The Shadow of Middle-earth returns for Switch 2

Two of the best-loved Lord of the Rings games are back, with editions of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War for Switch 2.

Middle-earth returns

It wasn’t all that long ago, that publisher Aspyr brought the long dormant The Lord of the Rings: War in the North back to life. The action role-playing game was remastered, and surprise-dropped onto modern consoles as well as the PC. When the happened, Aspyr made a point of telling fans that it wasn’t the end of the road.

Nope, instead, there would be more Lord of the Rings action on the horizon. Speculation was pretty wild at that, since the property has a pretty hefty catalogue. Now we know at least some of what was being promised though, with the Middle-earth games.

From the sound of it, the pair of action titles are essentially ports, exclusively for the Switch 2. Officially, they’ll return in the form of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition and Middle-earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition.

Oh, and they’re not far off either, as you can look for them by the end of this month.

A new legacy

For those who haven’t played, the two above games are set between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. They’re not retreads, instead presenting a fairly unique tale. That includes a ranger named Talion, stationed at the Black Gate, whose family is brutally slain by the surging forces of Sauron. Though he’s mortally wounded, a twist brings him into contact with the wraith of Celebrimbor.

Bonded with the spirit of the long-dead elven lord, Talion can no longer be definitively killed. And that allows him to wage a one (or maybe two) man war on Mordor, from behind the enemy’s own lines. It also lends itself to the legendary nemesis system, which allows foes to remember the player.

If they ‘kill’ him, they’ll lord it over him when next they meet. On the flip side, if he attempts to kill them and fails, they’ll be on the lookout for him. Slick stuff.

As for launch, both games are set to arrive for the Switch 2 on September 30th, 2026. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition will clock in at $19.99 USD, while Middle-earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition will be tagged with $49.99 USD. Pre-orders are available right now for the two, and they also come with a 50% off pre-order sale price. So if you want in, you might want to get your order in before launch.

It’s also worth mentioning that there’s also a Middle-earth: Shadow Bundle. Naturally, that will include both games. Even better, fans can look for the bundle to have the pre-order discount as well, before flipping to the full retail price of $69.99 USD at launch.

Check out the official descriptions for the games below.

The Middle-earth™: Shadow Bundle is available to pre-order digitally for $34.99, a 50% discount off its base price ($69.99), available until launch. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor™ Game of the Year Edition is available to pre-order on its own digitally for $9.99 ($19.99 before the 50% discount), while Middle-earth: Shadow of War™ Definitive Edition can be pre-ordered digitally for $24.99 ($49.99 before the 50% discount).

About Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor™ Game of the Year Edition

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is the winner of more than 50 awards, including Game of the Year, Best Action/Adventure Game and Outstanding Innovation in Gaming.  

The game delivers a dynamic environment where the player orchestrates their personal plan of vengeance as they bend Mordor to their will. The game begins on the night of Sauron’s return to Mordor, as his Black Captains brutally execute the Rangers of the Black Gate. Players become Talion, a ranger who loses his family and everything he holds dear, only to be returned from death by a mysterious Spirit of vengeance. As Talion’s personal vendetta unfolds, players uncover the mystery of the Spirit that compels him, discover the origin of the Rings of Power and confront the ultimate nemesis. 

At the heart of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor™ Game of the Year Edition is the groundbreaking Nemesis System that creates unique, procedurally generated enemies that level up, adapt, and hold grudges that are unique to each gamer. Players will fight through the open world regions of Mordor and uncover the truth of the spirit that compels them, while discovering the origins of the Rings of Power, building their legend and ultimately confronting the evil of Sauron and his armies.

In addition to the base game, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor™ Game of the Year Edition features all previously released content, including:

• “Lord of the Hunt” Campaign Expansion: Dive deeper into Mordor’s living world and hunt its wildest beasts to turn them against Sauron’s forces.
• “The Bright Lord” Campaign Expansion: Battle against Sauron as Celebrimbor, the great Elven Lord of the Second Age, to unlock powerful runes and the ability to wield the One Ring.
• Guardians of the Flaming Eye Exclusive Warband Mission: Face Sauron’s elite Defenders before the Black Gate and earn the Wolf’s Head rune.
• Bonus Warband Missions, Runes & Skins: Take on even more of Sauron’s minions, enhance your weapons with powerful runes and customize Talion’s appearance with unique skins.

About Middle-earth: Shadow of War™ Definitive Edition

In the epic sequel to Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, players will be engrossed in a richer, more personal and expansive world full of epic heroes and villains, as they forge a new Ring of Power, conquer fortresses in massive battles, dominate Mordor from within and confront the full power of the Dark Lord Sauron and his Ringwraiths. 

The Definitive Edition includes the Sword of Dominion bonus weapon and all downloadable content and expansions:

• “Desolation of Mordor” Story Expansion: Play as Baranor, the Captain of the Tower from Minas Ithil, and travel deep behind enemy lines in the Eastern Deserts of Mordor to raise an Easterling Army and open a new front in the Shadow War.  
• “Blade of Galadriel” Story Expansion: Play as Eltariel, the Blade of Galadriel, as she hunts the newest Ringwraith, battling with a new dual-wield combat style, new powers based on the Light of Galadriel and the ability to wield the New Ring. 
• Slaughter Tribe Nemesis Expansion: Feared by all other tribes for their savagery and renowned for their ferocity in combat, the Slaughter Tribe is coming to carve a bloody path across the face of Mordor.
• Outlaw Tribe Nemesis Expansion: The Outlaw Tribe are Mordor’s ultimate rebels, defying the domination of the Dark Lord and the Bright Lord alike and fighting for the Age of the Orc. They make fearsome followers and mighty warriors, wielding chains to capture their enemies and salvage weapons and armor.
• Content Note: The Garrison is fully playable offline, so you can reassign your un-deployed Orc followers across regions on the go. As this edition is optimized for offline play, Online Conquests, Vendettas, Fight Pits, Chests, and Training Orders are unavailable in this title.

These are the latest The Lord of the Rings titles released by Aspyr, following the launch of The Lord of the Rings: War in the North – Legacy Edition last month. Fans can look forward to even more classic releases by Aspyr from the beloved franchise in the future!

Pre-order Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor™ Game of the Year Edition, Middle-earth: Shadow of War™ Definitive Edition, or the Middle-earth™: Shadow Bundle today on Nintendo Switch 2, with a 50% discount through launch. Fans can look forward to even more classic releases by Aspyr from the beloved franchise in the future!

Aspyr press release