10 Best Lord of the Rings Games

Ever since J.R.R. Tolkien published The Hobbit in 1937, the world of Middle-earth has continued to capture the imagination of generations.

Since the subsequent release of his acclaimed The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, his works have been adapted numerous times. In addition to Peter Jackson's critically praised live action trilogies, there's also been animated versions of The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings from the 1970's, Amazon's lavish Rings Of Power series, and even a recently rediscovered low-budget Soviet television series from 1991.

There has also been a substantial collection of Lord Of The Rings video games made throughout the decades, the first being a 1982 text-adventure based on The Hobbit. The dozens of games that have transported players to Middle-earth have spanned a wide range of genres from hack-and-slash action to real-time strategy and turn-based RPG.

However, not every game was able to recapture the soaring heights of the source material. Alongside the lukewarm reception to Tales Of The Shire, Lord Of The Rings: Gollum was so disastrous that publisher Daedalic Entertainment closed its internal development division as a result.

Even with these low points, there are nevertheless many excellent games set within Middle-earth that every Tolkien fan needs to play.

One of the most recent Lord Of The Rings titles, Return To Moria is a survival game from developers Free Range Games. Set after the events of Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings trilogy, the plot sees Gimli (once again played by John Rhys-Davies) assemble a group of dwarves from across Middle-earth to help him reclaim the mountain kingdom of Moria.

Players take on the role of one of these dwarves. However, before they can venture into Khazad-dûm, a mysterious explosion separates them from the rest of the expedition. From here, players gather resources and craft equipment to explore deeper into the mountain, uncovering its treasures and dark secrets.

The developers did an excellent job bringing Khazad-dûm to life. Whether it's ominous sounds that emanate from somewhere in the darkness or the attention to detail put into environments, exploration is as atmospheric as it is enticing.

While a steady stream of updates since release have seen huge improvements regarding performance, combat, and the building mechanics, Return To Moria remains a little rough around the edges. However, what it lacks in polish, it makes up for with a rich setting that's guaranteed to scratch an itch for both Tolkien fans and fans of survival games.