This Cozy Video Game Focuses on the Slower Side of Middle Earth

Published: August 6, 2025

By Gavin Boyle

There’s more to video games than battles. For players who want a more mellow experience, a new Lord of The Rings video game aims to draw people into the fantasy created by JRR Tolkien.

“Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game” allows players to interact with Middle Earth in a relaxing way, free from the peril that permeates all of Tolkien’s novels.

“The world of the Shire is the core for what the whole battle of the Ring and the wider story of what Middle-earth was fighting for: preserving that perfect ideality in the middle of all that chaos,” Stephen Lambert, the director of the game, told Variety. “And so much of a hobbit’s life and their daily activities revolve around food that that became a natural core pillar of the game. That food was love…and we were going to run our day around preparing meals, sharing meals, building relationships with other hobbits through your making of meals and then all the activities that kind of led into that.”

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By focusing on community, the game hopes to point players toward some of the aspects of life that Tolkien thought were worth fighting for throughout his epic story. Meanwhile, players will also be able to interact with some of the Middle Earth’s most popular characters, including Gandalf, who greets the player at the very start of the game.

“Create your own Hobbit as you set forth in Bywater. Though not yet established as an official village in Hobbiton, play a part in helping the quaint town flourish,” a description of the game reads. “Greet comfort at the door as you decorate your own Hobbit hole, tend to your garden, fish at the clear ponds, forage wild fruits and herbs, or trade with townsfolk. Prepare homemade meals to share with fellow Hobbits and foster relationships.”

While “Tales of the Shire” is one of the most easygoing entries in the Lord of the Rings series, it is not the only project to come to the fantasy world. Along with a third season of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER, a new movie is also in the works which focuses on the happenings of Gollum.

“The Gollum/Sméagol character has always fascinated me because Gollum reflects the worst of human nature, whilst his Sméagol side is, arguably, quite sympathetic,” explained Peter Jackson, the director of the previous LORD OF THE RINGS and THE HOBBIT trilogies. “I think he connects with readers and film audiences alike, because there’s a little bit of both of them in all of us.”

“We really want to explore his backstory and delve into those parts of his journey we didn’t have time to cover in the earlier films,” Jackson continued. “It’s too soon to know who will cross his path, but suffice to say we will take our lead from Professor Tolkien.”

“Tales of the Shire” is now available to play on all of the major gaming platforms along with PC.

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