Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 60 | 60 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 81% | 75 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 70 | 79 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 71% | 68 | 1019 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Feb 12, 2026) · 300 reviews sampled · 1019 total reviews in window · weighted 169.6 up / 56.1 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (52)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 55
“The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is a fairly mediocre survival game that partially rides on the popularity of a well-known brand. Unfortunately, at that price, I am in no way able to recommend a trip to mystical Moria, even if you are a huge fan of the LOTR.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Overall ‘The Lord Of The Rings Return To Moria’ completely took me by surprise and exceeded my expectations. Not being the biggest fan of survival crafting games I found myself losing time by becoming immersed in the world created for me. It’s an absolute joy to play and feels so authentic to the world of ‘The Lord Of The Rings’.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is a fantastic multiplayer survival game. The mining is fun, the fighting is serviceable, and the progression feels really nice. The fact that it brought back Gimli and is set in the Fourth Age is really cool, especially since the player has a custom character in the story. Best experienced with friends, but totally fine to play alone. This title really deserves more attention than it got! Highly recommended to all fans of Middle-earth.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“Another miss for the Rings franchise, then. There are bursts of quality here, and the potential for fun when playing with others. However, it ultimately fails as an adaptation and a survival game.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria blends survival adventure and sandbox together fantastically. A very satisfying and rewarding experience all around.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“I am quite glad that Free Range Games kept their head down and turned around Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria. It is a fun experience for fans of the survival genre and I can say that you don’t have to be a fan of the LOTR franchise but will love it even more if you are. The team has polished quite a few systems that some of the other survival games employ and it makes for a much better crafting and building experience. While the game still has some goblins messing with the combat and causing issues, this is one game that deserves a delve.”
read full review ↗ - 45
“The Lords of the Rings: Return to Moria has some very solid ideas. A game set in the Fourth Age is incredibly interesting and exciting. This is why it's such a shame that Return to Moria is not a success. There is a lot of heart in it, sure, but the core gameplay loop just isn't engaging enough to make the game worth buying over other survival titles, even if you are a big LOTR fan.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is a decently fun time. While not perfect, it's a unique take on a sandbox survival game.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“The world here is huge and it will take you tens of hours to discover it all - there is a lot to discover. If you have a group of friends who will go with you and you enjoy a game focused on survival, production and combat and the mysterious world of dwarves, you are in the right place. But if you're looking for an engaging story from Middle Earth, you won't find it here, unfortunately.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria has the potential to be a challenging and enjoyable multiplayer experience. The loop of mining, crafting, and exploring is a satisfying one when overwhelming hordes of goblins aren't haranguing you. There doesn't seem to be any real optimisation for solo players so I'd probably stay clear unless you can get a band of dwarves together to brave the darkness of the mines.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“Overall, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is an extremely solid survival crafting title, and stands proudly as one of the best Lord of the Rings games, as well as one of the best releases of 2023.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Overall, Return to Moria is a solid entry in the survival genre. It has some unique gameplay mechanics that are fun to explore, while the Middle-Earth setting lets a dedicated fanbase venture into the world in a new way. Aside from bugs that will hopefully be resolved in soon-to-come updates, I can see it being a staple among players. I know it holds a solid spot in my survival rotation.”
read full review ↗
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Patch history
- Patch 1.6.7 Release NotesFeb 12, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Hotfix 1.6.6 - Release NotesDec 18, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.6.5 and the Yule-Tide Update have releasedDec 15, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Yule-tide Pack to Receive Content Update!Dec 11, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Durin's Folk Expansion Launch and Title Update 1.6 Patch Notes + Update!Nov 18, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Coming Nov 18th - New Map Update!Nov 11, 2025
- Patch 1.5.3 - Release NotesJun 24, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Take the Oath! Orc Hunter DLC Live Now! (Patch Notes)Jun 7, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.5.1 Release Notes - All PlatformsApr 8, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Update 1.5 Release Notes: Freecam, Farming and Ent-craft DLC!Mar 26, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Dedicated Servers 1.0 - What to ExpectFeb 1, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- RTM Winter 1.4 Yule-tide Stream!Dec 20, 2024
- Winter Update 1.4 + DLC + Dedicated Servers LIVEDec 12, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Return to Moria Winter UpdateNov 27, 2024
- Dev Update - November 12 2024Nov 12, 2024
- 1.3.4 Patch notesOct 17, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Update 1.3.3 and Durin's Day CelebrationOct 3, 2024
- UPDATE: Networking Issues Have Been Resolved!Sep 26, 2024
- RTM Devs demo the game and preview new patch!Sep 14, 2024
- Return to Moria on Steamdeck - update!Aug 26, 2024
- RTM 8/27 Update: Developer WalkthroughAug 22, 2024
- RTM: A Year of ImprovementsJul 26, 2024significant · resets scoring window