Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 299 sampled Steam reviews (268 positive / 31 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing12% mention it
- Combat11% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Story & writing29% mention it
- Grind & repetition23% mention it
- Controls & UI23% mention it
- Combat19% mention it
- Visuals & art16% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
71%
24 reviews
5-15h
87%
46 reviews
15-40h
91%
96 reviews
40-100h
94%
97 reviews
100h+
92%
36 reviews
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) | – | 82 | 32 |
| Creator reviews (2 tracked) | – | 70 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 89% | 83 | 1067 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 57 | 121 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 94% | 88 | 132 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 300 reviews sampled · 378 total reviews in window · weighted 225.7 up / 14.8 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (179)
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.
- 70
“Middle-earth: Shadow of War is not a bad game, but it becomes repetitive and boring in the process. You still can have fun, but we recommend short playing sessions.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Monolith did a lot of things right, but didn't know when they should end the game. The best way to play is to finish Act 3, watch the ending and then look for the bonus cinematic on YouTube. This way you'll save your time and spare your nerves.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“If Talion is supposed to represent a better future for Middle-earth, Shadow of War is the first time Middle-earth has seemed better off left to the orcs.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a solid game with engaging gameplay and one of the most creative systems of the generation, the Nemesis System. It may not appeal to those looking for a true-to-Tolkien narrative experience, but it is highly recommended for those who want an action game with challenging combat, satisfying progression, and plenty of content to explore.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The second video game set in Middle-earth from Monolith Productions surpassed the first installment in every way. It’s no longer just mindless orc-bashing and half-hearted upgrades to the main characters’ weapons or abilities. Middle-earth: Shadow of War offers exactly what a proper RPG should have: a ton of fun and action lasting several dozen hours. Gradually, however, it turns into an annoying quest for better armor, weapons, and in-game currency to upgrade your army. It’s precisely this element that starts to get on your nerves after a while, and if you neglect it, it will catch up with you in the game’s final phase. So if you’re not a fan of endless and pointless grinding, check out the actual game ending on YouTube, otherwise, you’ll waste several long hours chasing after it. But if you enjoy the Assassin’s Creed and Batman: Arkham series, you’ll quickly and easily fall in love with this two-part series.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Middle-earth: Shadow of War might not have had the best time pre-release, but it manages to be a solid, competent follow up to 2014's Shadow of Mordor. It's a gigantic time-sink of a game that's well worth your time and attention.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Upgrading a formula can sometimes break it, and Shadow of War comes quite close to being such a product. Yet despite all of the upgrades that pour like rain that you're trying to dodge; at its core, this is still an amazingly entertaining game. Just be prepared for some grinding, if you are not into microtransactions...”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a sequel perfect for the fans of the original game and fans of repetitive gameplay. They’ll love this game but they won’t be surprised at all. The combat system is really cool, the story is okay (albeit too long) but all in all Monolith took a step back as if afraid to do something new.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Middle-earth: Shadow of War is amazing and I totally loved every moment of my time in the game, the new improved nemesis system, fortress and a shed load more glorious goodies, makes this installement worth the purchase.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Shadow of War managed to grab hold of me much harder than any other open-world game ever has. Despite its inherant faults, I still had a great time playing through, and can’t say I regret the hours I put in to it.”
read full review ↗ - 70
- 85
“Monolith has refined the Nemesis System and offer a great amount of content that guarantees many hours of fun. However, its repetitive gameplay and microtransactions will delight those who enjoyed Shadow of Mordor, but will not lure newcomers. Shadow of War is a great game, but has a main character that lacks charisma that can't be in the spotlight of a Tolkien tale. ”
read full review ↗
GameMAG
3DNews
Slant Magazine
GameFM
Gaming Professors
Gadgets 360
PLAY Zine
GRYOnline.pl
Invision Community
Gamer Escape
The Angry Joe Show…and 167 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Middle-earth: Shadow of War – Patch Notes v1.18 – July 17, 2018Jul 17, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Middle-earth: Shadow of War PC Patch Notes v1.16May 11, 2018
- Middle-earth: Shadow of War Patch Notes v1.15May 8, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Shadow of War PC Patch Notes v1.14Apr 25, 2018
- Shadow of War PC Patch Notes: v1.12Feb 16, 2018
- Shadow of War PC Patch Notes: v1.12Feb 16, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Shadow of War PC Patch Notes v1.11Feb 5, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Shadow of War PC Patch Notes v1.11Feb 5, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Shadow of War PC Patch Notes: v1.10Feb 1, 2018
- Shadow of War PC Patch Notes: v1.10Feb 1, 2018
- Shadow of War PC Patch Notes: v1.09Dec 19, 2017
- Shadow of War PC Patch Notes: v1.09Dec 19, 2017
- Shadow of War PC Patch Notes v1.08Dec 12, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Shadow of War PC Patch Notes v1.08Dec 12, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Shadow of War PC Patch Notes v1.07Dec 5, 2017
- Shadow of War PC Patch Notes v1.07Dec 5, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Shadow of War PC Patch Notes v1.06Nov 21, 2017
- Shadow of War PC Patch Notes v1.06Nov 21, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Shadow of War PC Patch Notes: v1.05Nov 2, 2017
- Shadow of War PC Patch Notes: v1.05Nov 2, 2017
- Shadow of War PC Patch Notes: v1.04Oct 25, 2017
- Shadow of War PC Patch Notes: v1.04Oct 25, 2017