Lord of the Rings Fans Unite Behind Upcoming Open-World Game

When Lord of the Rings fans see news floating around of an open-world game set in Middle-earth currently in development, despite any internal excitement they might initially feel, they may also be quick to dismiss it—especially if that news is making bold claims about its scale or direct comparisons to other popular open-world games. Ultimately, that’s due to how long they’ve been waiting for a game like that, after Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film trilogy from the early 2000s helped popularize the story and world on a more global scale and gamers began wanting to see it all translated into something they could actually live in and interact with rather than merely watch. However, time has gone on, and there has been no such game to speak of, although games like Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and The Lord of the Rings Online have helped curb the cravings.

Still, fans haven’t stopped hoping for the Lord of the Rings game of their dreams to arrive, one that finally allows them to explore all of Middle-earth to their heart’s content. As it turns out, they might actually be in luck, as rumors of an open-world Lord of the Rings RPG have been gaining more traction lately, although their lack of connection to credible sources still makes the possibility of it actually happening less so. If those rumors turn out to be true, then this could be the first time a Lord of the Rings game actually delivers what fans have been dreaming about for decades, and what they’re still requesting to this day.

An Open-World Lord of the Rings Game Needs to Happen

Rumors have been circulating about an open-world Lord of the Rings RPG for months, specifically since September of last year when a report from Insider Gaming claimed that sources close to the game told the outlet that one was in development. The same report mentioned that it would be a third-person action game designed to compete with Hogwarts Legacy, and once fans got wind of the news, it spread like wildfire on social media.

A Reddit post by No-Risk-9833 made back in January, for example, features a screenshot of a post on X making that very claim—that an open-world Lord of the Rings game aiming to “go beyond Hogwarts Legacy” was in development—and it managed to garner nearly 8,000 upvotes. Some users reacted with excitement, like Bazorth, who said, “I’m literally watching ROTK right now and I would 100% sink more hours into this than GTA6.” Others were more skeptical. User M1fourX, for example, commented, “It would be amazing but I never get my hopes up anymore,” and Treebeardus agreed with the sentiment, stating, “Believe it when I see it.”

Despite the skepticism, though, this is just a sign of how much Lord of the Rings fans have been wanting an open-world game set in Middle-earth, and how prepared they are to be disappointed if the rumors prove untrue. Many of the franchise’s older fans, in fact, have been waiting 20 years or longer for something to manifest, like Reddit user West-Commission9082, who stated as much in a post made earlier this year. While many users made comments pointing to The Lord of the Rings Online as the perfect substitute, others, like Cheerio_Wolf, fought back at that sentiment with, “Clearly this is not what people mean when they ask for a new open-world LOTR game,” suggesting it’s an immersive, single-player, open-world game that fans have been waiting for—not an MMO.

But other users nonetheless backed West-Commission9082’s original statement of, “It’s absurd that i have been waiting for an open-world LOTR RPG for almost 20 years.” NoSeaworthiness2516 outright agreed, saying, “It’s insane. One of the best IPs,” and VeryIntoCardboard stated something similar with, “The world building is perfect for something like a Skyrim style game.”

Monolith Productions’ Middle-earth Series Isn’t Even a Proper Substitute

Of course, even more push back comes about when this topic is brought up, with it largely revolving around the Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor series. After all, both Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War are open-world Lord of the Rings games. However, the difference is, first of all, that the Middle-earth games are confined to Mordor, meaning players can’t actually go out and explore Middle-earth. This also makes each game lean more toward the action side of the aisle than adventure, since exploration isn’t about discovery so much as it is about moving between objectives within a controlled space.

Reddit user SSAUS emphasized as much when they stated in the same post, “…if it’s not people talking about LOTRO, it’s people talking about the Shadow games, which were good, but were more actiony and restricted to Mordor.” Others in the post agreed that the Shadow games were good, but it’s clear the OP wasn’t willing to count them as what they were looking for. Rather, as other fans stated, something more in the same vein as Skyrim and yet set in the Lord of the Rings universe is ultimately what they want.

The Rumored Lord of the Rings Game Is Now Drawing Comparisons to Crimson Desert

Even more recently, the rumored open-world Lord of the Rings game has been drawing comparisons to Crimson Desert, making the idea that such a game exists sound even more far-fetched. First, it was apparently aiming to be better than Hogwarts Legacy, and now it claims to have a map larger than Skyrim and Red Dead Redemption 2. It could be that the massive success of Crimson Desert has simply excited fans who are still hoping that an open-world Lord of the Rings game is really happening, and they’ve allowed their hopes to create a false narrative that spun out of control so quickly it actually seems believable.

But skepticism seems to be the go-to for most fans when it comes to those claims, and a recent post by Reddit user itizturnip proves as much. While some believe it could be real, users like Cloud_N0ne have no problem pouring water on the fire. “I keep seeing these posts and yeah, it’s just bull&*%,” they said. “From the AI slop images to the “information” they’re sharing.” User PsychicSweat agreed, stating, “Those pictures look like AI. I’ll believe it when there is a playable product.”

In short, it seems like the more this rumor gets pushed, the less believable it becomes. Nevertheless, there likely isn’t a Lord of the Rings gamer on this earth who wouldn’t jump at the chance to play an open-world game like Hogwarts Legacy or Crimson Desert set in Middle-earth. That kind of demand isn’t going anywhere, no matter how many rumors fall apart along the way. If anything, it only makes the idea of a real one landing someday feel even more inevitable.

Rumors Now Point to Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Studio Developing an Open-World LotR Game

More recent rumors have started attaching a specific name to the project, and that’s where things have taken a turn. In late March 2026, claims surfaced that Warhorse Studios, the team behind Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, could be working on a massive open-world Lord of the Rings RPG, with some reports even suggesting a budget around $100 million. That idea has been enough to reignite interest almost instantly, largely because Warhorse’s reputation for its realistic open worlds feels like a natural fit for Middle-earth. At the same time, more grounded reporting has pushed back on that claim, suggesting that Crystal Dynamics is actually the studio attached to the primary, better-sourced project, leaving Warhorse’s involvement uncertain at best.

But that contradiction is really the whole story right now. On one hand, the idea of Warhorse tackling Middle-earth is exactly the kind of scenario fans have been waiting for, which is why the rumor has spread so quickly. On the other, the lack of consistent reporting makes it difficult to separate what’s real from what people simply want to believe. Whether it ends up being Warhorse, Crystal Dynamics, or someone else entirely, the reaction to these rumors says more than the rumors themselves. The demand for a true open-world Lord of the Rings game hasn’t calmed down, and until something official finally steps in to fill that gap, speculation like this is always going to find a way to take hold.

Created by

J. R. R. Tolkien

Where to watch

HBO Max

Movie(s)

The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King