Choose Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™
Choose Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 88.3% positive across 35,896 reviews.
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ vs The Black Masses
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ and The Black Masses 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 7 years older than The Black Masses (2024). Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ scores higher on Steam reviews (88.3% positive) than The Black Masses (57.7% 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 The Black Masses
Choose The Black Masses if you want an Indie game with Multi-player. On Steam, it's currently about 80% cheaper on the Steam Store. The Black Masses launched in 2024.
Both Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ and The Black Masses 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™ |  The Black Masses | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2024 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, RPG | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 49.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 88.3% positive (35,896 reviews) | 57.7% positive (835 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player |
| Developers | Monolith Productions | Brilliant Game Studios |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure, RPG on Steam.
- Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (2017) is 7 years older than The Black Masses (2024).
- Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ scores higher on Steam reviews (88.3% positive) than The Black Masses (57.7% positive).
- The Black Masses is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (9.99 USD vs. 49.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ is Deck Verified, The Black Masses is Deck Unsupported.
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ vs The Black Masses — FAQ
- Which is better, Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ or The Black Masses?
- On Steam reviews Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ scores higher (88.3% positive) than The Black Masses (57.7% 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 Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ or The Black Masses first?
- If you want chronology, Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (2017) came out before The Black Masses (2024). 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 The Black Masses 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™ have multiplayer like The Black Masses?
- No. The Black Masses supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player), while Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ is listed as single-player only.