Tolkien’s creation.
EA’s release form 2002 is a short but delightful action game that has weathered the test of time.
7. The Hobbit
Platforms: PS2, Nintendo GBA, PC, Xbox
Beam Software’s first attempt at Tolkien’s source material was published in 1982. While many tried to emulate The Hobbit’s success, it took decades for anyone even to come close to matching it.
Words like “innovative” and “game-changing” are thrown about too casually, yet The Hobbit is deserving of such accolades.
Additionally, Beam Software developed one of the most important games of all time by creating a parser system capable of interpreting specific commands and boasting an ever-changing universe complete with three-dimensional non-playable characters.
8. Lord Of Rings: The Third Age
Platforms: PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox.
Lord of the rings; the third age is one of the Lord of the rings video games. Why not have one fun that focuses on all three films after creating video games centered on each movie?
This is precisely what EA Redwood Shores did in 2004 with Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, collaborating with Electronic Arts.
Although the game’s plot was based on the film trilogy, it was not a direct adaptation of all of the events due to significant changes.
For example, many characters emerged in circumstances that were solely solitary encounters in the film.
9. Guardians Of Middle Earth
Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows.
License games have a bad image due to years of disappointment and broken promises. Furthermore, guardians of Middle-earth contain the worst and laziest features of this movement.
Still, Monolith Productions’ MOBA is better than most of its competitors, slapping a recognized coat of paint over a hot genre.
Yes, it’s just a bad DOTA 2 with characters from The Lord of the Rings, but beggars can’t be choosers. Additionally, guardians of Middle-earth was one of the better platform MOBAs, although the PC version lacked much to be desired.
10. The Lord Of The Ring: Adventure Card Game
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
The Lord of the Ring: Adventure card games are one of the Lord of the rings video games for gamers. Magic the Gathering has seen a plethora of intriguing gaming endeavors throughout the years.
With Hearthstone, Blizzard took this to the next level, while Fantasy Flight Interactive added a humorous Lord of the Rings layer to the formula.
Additionally, the events of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring are intertwined in this game. This engrossing notion is bolstered by vibrant card illustrations and gameplay that strike a mix between depth and accessibility.
Furthermore, this romp has lasting power thanks to a complex campaign, compelling gameplay, co-op elements, and multiple customizations.
Though it’s been described as “rough around the edges” and “bordering on repetition,” this is a fun card game that Hearthstone and Lord of the Rings fans will appreciate.
11. Lord Of The Rings: War In The North
Platforms: Xbox 360, macOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation.
By 2011, the focus of interest in Tolkien’s works had mainly turned to the planned Hobbit film, released a year later.
Additionally, WB Interactive and Snowblind Studios didn’t let that stop them from creating a fantastic 12-hour action-adventure.
While the game isn’t perfect, War in the North’s charm stems from its straightforward yet addictive hack-and-slash combat.
Moreover, this lesser-known LOTR title is worth a look, thanks to some engaging co-op, decent visuals. And also the novelty of witnessing a completely new story set in Middle-Earth.
12. The Lord Of The Ring: Tactics
Platforms: PlayStation Portable
the Lord of the Ring: tactics is one of the Lord of the rings video games. Even though Sony pretends that the PlayStation Vita does not exist, both of its portable devices contain a trove of lost gems worth playing.
To be clear, The Lord of the Rings: Tactics isn’t some forgotten classic deserving of praise, but EA created a passable Middle-earth-themed turn-based role-playing game.
Furthermore, the PlayStation Portable’s restricted technology could only handle a small number of units simultaneously.
Therefore battles are conducted on a grid system that favors taking a more tactical approach than merely sometimes downing a health potion.
Despite failing to replicate the sense of the size of the source material, Tactics is still a good game.
13. The Lord Of The Ring: War Of The Ring:
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
The real-time strategy appears to be Tolkien’s preferred genre, yet many games struggle to strike the correct mix between realism and playability. In Addition, Liquid Entertainment had already proven its worth with Battle Realms in 2001.
Thus the studio should have been a natural fit for The Lord of the Rings. While War of the Ring is a good film, the studio did not go far enough with the license.
Furthermore, the game is divided into two campaigns: one for good and one for evil.
The former features a vast spectrum of friends from places like Gondor and Rohan, but the individual factions lack variation. However, War of the Ring is neither a brilliant adaption nor a memorable strategy game as it now stands.
14. The Lord Of The Rings: Aragorn’s Quest
Platforms:
The Lord of the rings; Aragorn’s Quest is one of the Lord of the rings video games.
Fitting all three books into one bundle would be an impossible undertaking unless the developer is willing to make some concessions.
Furthermore, The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest chronicles the activities of Gondor’s future king during the War of the Ring from the perspective of a fatherly Samwise Gamgee.
Furthermore, Headstrong Games put prepared a highlight video based on Jackson’s adaptation of Tolkien’s novels, narrating everything from Aragorn’s introduction with the Hobbits in Bree to the climactic fight at the gates of Mordor.
Additionally, the fighting is slightly too rudimentary, with only five moves available to the players, to elevate Aragorn’s Quest to anything more than a tolerable waste of time.
15. The Lord of The Ring: The Fellowship Of The Ring
Platforms:
Following the box office success of Michael Jackson’s films, three licensed games were created to coincide with their movies.
Furthermore, the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, released in 2002, was the only one not to be published by Electronic Arts or input from Griptnite Games.
Its only saving grace included aspects from the book that did not make the film’s final cut.
As a result, this is virtually a must-play for those desperate to acquire the entire scope. Nonetheless, we recommend simply reading Tolkien’s writings if that is the case.
While not a bad game, The Fellowship of the Ring suffers from a lack of variety in its fighting.
