Lord of the Rings: War in the North

Worth buying? What 300 Steam reviews say.Worth buying? Here’s what 300 Steam reviews actually say.

Very Positive · 81%Very Positive · 81%2011

The verdict

A linear, simple but satisfying Lord of the Rings co-op hack-and-slash with a faithful side story. Skip it if you're solo, on AMD or Windows 10+ hardware, or want deep combat.

Great for

Tolkien fans with two friends who want a simple, satisfying orc-slaying co-op romp

Main risk

Crashes, bugs and multiplayer disconnects, plus repetitive combat that gets dull, especially solo

What players love

Great three-player co-op

Mentioned in ~1 in 3 positive reviews

“Each character has their own strengths and it actually feels rewarding when you and your friends coordinate in co-op.”
Steam review · 6.8 h played ↗

“I wish more people could play this game because it is awesome for co op”
Steam review · 34.5 h played ↗

“I strongly recommend the game for co-op! Seriously, gather your friends and play as a trio!”
Steam review · translated · 37.5 h played ↗

Faithful Tolkien lore and atmosphere

Mentioned in ~1 in 5 positive reviews

“Best LOTR game - very faithful to the lore of the books and the art style of the movie trilogy”
Steam review · 5.3 h played ↗

“If you speak to the characters in the game, there is so much lore included from the books.”
Steam review · 40.8 h played ↗

“The game's main strength is its atmosphere.”
Steam review · translated · 16.6 h played ↗

Still fun and underrated after years

Mentioned in ~1 in 5 positive reviews

“Phenomenal throwback to some of the best LOTR games. Still holds strong in 2026.”
Steam review · 20.4 h played ↗

“A real masterpiece from 2011 that beats modern AAA trash.”
Steam review · 14.9 h played ↗

Three distinct classes with builds and loot

Mentioned in ~1 in 6 positive reviews

“The combination of different character classes, skill trees, and equipment options encourages multiple playthroughs.”
Steam review · 11.1 h played ↗

“Each of the three heroes has unique abilities.”
Steam review · translated · 17 h played ↗

Original side story with good voice acting

Mentioned in ~1 in 6 positive reviews

“Not only is a story untold, but a good one at that.”
Steam review · 40.1 h played ↗

“Great voice acting, better lore than the Mordor games”
Steam review · 7.6 h played ↗

Satisfying, brutal melee combat

Mentioned in ~1 in 6 positive reviews

“Simple but fun with meaty and satisfying melee combat.”
Steam review · 22.3 h played ↗

“The fights are intense, combos are easy to execute and enemies' limbs fly all over as you chop Orc after Orc.”
Steam review · 15.7 h played ↗

What players complain about

Crashes, AMD issues and Windows 10+ failures

Mentioned in ~1 in 3 negative reviews

“War in the North is broken on several AMD gpus, and has the potential to blue screen your computer in various sections of the game”
Steam review · 2.9 h played ↗

“Immediately crash. It seems to be a W10 problem.”
Steam review · 20 h played ↗

“It just crashes on different devices for unclear reasons. I tried everything and nothing helps.”
Steam review · translated · 13.6 h played ↗

Repetitive, shallow combat

Mentioned in ~1 in 5 negative reviews

“It’s the same simple combo from start to finish, with hardly any enemy variety.”
Steam review · 13 h played ↗

“Combat is just tapping the left and right mouse buttons plus dodging enemy attacks.”
Steam review · translated · 9.1 h played ↗

Original delisted, paid Legacy Edition without discount

Mentioned in ~1 in 7 negative reviews

“Existing owners should receive the Legacy Edition, get the same update, or at the very least be able to play with new owners.”
Steam review · 44.8 h played ↗

“Instead of patching up the game they decided to rerelease the game as a new product and delisting this one.”
Steam review · 33.5 h played ↗

“As a long time owner I would have expected to receive the update. not even a discount?”
Steam review · 6.8 h played ↗

Broken multiplayer and unfixable voice chat

Mentioned in ~1 in 7 negative reviews

“disconnection issues that completely wipe ALL your progress in the level that you are playing with your friends, along with ALWAYS ON VOICE-CHAT”
Steam review · 1.7 h played ↗

Weak companion AI and awkward solo play

Mentioned in ~1 in 10 negative reviews

“giving weapons and armor to your companions simply discards the items into nothingness, they disappear.”
Steam review · 8.8 h played ↗

“Second, the bot companions are extremely dumb, barely fight but love dying.”
Steam review · translated · 3.5 h played ↗

System requirements

From the Steam store page

Steam Deck: Playable

Minimum

OSWindows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7

ProcessorIntel Core2 Duo 2.4 GHz or AMD 64 X2 4400

Memory2 GB RAM

Graphics2006 or later GeForce 8600 or Radeon HD 2600

Storage10 GB HD space

Recommended

ProcessorIntel Core2 Duo 3 GHz or AMD X2 5000 or AMD Phenom X4 9600

Memory4 GB RAM

GraphicsGeForce 2xx Series or Radeon HD 6xxx series or greater

OSWindows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7

ProcessorIntel Core2 Duo 2.4 GHz or AMD 64 X2 4400

Memory2 GB RAM

Graphics2006 or later GeForce 8600 or Radeon HD 2600

Storage10 GB HD space

More games to check

Other games we’ve read the reviews for

See all →

MU Legend

Not enough reviews

+ Good graphics and visuals

− Won't launch via Steam; account/login hassle

analyzed 4 d ago

Dungeon Fighter Online

Mostly Positive · 71%

+ Huge variety of classes and subclasses

− Random account bans and suspensions

analyzed 4 d ago

Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online

Very Positive · 88%

+ Funny banter and charming cast

− Multiplayer is laggy and broken

analyzed 5 d ago

Overlord™

Very Positive · 94%

+ Nostalgic classic that holds up

− Clunky controls and camera

analyzed 5 d ago

Weekly digest

Fresh games worth a look, in your inbox

The most interesting games we’ve just analyzed, once a week.Once a week we send the most interesting games we’ve just analyzed: the verdict, top pros and cons, and what changed. No spam.

One email a week · unsubscribe in one click