# What is the best Lord of the Rings video game?

> Middle-earth has inspired dozens of video games across four decades. Which Lord of the Rings game deserves the One Ring?

*By YPB Team · Published May 20, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-lord-of-the-rings-video-game*

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## Current results (0 votes)

1. **Shadow of Mordor**
   A 2014 open-world action-RPG celebrated for its revolutionary Nemesis System and fluid Assassin's Creed-inspired combat.
2. **Shadow of War**
   The 2017 sequel that expanded the Nemesis System to fortress sieges and a fully open Mordor to conquer.
3. **LEGO The Lord of the Rings**
   A 2012 surprisingly faithful brick adaptation using original film dialogue and covering all three Peter Jackson movies.
4. **The Two Towers (EA)**
   A 2002 EA beat-em-up that put players inside the battle of Helm's Deep with stunning film footage as cutscenes.
5. **The Return of the King (EA)**
   The 2003 EA follow-up — three-player co-op hack-and-slash across the entirety of Tolkien's final act.
6. **The Lord of the Rings Online**
   The 2007 massively multiplayer RPG set in Middle-earth that is still actively updated nearly two decades later.
7. **Return to Moria**
   A 2023 survival-crafting game set beneath Khazad-dûm — praised for its fidelity to Tolkien lore and atmosphere.
8. **The Third Age**
   A 2004 Final Fantasy-inspired turn-based RPG that charted an original fellowship's journey alongside the main story.
9. **The Hobbit (2003)**
   A 2003 stealth-platformer faithfully following Bilbo's journey from the Shire to the Lonely Mountain.
10. **The Fellowship of the Ring (Vivendi)**
   A 2002 atmospheric RPG following the book rather than the film, praised for its faithful recreation of the novel.
11. **Conquest**
   A 2009 Pandemic Studios battlefield game allowing players to relive — or rewrite — the great battles of Middle-earth.

Tags: fantasy, games, adventure, franchises, classics