I would consider myself a massive Lord of the Rings fan. I love collecting, watching, and playing anything Tolkien! Throughout the years, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth has inspired LOADS of video games, each offering unique experiences within this rich universe. From the Commodore to modern consoles/PCs, here is a list of every LOTR/Tolkien game there is and has ever been:
The Hobbit (1982)
- Developer: Beam Software
- Platforms: Amstrad CPC, Apple II, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, MSX
One of the earliest text-based adventure games, The Hobbit follows Bilbo Baggins’ journey from the book. It was notable for its complex text parser, real-time gameplay elements, and the ability for NPCs to act independently. It was highly influential in interactive fiction.
Lord of the Rings: Game One (1985)
- Developer: Beam Software
- Platforms: Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum
A text-based adventure covering the early parts of Frodo’s quest. It was well-regarded for staying true to Tolkien’s work but was challenging due to its text-based interface and puzzles.
Shadows of Mordor: Game Two of Lord of the Rings (1987)
- Developer: Beam Software
- Platforms: Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum
A sequel to Game One, this text adventure follows Frodo and Sam’s journey through Mordor. It expanded on the mechanics of its predecessor but retained the same interface and structure.
War in Middle Earth (1988)
- Developer: Synergistic Software
- Platforms: Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS
A real-time strategy (RTS) game where players control armies in major battles from the trilogy. It combined large-scale war strategy with character-focused gameplay.
The Crack of Doom (1989)
- Developer: Beam Software
- Platforms: Apple II, Commodore 64, DOS
A text adventure that focused solely on Frodo and Sam’s final journey to Mount Doom.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I (1990)
- Developer: Interplay Productions
- Platforms: Amiga, DOS
A top-down RPG covering the first book. It featured open-world exploration, real-time combat, and dialogue-driven quests.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s Riders of Rohan (1991)
- Developer: Beam Software
- Platforms: DOS
A strategy game focused on the Rohirrim’s battles. Featured turn-based tactics.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Vol. II: The Two Towers (1992)
- Developer: Interplay Productions
- Platforms: DOS
An RPG continuation of Vol. I, refining its mechanics with better storytelling.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I (1994, SNES)
- Developer: Interplay Productions
- Platform: Super Nintendo Entertainment System
A real-time action RPG, with Zelda-style gameplay.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2002)
- Developer: WXP (PC), Surreal Software (PS2/Xbox), Pocket Studios (GBA)
- Platforms: Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Game Boy Advance
Fun little game that is based on the book, not the films. Featured adventure and puzzle-solving.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
- Developer: Stormfront Studios
- Platforms: PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance
One of the great PS2 Lord of the Rings games, taking place during the first and second film. The sequel to this game is one of the best-regarded LOTR games of all time.
The Hobbit (2003)
- Developer: Inevitable Entertainment
- Platforms: GameCube, PS2, Xbox, Windows, GBA
A fun little platformer game aimed at kids with combat and puzzles, following Bilbo’s journey.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
- Developer: EA Redwood Shores
- Platforms: PS2, Xbox, GameCube, Windows, GBA
One of the most highly regarded Lord of the Rings games to ever exist. The excellent gameplay of this co-op hack-and-slash game was top tier for its time (and when I replayed it in 2025!). If you didn’t get the chance to play this one. You really do need to.
There was secret interviews exclusively included in this game when you completed the game. I’ve put them together in a compilation video here, if you would like to view it!
The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring (2003)
- Developer: Liquid Entertainment
- Platforms: Windows
A great little RTS game that was inspired by Warcraft III. There are two factions: Free Peoples vs. Sauron’s Forces.
The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (2004)
- Developer: EA Redwood Shores
- Platforms: PS2, Xbox, GameCube, GBA
I didn’t have this game at the time but played through it in 2024 for the first time. What a great gem of a LOTR game this is!
Basically this is a Final Fantasy game set in tolkien’s world. Great!
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth (2004)
- Developer: EA Los Angeles
- Platforms: Windows
The first of the legendary Battle For Middle Earth games. A great RTS game that would lead to the sequel being my all-time favourite RTS game!
The Lord of the Rings: Tactics (2005)
- Developer: EA
- Platforms: PSP
A turn-based strategy game similar to Fire Emblem. I didn’t have the privilege of playing this game at the time, but I have done now. I can imagine that this game was great for its time.
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II (2006)
- Developer: EA Los Angeles
- Platforms: Windows, Xbox 360
Without a doubt, my favourite RTS game. I grew up playing RTS games and when in school, Age of Empires and Age of Mythology took up many hours of my time, but BFME2 will always be my absolute favourite.
The gameplay, the units, the heroes, the sounds, everything about this game is just magic and a must-play for any Lord of the Rings fan.
The Lord of the Rings Online (2007, Ongoing)
- Developer: Turbine
- Platforms: Windows, macOS
Lord of the Rings’ answer to World of Warcraft. This MMORPG is still active today and in my opinion, is one of the best MMORPGs out there.
The gameplay is great, the stories and lore are excellent, and the fact that it is still consistently updated is perfect!
I got this game when it came out but fell away from it after a couple of years. I picked it up again in 2024 and have managed to reach a pretty high level, and am really enjoying it!
