Published Aug 1, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT
James is a gaming writer from London who has spent thousands of hours exploring titles from every genre. Though he has a particular affinity for multiplayer titles like World of Warcraft, Destiny 2 and League of Legends, he has also put thousands of hours into single-player experiences, from deep RPGs to epic PC strategies. When he's not playing or writing, he can usually be found supporting his beloved Brentford FC.
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In my wholly unimportant opinion, The Lord of the Rings stands alone as the best fantasy series in the history of the genre, if only for the depth of the world it creates and brings to life. There are plenty of stellar, more modern efforts out there that all deserve their flowers, but without Tolkien's masterwork, there's a fair argument to say that none of them would exist in their current form.
Equally, Lord of the Rings fans have been particularly blessed with other adaptations over the years, and though Peter Jackson's film trilogy remains the standout, there have also been some great games. With the franchise as healthy as ever, and season three of The Rings of Power on the way soon, you might be in the mood to have some fun in Middle-earth. Here are six of your best options.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
The game that introduced the now-beloved Nemesis system to the world, Shadow of Mordor still feels like the tighter experience when compared to the sequel. Shadow of War came with lots of bells and whistles, but many of them ended up feeling like busy work. Not so in the original, and though there were plenty of canon-smashing moments along the way, there was plenty to like in what the writers came up with. Gameplay was also about as fluid as it gets for the time, and even new releases struggle to match its cohesive approach to combat. A true five-star effort.
LEGO: The Lord of the Rings
LEGO: The Lord of the Rings has an argument to also being the best LEGO/movie spin-off, outside of the obviously brilliant Star Wars games. A big part of that is the absolutely bonkers open- world they built for players to explore, where it's possible to literally walk from one end of the map to the other. It takes ages, but you can do it, and there's something genuinely magical about that. Gameplay is much the same as what you would expect from a LEGO entry, but this really is one of the best of the bunch to date.
The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-earth II
Though it is now unforgiveably difficult to find after a series of licensing issues saw it pulled from online stores, The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-earth II is still an outstanding strategy game that deserves to be talked about in any conversations like the one we're having. Fighting on either side of the War of the Ring, players had to build up their armies and lands before smashing the enemy base. There were also hero characters, special abilities and a bunch of other elements that really turned this into the complete package.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Going with only one Lord of the Rings movie adaptation for the purposes of this list, and Return of the King stands as alone as Theoden did at Helm's Deep. The fast-paced action combat takes players through all of the major moments in the film, and there's a lot more characters you can use in this one, compared to the also-excellent predecessor. About as good as direct adaptations have ever been in either direction, that also happens to hold up particularly well to the scrutiny of age.
The Lord of the Rings Online
The biggest and best MMO tied to The Lord of the Rings is also one of the best games in the genre as a whole. Its real strength is undoubtedly the fully realized map of Middle-earth, that you could literally spend months exploring and not see anywhere near all of it. Gameplay may feel a little stilted for the gamer with 2026 tastes, but its a gorgeously realized world that you'll struggle to find in any other adaptations.
The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
The only turn-based entry on this list, The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age deserves a lot more credit than it seems to get. For what is essentially a Final Fantasy clone, there really is a surprising amount of depth here, with fully original characters and a story that takes place in parallel with the main narrative. It also coalesces for major points in the plot, including Gandalf's epic struggle with the Balrog. If you've got a PS2, OG Xbox or GameCube to hand, you really could do a lot worse than spend a few hours here next weekend.
That's the complete list! Keep it secret. Keep it safe.
Created by J.R.R. Tolkien
English (US) ·