When was The Lord of the Rings Return to Moria release date? If you’re a fan of crafting and fantasy lore, you won’t want to miss this Dwarven adventure. Based on the fantasy world created by J.R.R. Tolkien, Return to Moria is a story-based survival experience that follows the Dwarves as they look to reclaim their former homeland.
Explore the mines of Moria below the Misty Mountains of Middle-earth, learn to survive in rough conditions, and fight against deadly creatures along the way. We have some early game tips for how to change your Return to Moria hotbar inventory, how to fix Return to Moria Great Forge of Narvi, and how to increase your Return to Moria inventory space. So, if you fancy mining in the deepest caves to slay giant orcs, here’s all the latest for The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, including trailers and gameplay.
The Lord of the Rings Return to Moria release date
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria release date was Tuesday, October 24, 2023 on PC, and is now available to buy on PC, exclusively via the Epic Games Store. It’s set to arrive on later on PlayStation 5 on Sunday, December 5, 2023 and then on Xbox Series X|S in early 2024. The confirmed PC release date was announced during Summer Game Fest 2023.
Return to Moria’s development process was slightly delayed, as the game was originally planned for Spring 2023. Though these Lord of the Rings-related games are by different developers and publishers, this may be due to the poor reception of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum received, as detailed in our own review. Gollum’s reception came up during PCGamesN’s Gamescom interview with developer Free Range Games, as it discussed with us its long-term plans for the dwarf-based building game.
The delay afforded Free Range Games some additional time to fine-tune Return to Moria’s mechanics and conduct beta testing behind closed doors. The closed beta granted a select few the chance to experience the first third of the story and explore half of the square footage of the entire game. You can check out the hour-long Return to Moria beta Q&A session to discover the results of the beta.
The Lord of the Rings Return to Moria trailers
The Lord of the Rings Return to Moria announcement trailer from June 2022 takes us through the famous Doors of Durin and into the great halls of the ancient Dwarven city below, where we can expect to stumble upon old buildings, narrow tunnels, and epic waterfalls. This trailer offers a first glimpse at the building and crafting system, with a rad Dwarven armor set shown at 00:42.
The most recent gameplay trailer from June 2023 gives a much better idea of the creative possibilities. You can see wooden staircases, stone towers, and a fully-furnished Dwarven home at 00:30.
Moreover, fans of Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy will be excited to hear the familiar brogue of John Rhys-Davies in the Return to Moria cinematic trailer. The beloved Scottish actor reprises his role as Gimli – a stalwart member of the Fellowship of the Ring – who stars as Return to Moria’s narrator.
The Lord of the Rings Return to Moria gameplay
As a survival game, Return to Moria’s gameplay offers a mixture of world exploration, resource management, crafting, and combat. Each new game occurs on a procedurally generated map, meaning no two adventures are the same. After customizing your Dwarven character, you may delve into the depths of Moria on your own or with a group of friends – up to eight players in total.
Once the Dwarves have set up a base, gotten some sleep, and gathered a nice stack of food, they’re free to explore or build as they see fit. The building system offers plenty of room for creativity, allowing you to create a new home from scratch or build upon existing foundations. Be careful while mining for resources, though, as mining makes noise, and noise awakens the dangers that lie beneath our Dwarven company’s feet.
Here are the enemies we expect to encounter based on what we’ve seen in the gameplay trailers:
- Orcs and Goblins: They appear to come in different shapes and sizes, with some of them larger, better equipped, or more sickly green than others. As Tolkien used the words “Orc” and “Goblin” interchangeably, with the latter referring specifically to the orcs in the Misty Mountains, both terms may also be used in the game.
- Spiders: Not quite the size of Shelob, but still uncomfortably large.
- Cave Troll: Yup, they have a cave troll.
- The Watcher in the Water: It’s not clear if this aquatic tentacle creature is the same one as the famous monster that almost took Frodo, but it certainly looks like it.
The Lord of the Rings Return to Moria story
Set in Middle-earth’s Fourth Age, the One Ring has been destroyed. The evil Lord Sauron has been defeated, and nothing is stopping our brave band of Dwarves from reclaiming their lost home under the Misty Mountains.
Moria, also known as Khazad-Dûm or Dwarrowdelf, was once the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-earth. Due to excessive mithril mining, the Dwarves awakened an immensely dangerous Balrog, whose presence made the city uninhabitable. Many, many years later, following several failed attempts, the ancient Dwarven city of Moria may finally be reclaimed.
Now that the Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria release date has passed, and it’s out now. If you want to know if your PC can play it, our Return to Moria system requirements guide has everything you need to check your rig’s compatibility. That said, if you find it’s not for you, there are plenty of games on our list of the best fantasy games to lose yourself in or the best crafting games to test your survival skills.