The Lord of the Rings will always be one of the greatest stories told through incredible movies and even better books. This has spawned many games, some barely mentionable, and others that stand the test of time.
These games range from RPGs following addressed stories to filling in the gaps of other things happening during the war. With the Rings of Power’s release, many are looking to get back into the world of Tolkien. Here are the 10 best Lord of the Rings games you need to try right away.
10 War In The North
Being one of the lesser-known Lord of the Rings games, this game focuses on lesser-known characters during the events of the Fellowship of the Ring. This game starts out with the well-known face of Aragorn in Bree, then transitions away towards the northern war with the Witch King.
The combat can be slightly repetitive, but the ability to switch between the three unique characters allows you to switch things up. Each of the three heroes has unique weapons and skills, and each can be leveled up and customized further for your preferred play style.
9 The Two Towers![The Two Towers Aragorn Gameplay]()
The Two Towers focuses on the Fellowship’s journey through the events of the Fellowship of the Ring and the Two Towers. While the gameplay may be a bit dated for today’s standards, it’s still incredibly fun to play through some of the biggest moments of the Fellowship like Helm’s Deep.
You’re able to play as Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Gandalf, Frodo, and Éomer. Each character has their own set of passive and usable abilities, making their play style unique from the others. Each character can level up and unlock new abilities for later missions.
8 Lord of the Rings Online![LOTR Online Before the Shadow Promo]()
Lord of the Rings online plays much like any other MMO. You’re able to create your character, customizing their looks and picking your class. You are limited to only good races, as all enemies are Sauron’s forces.
There are many regions of Middle Earth to explore, with many small missions to accomplish or larger stories to follow. This is also one of the few MMOs to not include regular PVP. You’re able to request a 1v1 with another player, but this is purely for bragging rights and has no real benefit.
7 LEGO Lord of the Rings![Lego LOTR Aragorn at Mt Doom]()
This game follows the original movie trilogy, allowing players to experience major moments from the movies in Lego form. Much like any Lego adaptation, it adds a funny lighthearted tone to an otherwise dark story.
This adaptation can be both fun and faithful. This game also offers a free roam mode, allowing you to explore much of Middle Earth as one of the 80 playable characters. This game offers an added inventory system, where you collect weapons or magical items to assist in combat.
6 Lord of the Rings Conquest![LOTR Conquest Cover Image]()
Much like the battlefront games from the same publisher, this game sees your picking a class and attempting to complete objectives and defeat enemies. There is a free play option along with a light and dark side campaign. The light side campaign sees you at the biggest moments from the movies while the dark side campaign has Sauron conquering Middle-Earth after getting the One ring.
Along with the basic classes, you’re able to play as select heroes or as larger trolls, ents, or mounted units. Combat follows basic hack and slash mechanics, but can be surprising and rewarding against the weaker grunt enemies.
5 The Return of the King![The Return of the King Gandalf Gameplay]()
Much like its predecessor, The Return of the King has similar gameplay mechanics. It takes what is already there and refines the combat and graphics, now following the story of The Return of the King. After the initial mission, you’re able to pick one of the three stories you want to follow, each following its own cast.
This game puts players in many moments from the third movie, some they may not recognize unless they’ve seen the director’s cuts. This game also has a co-op mode, allowing a second player to join in as one of the other companions on that path.
4 Shadow of Mordor![Shadow of Mordor Talion and Celebrimbor Fighting]()
This game follows a Ranger from the black gate and the wraith of Celebrimbor as they fight through Mordor to give the realm of men more time to prepare. The nemesis system is still in its early stages but was an incredible addition. Making recurring enemies out of unnamed orcs made this world feel full and alive.
Orc captains are the center of this game, with unique personalities and stats, making each fight different from the last. In the second half of the game, you’re given the ability to dominate orcs. Dominated captains can be assisted as they rise in the ranks, and can be used to take out other dangerous enemies in the world.
3 Battle for Middle Earth![Battle For Middle Earth Gondor City]()
This is easily one of the better RTS games out there. Here you pick one of the 4 factions, Rohan, Gondor, Mordor, or Isengard, to command a base and army to fight your enemies. Each race has multiple units to create, each with its own strengths and weakness requiring complex army competitions to win a battle.
Quick battles are an option, but the campaign mode in this game is surprisingly extensive. Following every step during the war for the ring, your army moves around a map of middle earth, getting upgrades with each battle. The surviving units at the end of a battle are then carried over to the next area that the army is moved to. You can fight every major battle in the series, as either the dark or the light side.
2 Shadow of War![Shadow of War Talion Commanding Orcs]()
The sequel to Shadow of Mordor, this game takes everything good about the last game to create this. Following Talion’s story, he now has a new ring of power which lets him dominate more orc armies up greatly and wage war on a much larger scale.
The nemesis system has been greatly scaled up, making each captain even more unique and with many more new skills to pick from. Talion has an extensive skill tree himself, and the constant taking and losing of forts will lead to many hours in this game.
1 Battle for Middle Earth II: Rise of the Witch King
Easily doubling the original Battle for Middle Earth in scale, you can now pick from 7 factions to play as. Commanding bigger armies, creating your own hero and simulated multi-battle campaigns are just a few of the many additions to this game. Each recurring faction also has more units and buildings to choose from, expanding its capabilities from the last game.
Base building is not limited to slots around a capital, as you’re able to build a building anywhere terrain is not in your way. The campaign is more linear, following the dark or light side in specific missions, but still helps expand the lore showing what the Elves and Dwarves are doing during the war for the One Ring.
