The Lord of the Rings Online vs The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Lord of the Rings Online is a mmorpg open-world game from Standing Stone Games (2012) while The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an action-RPG open-world game from CD Projekt RED (2015).
Quick answer: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt rates higher, 8.9 to 7.1 on the GamingPickz Score, and The Lord of the Rings Online is the cheaper at Free.
What each one is
The Lord of the Rings Online is filed under Mmorpg and Open-World. In contrast, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt under Action-RPG and Open-World.
Join the world’s greatest fellowship of players in the award-winning online re-creation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s legendary Middle-earth.
You are Geralt of Rivia, mercenary monster slayer. Before you stands a war-torn, monster-infested continent you can explore at will. Your current contract? Tracking down Ciri — the Child of Prophecy, a living weapon that can alter the shape of the world.
Story, characters and reception
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)
Plot
Setting The game is set in the Continent, a fictional fantasy world based on Slavic folklore . It is surrounded by parallel dimensions and extra-dimensional worlds. Humans , elves , dwarves , monsters, and other creatures co-exist on the Continent, but non-humans are often persecuted for their differences in the northern realms. (Wikipedia)
Characters
Doug Cockle reprised his role as Geralt of Rivia in the game. See also: List of The Witcher characters The main character is the Witcher, Geralt of Rivia ( Doug Cockle ), a monster hunter trained since childhood in combat, tracking, alchemy and magic, and made stronger, faster and resistant to toxins by mutagens. He is aided by his lover, the powerful sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg ( Denise Gough ), his former love interest Triss Merigold (Jaimi… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Critical reception Reception The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt received "universal acclaim" for the PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S versions, and "generally favorable reviews" for the Switch version, according to review aggregator Metacritic . Critics agreed that it was an ambitious action role-playing game which was grand in scale, but marred by technical difficulties and a lack of innovation. GameSpot and Eurogamer gave the game… (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| The Lord of the Rings Online | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.1/10 | 8.9/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (81%, 23,171) | Overwhelmingly Positive (97%, 885,535) |
| Critic aggregate | 86/100 | 93/100 |
| Price | Free | $49.99 |
| Install size | — | 50 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | verified |
| Released | 2012 | 2015 |
| Developer | Standing Stone Games | CD Projekt RED |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
The Lord of the Rings Online vs The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, 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 OnlineMmorpg open-world gameThe Witcher 3: Wild HuntAction-RPG 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 OnlineFree to Play, MMORPG, Massively MultiplayerThe Witcher 3: Wild HuntOpen World, RPG, Story RichThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
The Lord of the Rings OnlineScore 7.1 · 81% on Steam · 86 criticThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ✓Score 8.9 · 97% on Steam · 93 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 Online23,171 reviewsThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt885,535 reviews · 4 add-ons · 50 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
The Lord of the Rings Online ✓FreeThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt$49.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
The Lord of the Rings OnlinePlayableThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ✓VerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt takes 2 of the marked rounds to 1. 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 Online and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 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 Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (GamingPickz Score 8.9)
- The cheaper right now: The Lord of the Rings Online (Free)
- Better on a Steam Deck: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (verified)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (885,535 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
Open WorldFantasyRPGAdventureActionStory RichThird PersonSingleplayer
Where they differ
Free to PlayMMORPGMassively MultiplayerMultiplayerCharacter CustomizationBased On A Novel
AtmosphericMatureNudityChoices MatterGreat SoundtrackMedieval
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 Online is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| The Lord of the Rings Online | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | Nvidia GPU GeForce GTX 660 / AMD GPU Radeon HD 7870 |
| Minimum CPU | — | Intel CPU Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz / AMD A10-5800K APU (3.8GHz) |
| Minimum RAM | — | 6 GB |
| Install size | — | 50 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: The Lord of the Rings Online · The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for The Lord of the Rings Online and 9 for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are The Lord of the Rings Online and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in scope?
The Lord of the Rings Online has drawn 23,171 Steam reviews. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has drawn 885,535 Steam reviews, ships 4 add-ons and installs in 50 GB.
Is The Lord of the Rings Online or The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt better?
By the GamingPickz Score, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt rates higher (8.9 to 7.1). 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 Online or The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt?
The Lord of the Rings Online is cheaper right now at Free, against $49.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get The Lord of the Rings Online or The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt?
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt rates higher, 8.9 to 7.1 on the GamingPickz Score, and The Lord of the Rings Online is the cheaper at Free. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
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.