The Lord of the Rings: Conquest (2009)
- Developer: Pandemic Studios
- Platforms: Windows, PS3, Xbox 360, DS
Another tremendous Lord of the Rings game was Conquest. This game was basically Star Wars Battlefront, but with a LOTR skin (I wasn’t mad at that). I had hours and hours of co-op fun with friends when this came out, but in 2010, they shut down the servers. I don’t think I’ve even gotten over that betrayal…
The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest (2010)
- Developer: Headstrong Games
- Platforms: PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Wii, Nintendo DS
A family-friendly action-adventure game that retells Aragorn’s journey as narrated by Samwise Gamgee. The Wii version featured motion controls, allowing players to swing Aragorn’s sword. Designed for younger audiences, it had simplified combat and puzzle-solving but still retained an authentic Middle-earth atmosphere.
The Lord of the Rings: Middle-earth Defense (2010, Mobile)
- Developer: Glu Mobile
- Platforms: iOS, Android
A tower defense game where players placed Middle-earth heroes like Aragorn and Gandalf to defend against waves of enemies. It was fairly well-received for its strategic depth and Tolkien-inspired settings but was later discontinued.
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North (2011)
- Developer: Snowblind Studios
- Platforms: Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
This was a really underrated Lord of the Rings game, in my opinion. It basically took the same kind of gameplay from the PS2 games and adapted them for PS3. The story was excellent, the gameplay was excellent, but for some reason, it wasn’t as popular as it should have been. You certainly need to give this one a try if you haven’t already!
Guardians of Middle-earth (2012)
- Developer: Monolith Productions
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
MOBA games were the in-thing, with games like League of Legends dominating the gaming scene. Well, why not bring out a Lord of the Rings version? My god, that a tremendous idea!
Unfortunately, the gameplay mechanics completely let it down. It looked like it would play like League of Legends or DOTA, but it was really just too clunky to play.
I got this game when it came out and still have it on Steam (although the servers shut down in 2014). I recently slogged by way through the game to get all of the unlocks.
The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth (2012, Mobile)
- Developer: Kabam
- Platforms: iOS, Android
A mobile strategy game where players built and managed a kingdom in Middle-earth, recruiting armies of Elves or Dwarves to fight against the enemy. It featured city-building, diplomacy, and PVP battles. The game shut down in 2017 due to declining player numbers.
LEGO The Lord of the Rings (2012)
- Developer: Traveller’s Tales
- Platforms: Windows, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, 3DS, PS Vita
A humorous LEGO adaptation of the trilogy. The gameplay is basically the exact same as the other LEGO games, but it’s infinitely better because it is Lord of the Rings.
LEGO The Hobbit (2014)
- Developer: Traveller’s Tales
- Platforms: Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, 3DS
A LEGO adaptation of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit films, covering An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug. It featured puzzle-solving, humor, and co-op play. However, the final film (The Battle of the Five Armies) was never added, leaving the story incomplete.
The Lord of the Rings: Legends of Middle-earth (2014, Mobile)
- Developer: Kabam
- Platforms: iOS, Android
A mobile RPG focused on character collection and turn-based battles. Players could recruit and level up heroes like Aragorn, Legolas, and Frodo to fight against Sauron’s minions. It was shut down in 2016.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014)
- Developer: Monolith Productions
- Platforms: Windows, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
This was the start of something epic. Shadow of Mordon introduced the award winning Nemesis system and won Game of the Year. The excellent gameplay and mechanics opened the doors to the sequel Shadow of War, which is one of my all time favourite games.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War (2017)
- Developer: Monolith Productions
- Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One
This is one of my all time favourite games. I’m gutted that there won’t be any more made!
This game expanded the award winning Nemesis System from the first game and just created a mind-blowingly excellent game! You would take control of enemy generals, turning them to your side, then with your army, assault the big enemy at the end. What. A. Game.
There was a bit of backlash from this game because of microtransactions, but after the backlash, they were removed.
The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War (2021, Mobile)
- Developer: NetEase
- Platforms: iOS, Android
This mobile game had real potential, but for me, it is just another run-of-the-mill resource management/territory game with a LOTR skin. The servers are pretty complicated because I’ve been kicked out many times and have to start over because they are full (I’ve never heard so much nonsense!).
The game is pretty much pay-to-win and doesn’t really offer anything too great for me personally. The only thing that it has going for it is that it is still active!
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum (2023)
- Developer: Daedalic Entertainment
- Platforms: Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch
This didn’t tickle my fancy when it came out, but I was happy to hear that a new LOTR game was being made, so surely it wouldn’t be crap… Well, it was.
It got panned for poor graphics (I don’t focus on that), gameplay (essential) and AI.
The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth (2023, Mobile)
- Developer: Electronic Arts
- Platforms: iOS, Android
I was terribly upset when the decision was made to close this game, I had played it every day since beta and the kicker was that they didn’t even just release all of the characters for you to play during the last few weeks of the app, even though everyone had been religiously collecting the tokens for it every day (that sucked!).
The game was similar to Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. You unlock characters and fight in turn-based combat to defeat the enemy team.
You can see the gameplay and cutscenes in this video that I made just before it was closed down
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria (2023)
- Developer: Free Range Games
- Platforms: Windows, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
- Overview: A survival-crafting game focused on Dwarves reclaiming Moria.
Once again, not the kind of game that I’m really into, but as far as a survival crafting game, it done it very well. There were battle elements to the game, but I just couldn’t get properly into it (I gave it about 10 hours)
Tales of the Shire (2025)
Overview: A cozy Hobbit life simulator. Features farming, cooking, and social interactions.
Developer: Wētā Workshop, Private Division
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, PC
It’s not my style, but I’m hoping that its intended audience clicks with it and it opens the door for more Lord of the Rings games in the future!
