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 Ghost of a Tale
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ and Ghost of a Tale 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 1 year older than Ghost of a Tale (2018). Ghost of a Tale scores higher on Steam reviews (89.9% positive) than Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (88.3% 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 Ghost of a Tale
Choose Ghost of a Tale if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it's currently about 60% cheaper on the Steam Store. 1,971 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ and Ghost of a Tale sit in Action, Adventure, and RPG on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (88.3% vs 89.9% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ |  Ghost of a Tale | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2018 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, RPG | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 49.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 88.3% positive (35,896 reviews) | 89.9% positive (1,971 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Monolith Productions | SeithCG |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure, RPG on Steam.
- Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (2017) is 1 year older than Ghost of a Tale (2018).
- Ghost of a Tale scores higher on Steam reviews (89.9% positive) than Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (88.3% positive).
- Ghost of a Tale is currently ~60% cheaper on Steam than Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (19.99 USD vs. 49.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ is Deck Verified, Ghost of a Tale is Deck Unsupported.
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ vs Ghost of a Tale — FAQ
- Which is better, Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ or Ghost of a Tale?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ sits at 88.3% positive (35,896 reviews), Ghost of a Tale at 89.9% (1,971). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ or Ghost of a Tale first?
- If you want chronology, Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (2017) came out before Ghost of a Tale (2018). 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 Ghost of a Tale 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.