Within the fantasy genre, it’s hard to think of an IP more important than J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. It certainly wasn’t the first novel to feature concepts like elves, dark wizards, and orcs, but it was among the first to bring these elements together in a compelling, contemporary way.
Naturally, the novel (usually printed as three separate volumes) has left an indelible mark on modern culture, most notably through Peter Jackson’s renowned film adaptations. But the IP has also been impactful in the gaming medium, where many terrific fantasy games would likely not have existed had Tolkien never penned The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and other supplemental materials and spin-offs.
The RPG genre is especially rife with LoTR-inspired works. If I had to recommend just seven, though, they would be the following.
To avoid being overly obvious and redundant, this list will not feature any of the many official The Lord of the Rings video game adaptations, only third-party titles that are similar to The Lord of the Rings in various ways.
Final Fantasy 16
High-Fantasy Gravitas And Flair
It’s definitely a touch more anime-influenced than your typical high-fantasy tale, but Final Fantasy 16 is nevertheless a great fit for any Lord of the Rings fan. Specifically, Final Fantasy 16 homes in on the grand sense of adventure and drama captured by Tolkien’s writing.
Click on the game with the higher OpenCritic rating.
More than most other games in the long and storied Final Fantasy franchise, Final Fantasy 16 is about nationwide politics and grand-scale warfare, but it maintains the grand, often charmingly melodramatic style that is so quintessential to the series. This combination of medieval, high-fantasy themes and general Final Fantasy gravitas makes it the best Final Fantasy game for Lord of the Rings fans.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Mold Your Own Merry Band Of Travelers
Not every fantasy game can be likened to The Lord of the Rings. In my view, the games that are most likely to resonate with fans of Tolkien’s opus are those that hone in on whimsy and multifaceted world-building, with shades of more serious elements peppered throughout. Baldur’s Gate 3 fits this bill very well.
This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, considering that Dungeons & Dragons, which Baldur’s Gate 3 is based on, is itself heavily influenced by The Lord of the Rings. It’s no carbon copy of Tolkien’s or Jackson’s work, but Baldur’s Gate 3‘s deeply entrenched fantasy world, which is brimming with bizarre creatures, characters, and concepts, makes it a natural companion piece.
Elden Ring
World-Building On Par With Tolkien’s Own
Co-written by George R.R. Martin, an author who has never been shy about his Lord of the Rings inspirations, Elden Ring is widely hailed as one of the greatest open-world fantasy games of all time. Much of that praise relates to its mechanics and world design, which is fair, but its lore and world-building shouldn’t be overlooked. Indeed, Elden Ring might be the best-written FromSoft game out there.
It’s much darker and more grotesque than The Lord of the Rings, but it still manifests the same grand world-building of that seminal text. Moreover, Elden Ring‘s FromSoft-isms actually put it in a deeper, more complex conversation with The Lord of the Rings, whose supplementary texts like The Silmarillion reveal just how labyrinthine and well-devised Middle-earth’s history and mythology really are.
Flights Of Fancy
-
via Bethesda -
Game Rant | Source images via Bethesda -
Image via Bethesda Softworks
The Lord of the Rings is derivative of Anglo-Saxon and Arthurian myth, whereas The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim clearly takes its cues from Nordic mythology in many respects. That said, it’s still a fairly traditional Western fantasy project as a whole, featuring dragons, dark wizards, reserved, magical elves, et cetera.
This mix of new and familiar makes Skyrim an easy game to recommend to Lord of the Rings enthusiasts, as does its sense of sprawling freedom. The Lord of the Rings is a story about, among other things, adventure on a massive scale: its characters are constantly walking somewhere, stopping at inns, getting diverted by secondary missions, dealing with ambushes, and so on. Skyrim offers all that and more in its massive world crammed full of quests and distractions.
Dragon Age: Origins
Deceptively Grim And Nuanced
There are a great many things to love about Dragon Age: Origins, with several of its strengths shared with The Lord of the Rings, but if I had to pick an element that aligns with Tolkien’s work best, it would be world-building. More specifically, Dragon Age: Origins presents robust and nuanced dynamics between fantasy races in a manner that’s highly reminiscent of LoTR.
It’s not a carbon copy, of course. For example, Dragon Age positions humans as the dominant race, with elves being second-class citizens. It’s a strikingly original fantasy world that still pays homage to the conventions of its genre, which J.R.R. Tolkien had a major hand in creating, of course.
Chrono Trigger
In Over Your Head
Of all the games on this list, Chrono Trigger is admittedly the least like The Lord of the Rings. On its face, its science-fantasy plot seems to have more in common with a classic Square Enix game than anything Tolkien-related, but I feel that there’s a sort of spiritual kinship between the two.
Like Frodo in The Lord of the Rings, Chrono Trigger‘s protagonist, Crono, is living an ordinary life when he is thrust into an incredible, almost incomprehensible adventure. Rather than being populated by elves, dwarves, knights, and wizards, Chrono Trigger‘s party features characters from across time, making for an even more motley crew. It’s the dynamic between these teammates, coupled with the interruption of mundanity by wide-eyed adventure, that makes Chrono Trigger akin to LoTR.
Dragon Quest 11: Echoes Of An Illusive Age
A Colorful Tale Of Underdogs And Destiny
Although he takes it in stride, there’s a certain unfairness about the journey of Dragon Quest 11‘s protagonist. He has his Luminary destiny thrust upon him and has little choice but to follow it, similar to how Frodo is essentially forced by Gandalf to carry the Ring to Mordor. In both stories, the heroes rise to the challenge and overcome great danger, solidifying them as aspirational, likable figures.
Beyond this, Dragon Quest 11 has a certain storybook quality to it that, if anything, is slightly more reminiscent of The Hobbit at times. Still, its high-stakes, action-packed narrative makes it a viable interactive parallel to the story of Frodo and his quest to Mordor.
I’m Abhishek Sharma, an author at TigerJek.com. I enjoy exploring games, testing different strategies, and turning what I learn into clear, useful guides. My goal is to help players understand the game better and improve without the usual confusion.
