Choose Ryse: Son of Rome
Choose Ryse: Son of Rome if you want the Multi-player, Steam Leaderboards, and Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 93% cheaper on the Steam Store. 13,518 Steam reviews back the pick.
Ryse: Son of Rome vs Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™
Ryse: Son of Rome and Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ both land in Action on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are Action games on Steam. Ryse: Son of Rome (2014) is 3 years older than Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (2017). Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ scores higher on Steam reviews (88.3% positive) than Ryse: Son of Rome (85.4% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™
Choose Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ if you want an Adventure and RPG experience. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 88.3% positive across 35,896 reviews.
Both Ryse: Son of Rome and Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ sit in Action on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Ryse: Son of Rome |  Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2014 | 2017 |
| Genres | Action | Action, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 3.49 USD | 49.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 85.4% positive (13,518 reviews) | 88.3% positive (35,896 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Crytek | Monolith Productions |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Ryse: Son of Rome (2014) is 3 years older than Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (2017).
- Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ scores higher on Steam reviews (88.3% positive) than Ryse: Son of Rome (85.4% positive).
- Ryse: Son of Rome is currently ~93% cheaper on Steam than Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (3.49 USD vs. 49.99 USD).
- Ryse: Son of Rome has co-op; Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ does not.
- Both are Deck Verified.
Ryse: Son of Rome vs Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ — FAQ
- Which is better, Ryse: Son of Rome or Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™?
- On Steam reviews Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ scores higher (88.3% positive) than Ryse: Son of Rome (85.4% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Ryse: Son of Rome or Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ first?
- If you want chronology, Ryse: Son of Rome (2014) came out before Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (2017). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Ryse: Son of Rome and Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ similar?
- They overlap on Action on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Does Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ have multiplayer like Ryse: Son of Rome?
- No. Ryse: Son of Rome supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Co-op), while Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ is listed as single-player only.
- Do Ryse: Son of Rome and Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.