Choose Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™
Choose Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 35,896 Steam reviews back the pick.
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ vs Swordbreaker: Back to The Castle
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ and Swordbreaker: Back to The Castle both land in Action, Adventure, RPG 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 share Action, Adventure, RPG on Steam. Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (2017) is 3 years older than Swordbreaker: Back to The Castle (2020). Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ scores higher on Steam reviews (88.3% positive) than Swordbreaker: Back to The Castle (70% 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 Swordbreaker: Back to The Castle
Choose Swordbreaker: Back to The Castle if you want an Indie game with Steam Leaderboards. On Steam, it's currently about 84% cheaper on the Steam Store. Swordbreaker: Back to The Castle launched in 2020.
Both Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ and Swordbreaker: Back to The Castle sit in Action, Adventure, and RPG 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
 Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ |  Swordbreaker: Back to The Castle | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2020 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, RPG | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 49.99 USD | 7.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 88.3% positive (35,896 reviews) | 70% positive (20 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Monolith Productions | DuCats Games Studio |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure, RPG on Steam.
- Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (2017) is 3 years older than Swordbreaker: Back to The Castle (2020).
- Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ scores higher on Steam reviews (88.3% positive) than Swordbreaker: Back to The Castle (70% positive).
- Swordbreaker: Back to The Castle is currently ~84% cheaper on Steam than Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (7.99 USD vs. 49.99 USD).
- Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Swordbreaker: Back to The Castle has no Deck rating yet.
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ vs Swordbreaker: Back to The Castle — FAQ
- Should I play Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ or Swordbreaker: Back to The Castle first?
- If you want chronology, Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (2017) came out before Swordbreaker: Back to The Castle (2020). 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 Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ and Swordbreaker: Back to The Castle similar?
- They overlap on Action, Adventure, RPG 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™ run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Swordbreaker: Back to The Castle doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.