The Lord of the Rings: Gollum vs The Lord of the Rings Online
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is an action-adventure open-world game from Daedalic Entertainment (2023) while The Lord of the Rings Online is a mmorpg open-world game from Standing Stone Games (2012).
What each one is
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is filed under Action-Adventure and Open-World. In contrast, The Lord of the Rings Online under Mmorpg and Open-World.
Play as Gollum on his quest to retrieve his Precious. You will need to climb the mountains of Mordor, sneak around Mirkwood and make difficult choices. Who will gain the upper hand: the cunning Gollum or the innocent Smeagol?
Join the world’s greatest fellowship of players in the award-winning online re-creation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s legendary Middle-earth.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Setting and characters The Lord of the Rings: Gollum occurs between the events of J. R. R. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception The Lord of the Rings: Gollum "was panned by critics and players and met with low sales". On Metacritic , the game received "generally unfavorable reviews", and 4% of critics recommended the game on OpenCritic . Metacritic listed the PlayStation 5 version the worst game of 2023, attributing this to its gameplay, controls, visuals, bugs, and requirement for extensive knowledge of Tolkien's literature. (Wikipedia)
Plot
The main or "Epic" storyline is told across "Volumes", which are released in "Books" consisting of a series of quests called "Chapters". Volume I: Shadows of Angmar The first Epic Volume starts shortly after Frodo and his friends have left the Shire . The player arrive at Bree , where they become acquainted with Aragorn and Gandalf and get involved in the larger affairs of Middle-Earth . (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception The Lord of the Rings Online received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic . GameDaily awarded the game 9/10, praising its rich, fantasy-themed universe, well-integrated trait and title system, and a story that remains true to the works of Tolkien. Yahoo! (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| The Lord of the Rings: Gollum | The Lord of the Rings Online | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 4.3/10 | 7.1/10 |
| Steam rating | Mixed (40%, 1,521) | Very Positive (81%, 23,171) |
| Critic aggregate | 38/100 | 86/100 |
| Price | $9.99 | Free |
| Install size | 45 GB | — |
| Steam Deck | playable | playable |
| Released | 2023 | 2012 |
| Developer | Daedalic Entertainment | Standing Stone Games |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum vs The Lord of the Rings Online, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
The Lord of the Rings: GollumAction-adventure open-world gameThe Lord of the Rings OnlineMmorpg open-world gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
The Lord of the Rings: GollumAdventure, Fantasy, Story RichThe Lord of the Rings OnlineFree to Play, MMORPG, Massively MultiplayerThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
The Lord of the Rings: GollumScore 4.3 · 40% on Steam · 38 criticThe Lord of the Rings Online ✓Score 7.1 · 81% on Steam · 86 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum1,521 reviews · 5 add-ons · 45 GBThe Lord of the Rings Online23,171 reviewsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum$9.99The Lord of the Rings Online ✓FreeRead live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
The Lord of the Rings: GollumPlayableThe Lord of the Rings OnlinePlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
The Lord of the Rings Online takes 2 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueThe Lord of the Rings: Gollum and The Lord of the Rings Online on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Multi-platform
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: The Lord of the Rings Online (GamingPickz Score 7.1)
- The cheaper right now: The Lord of the Rings Online (Free)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: The Lord of the Rings Online (23,171 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
AdventureFantasyStory RichActionSingleplayerRPGThird PersonDark Fantasy
Where they differ
Lore-RichChoices MatterCinematicPuzzle3D Platformer3D
Free to PlayMMORPGMassively MultiplayerMultiplayerCharacter CustomizationBased On A Novel
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. The Lord of the Rings Online is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum and 1 for The Lord of the Rings Online. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are The Lord of the Rings: Gollum and The Lord of the Rings Online in scope?
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum has drawn 1,521 Steam reviews, ships 5 add-ons and installs in 45 GB. The Lord of the Rings Online has drawn 23,171 Steam reviews.
Is The Lord of the Rings: Gollum or The Lord of the Rings Online better?
By the GamingPickz Score, The Lord of the Rings Online rates higher (7.1 to 4.3). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum or The Lord of the Rings Online?
The Lord of the Rings Online is cheaper right now at Free, against $9.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.