Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game

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63

Top Critic Average

31%

Critics Recommend

PC Gamer
67 / 100
IGN
4 / 10
Game Rant
7 / 10
GamesRadar+
3 / 5
GameSpot
4 / 10
Hardcore Gamer
3.5 / 5
Nintendo Life
4 / 10
DualShockers
5.5 / 10
Creators: Wētā Workshop, Private Division
Release Date: Jul 29, 2025 - PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC
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Critic Reviews for Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game

Great cooking and foraging systems, but not a lot else to keep you busy.

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Despite an incredibly promising premise, Tales of the Shire is dreadfully boring and extremely buggy to boot.

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A Lord of the Rings life-sim, Tales of the Shire tries to live up to its inherently great premise, but the Hobbit game falls short in a few ways.

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GamesRadar+

Emma-Jane Betts
GamesRadar+

I can thankfully say that, for all its faults, the cozy title does the lore justice and honours the work that we all love. Will I return to Bywater? Probably not. But am I glad I visited the hairy-footed residents? Undoubtedly so.

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GameSpot

Jessica Cogswell
4 / 10
GameSpot

Tales of the Shire has some charming ideas, but dull gameplay, heaps of bugs, and a general sense of emptiness ultimately drag the promising life-sim down to the pits of Moria.

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An unexpected journey into Bywater provides a calming village experience with your fellow Hobbits.

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Cosy gaming+hobbits seems like a match made in Valinor, and Tales of the Shire tries hard to meet that lofty goal - but in its current state, at least on Switch, this game is unfortunately almost as much of a slog as schlepping evil jewellery to a distant volcano.

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The constant crashes and lack of an autosave have put me in quite an anxious state for a cozy game, as I make sure to save before doing anything. While I feel the game has made its way 'there', it's not quite ‘back again’ and needs a bit more time before it’s really ready for an adventure.

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Industry Coverage

Tales of the Shire Reveals New Character Ahead of Launch [EXCLUSIVE]

Tales of the Shire Reveals New Character Ahead of Launch [EXCLUSIVE]

Game Rant can exclusively reveal a new look at an old character from Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game, Weta Gameshop's upcoming life sim.

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Tales of the Shire Has Steep System Requirements for a Cozy Game

Tales of the Shire Has Steep System Requirements for a Cozy Game

Weta Workshop reveals the system requirements for Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game, and they are surprisingly demanding.

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Tales Of The Shire Has Been Delayed Again, Needs "A Bit More Simmering"

Tales Of The Shire Has Been Delayed Again, Needs "A Bit More Simmering"

Tales of the Shire has been delayed to summer 2025.

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