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 Arcis Ultima
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ and Arcis Ultima 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 5 years older than Arcis Ultima (2022). Arcis Ultima is currently ~76% cheaper on Steam than Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (11.99 USD vs. 49.99 USD). 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 Arcis Ultima
Choose Arcis Ultima if you want an Indie and Early Access experience. On Steam, it's currently about 76% cheaper on the Steam Store. Arcis Ultima launched in 2022.
Both Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ and Arcis Ultima 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™ |  Arcis Ultima | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2022 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, RPG | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 49.99 USD | 11.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 88.3% positive (35,896 reviews) | 3 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Monolith Productions | Pear vs Apple |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure, RPG on Steam.
- Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (2017) is 5 years older than Arcis Ultima (2022).
- Arcis Ultima is currently ~76% cheaper on Steam than Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (11.99 USD vs. 49.99 USD).
- Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Arcis Ultima has no Deck rating yet.
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ vs Arcis Ultima — FAQ
- Should I play Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ or Arcis Ultima first?
- If you want chronology, Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (2017) came out before Arcis Ultima (2022). 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 Arcis Ultima 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. Arcis Ultima doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.