Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ similar games & best alternatives

Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ - middle-earth-shadow-of-war_1.avif
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ - middle-earth-shadow-of-war_2.avif
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ - middle-earth-shadow-of-war_3.avif
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ - middle-earth-shadow-of-war_4.avif
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ - middle-earth-shadow-of-war_5.avif
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ - middle-earth-shadow-of-war_6.avif

Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™

Android, iOS • 2017

Should you play it?

Experience an epic open-world brought to life by the award-winning Nemesis System. Forge a new Ring of Power, conquer Fortresses in massive battles and dominate Mordor with your personal orc army in Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™.

What works

  • Innovative and deep nemesis system
  • Engaging and fluid combat mechanics
  • High replayability with emergent stories
  • Large, varied open world with exploration
  • Strong narrative and character interactions

Things to keep in mind

  • Repetitive elements in late game fortress defense
  • Annoying unskippable orc dialogue
  • Some bugs and performance issues reported
  • Grinding required for army progression
  • Microtransaction system (removed later) caused controversy

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Conan Exiles Enhanced

  • Age of Wonders III

  • Dune: Awakening

  • Age of Wonders: Planetfall

  • Age of Wonders 4

  • Assassin's Creed® Revelations

Less dominating

Games that feels like Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ but with less domination over others

  • Dragon Age™ Inquisition

  • Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

  • Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide

  • Frosthaven

  • Warframe

  • Solasta: Crown of the Magister

Less leadership-focused

Games that feels like Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ but with less leadership over others

  • God of War Ragnarök

  • Horizon Forbidden West™ Complete Edition

  • Risen 3 - Titan Lords

  • ELDEN RING

  • DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin

  • GreedFall

Choose your own criteria ->

Similarity map

How to compare these games

Compare nearby games

Each card is a nearby game on the similarity map, compared with Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™. Swipe sideways to move between games. Titles already listed in What to play next are left out.

  • Cover and title: open that game’s page.
  • What works / keep in mind: the same highlights as the desktop comparison panel.
  • Bars: the main motivational differences versus this game.
How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

Swipe to compare nearby games with Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™. These titles are not in What to play next.

Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™: A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Competition, Status, Fellowship, Domination. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Story, Leadership, Fantasy.

Last update: 21/08/2026