The best games set in the J.R.R. Tolkien "Middle Earth" world 2023

Looking for a really good game set in the Middle-earth world of J.R.R. Tolkien? Then we have just the thing: The list with the best Middle-earth games.

Who was J.R.R. Tolkien?

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (January 3, 1892 - September 2, 1973) was an English writer, poet, philologist and academic, best known as the author of the fantasy works The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

Lord of the Rings is one of the most successful books of the 20th century and is considered a foundational work of modern fantasy literature.

Professor of English at Oxford

From 1925 to 1945, he was professor of English at Pembroke College, Oxford - and from 1945 to 1959 at Merton College, Oxford. Tolkien was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II on March 28, 1972, for his works.

Hobby becomes profession - from storyteller to author

When his children were old enough in the early 1920s, Tolkien began telling them imaginative stories on a regular basis. The disappearance of a toy dog belonging to his second son Michael, for example, led to the story "Roverandom." Then in 1930, he began writing the children's story "The Hobbit." Through connections with a publisher through one of his former students, the book "The Hobbit" was then published in 1937.

Work on Lord of the Rings interrupted by World War 2

The direct follow-up project was "The Lord of the Rings," but due to other tasks, World War II, and several publishing disputes, completion dragged on until 1954. Due to paper prices skyrocketing as a result of the World War, the book was published in 3 volumes. Tolkien always rejected the term "trilogy" - actually the book had 6 parts. An unauthorized pirated printing in the USA then finally triggered the wave of success of the fantasy world Middle-earth.

Middle Earth... what is that?

Middle Earth is the fictional setting of much of J. R. R. Tolkien's works. The term corresponds to Miðgarðr of Norse mythology and describes the world inhabited by man. This is the central continent of the Earth in Tolkien's invented mythological past. Tolkien's most widely read works, "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings," are set entirely in Middle Earth. "Middle-earth" has come to be used as an umbrella term for Tolkien's legendary works and his fictional view of the world.

Where is Middle Earth located?

Middle Earth is the main continent of Tolkien's Earth "Arda" in an imaginary period of Earth's past with the end of the Third Age about 6,000 years ago. Tolkien's stories about Middle-earth focus mainly on the northwest of the continent. This part of Middle-earth suggests Europe, the northwest of the Old World, with the environs of the Shire being reminiscent of England (more specifically, the West Midlands, with Hobbiton being on the same latitude as Oxford).

Games based on works by other authors:

A lot of games are based on the works of book authors. Just check out our list of games based on authors below.

List of the best board games from the Tolkien world of Middle-earth that you can buy 2023

This list was last updated on June 1, 2023. We compared 106 board games for this list and selected the top 30. There's also a print version for this list.
  1. Love Letter: The Hobbit – The Battle of the Five Armies

    All details for the board game Love Letter: The Hobbit – The Battle of the Five Armies and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 20 - 30 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  2. The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth

    All details for the board game The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth and similar games
    • 1 - 5 Players
    • 60 - 120 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
  3. Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation

    All details for the board game Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation and similar games
    • 2 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  4. War of the Ring: Second Edition

    All details for the board game War of the Ring: Second Edition and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 150 - 180 Minutes
    • 13+ years old
    • Hard to learn

    Video reviews for War of the Ring: Second Edition

    • YouTube Review for the game "War of the Ring: Second Edition" by Shut Up & Sit Down
      Video is in English
    • YouTube Review for the game "War of the Ring: Second Edition" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  5. Hobbit Tales from the Green Dragon Inn

    All details for the board game Hobbit Tales from the Green Dragon Inn and similar games
    • 2 - 5 Players
    • 20 - 60 Minutes
    • 13+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  6. The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game

    All details for the board game The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game and similar games
    • 1 - 2 Players
    • 30 - 60 Minutes
    • 13+ years old
    • Medium difficulty

    Video reviews for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game

    • YouTube Review for the game "The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  7. The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game – Revised Core Set

    All details for the board game The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game – Revised Core Set and similar games
    • 1 - 4 Players
    • 30 - 90 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
    👍 Good price!55€ atAmazon.de
  8. Lord of the Rings

    All details for the board game Lord of the Rings and similar games

    Nominated for 1 award.

    ⭐️ Nominated for Kinderspiel des Jahres 2003

    More details for Lord of the Rings
    • 2 - 5 Players
    • 20 Minutes
    • 6+ years old
    • Immediately playable

    Video reviews for Lord of the Rings

    • YouTube Review for the game "Lord of the Rings" by Shut Up & Sit Down
      Video is in English
    • YouTube Review for the game "Lord of the Rings" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  9. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Deck-Building Game

    All details for the board game The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Deck-Building Game and similar games
    • 2 - 5 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 15+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  10. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game

    All details for the board game The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game and similar games
    • 2 - 5 Players
    • 45 Minutes
    • 15+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  11. Der Hobbit: Smaugs Einöde

    All details for the board game Der Hobbit: Smaugs Einöde and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 60 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  12. The Lord of the Rings: Journey to Mordor

    All details for the board game The Lord of the Rings: Journey to Mordor and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 20 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  13. The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game – Two-Player Limited Edition Starter

    All details for the board game The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game – Two-Player Limited Edition Starter and similar games
    • 1 - 2 Players
    • Medium difficulty

    Video reviews for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game – Two-Player Limited Edition Starter

    • YouTube Review for the game "The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game – Two-Player Limited Edition Starter" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  14. The Lord of the Rings Labyrinth

    All details for the board game The Lord of the Rings Labyrinth and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 60 Minutes
    • 9+ years old
    • Immediately playable

    Video reviews for The Lord of the Rings Labyrinth

    • YouTube Review for the game "The Lord of the Rings Labyrinth" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  15. The Lord of the Rings

    All details for the board game The Lord of the Rings and similar games

    Nominated for 3 awards and won 1.

    ⭐️ Spiel des Jahres 2001

    More details for The Lord of the Rings
    • 2 - 5 Players
    • 60 - 90 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Medium difficulty

    Video reviews for The Lord of the Rings

    • YouTube Review for the game "The Lord of the Rings" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  16. Exit: The Game – The Lord of the Rings: Shadows over Middle-earth

    All details for the board game Exit: The Game – The Lord of the Rings: Shadows over Middle-earth and similar games
    • 1 - 4 Players
    • 45 - 90 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Easy to learn
    👍 Good price!10€ atAmazon.de
  17. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

    All details for the board game The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and similar games
    • 1 - 4 Players
    • 45 - 60 Minutes
    • 15+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  18. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Deck-Building Game

    All details for the board game The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Deck-Building Game and similar games
    • 2 - 5 Players
    • 45 Minutes
    • 15+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  19. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Deck-Building Game

    All details for the board game The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Deck-Building Game and similar games
    • 2 - 5 Players
    • 30 - 45 Minutes
    • 15+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  20. The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth

    All details for the board game The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  21. The Battle of Five Armies

    All details for the board game The Battle of Five Armies and similar games
    • 2 Players
    • 90 - 240 Minutes
    • 13+ years old
    • Hard to learn
  22. Yahtzee

    All details for the board game Yahtzee and similar games

    🔥 Deal: 52% cheaper than the best Geizhals deal, likely for a short time only!

    More details for Yahtzee
    • 2 - 10 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 6+ years old
    • Immediately playable
    🔥 Great price!6€ atAmazon.de
  23. The Hobbit: Enchanted Gold

    All details for the board game The Hobbit: Enchanted Gold and similar games
    • 2 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  24. Risk: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition

    All details for the board game Risk: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 180 Minutes
    • 9+ years old
    • Easy to learn
    🔥 Great price!59€ atAmazon.de
  25. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

    All details for the board game The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and similar games
    • 1 - 4 Players
    • 40 Minutes
    • 15+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  26. The Hobbit

    All details for the board game The Hobbit and similar games
    • 2 - 5 Players
    • 30 - 45 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Easy to learn

    Video reviews for The Hobbit

    • YouTube Review for the game "The Hobbit" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  27. Lord of the Rings: The Duel

    All details for the board game Lord of the Rings: The Duel and similar games
    • 2 Players
    • 45 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Easy to learn

    Video reviews for Lord of the Rings: The Duel

    • YouTube Review for the game "Lord of the Rings: The Duel" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  28. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Das Kartenspiel

    All details for the board game The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Das Kartenspiel and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  29. The Lord of the Rings: Strategy Battle Game

    All details for the board game The Lord of the Rings: Strategy Battle Game and similar games
    • 2 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
  30. Middle-Earth Quest

    All details for the board game Middle-Earth Quest and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 180 Minutes
    • 13+ years old
    • Hard to learn

Didn't find the game you were looking for?

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