The Lord of the Rings: Tales of the Shire is the latest game to come from the LOTR brand, only this time it forgoes the Elves, Dwarves, and Uruk-hai in favor of a cozy life sim. There's a lot going on in the debut game from developer Weta Workshop, with players able to live out their Hobbit fantasies, like fishing, growing crops, and, of course, eating a second breakfast.

Tales of the Shire previews are already glowing, praising the game's cozy vibes and unique methods of introducing the player to new content, making for a very immersive Hobbit experience. However, there's still plenty of information to learn about Tales of the Shire, from its release date to the story and intricate gameplay details.

Tales Of The Shire Is Releasing On March 25, 2025

Platforms Include PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, & Nintendo Switch

Tales of the Shire has had many delays for a number of reasons, but it now has an official release date that Lord of the Rings fans can look forward to. The Lord of the Rings: Tales of the Shire is releasing on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, which is just shy of 11 months after its initial reveal in April 2024. It will be coming to almost every platform, including PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, the Nintendo Switch, and, interestingly, Netflix Games via the Netflix app on applicable devices.

The Lord of the Rings: Tales of the Shire was supposed to be released some time in 2024, but it was unfortunately pushed back until early 2025. Luckily, players won't have to wait too long to get their hands on it, and the additional time in the oven will help remove any issues or bugs that could have plagued a premature launch. With how much content looks set to be packed into this small plucky package, it's not hard to see why it needed a little more development time.

Interestingly, Weta Workshop is developing Tales of the Shire, an oddity considering it is traditionally a VFX company that has worked on films such as The Lord of the Rings, Deadpool & Wolverine, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3. However, Weta has had a video game division since 2014, and Tales of the Shire looks set to be its very first game. It is being published by Private Division, which is best known for having published No Rest For the Wicked, The Outer Worlds, and Olli Olli World.

Tales Of The Shire Story & Character Details

It Takes Place In The Village Of Bywater

In The Lord of the Rings: Tales of the Shire, players take on the role of a Hobbit who has just moved to the village of Bywater. Tales of the Shire's unique setting is quite the change from Hobbiton, the hometown of Frodo, and will offer up a whole new cast of characters for fans to interact with, as well as some familiar faces. This is a cozy game, so fans shouldn't expect a particularly deep narrative, as the majority of their time will be spent engaging with the various minigames, like fishing, farming, cooking, and conversing with other Hobbits.

However, the overall goal of Tales of the Shire is to help make Bywater an official village on the Shire's map, as so far, it's been largely forgotten by the wider Shire community. Players will do this by aiding with a variety of tasks, developing their relationships with the people of Bywater, and by making a home for themselves. There aren't too many details about who fans will get to meet, or what the majority of those tasks will entail, but they can rest assured that they'll have a lot of fun doing it.

A few characters have been confirmed for Tales of the Shire, including both new and familiar faces. So far, the confirmed characters include a master angler named Old Noakes, Nora and Fosco Burrows, who run a shop together, and Gandalf, who needs no introduction.

A key part of The Lord of the Rings: Tales of the Shire is the ability to make a custom character who players will then attempt to ingratiate themselves into the village of Bywater. There are a lot of customization options, including the usual like hair and eye shapes, and the more Hobbit-specific, such as foot-hair styles and even the general mood of the Hobbit. Additionally, there is no gender option, and players have the ability to choose their own name or pick a pre-set one if they can't think of any clever Hobbit puns.

Tales Of The Shire's Gameplay Details Explained

A Cozy Game Where Players Can Farm, Fish & Explore

The Lord of the Rings: Tales of the Shire's gameplay loop will be very familiar to fans of cozy games, as it combines the best parts of the most popular life sim titles. Players will be able to fully customize their own home by placing furniture down wherever they want without the restrictions of set furniture locations or a grid-based layout. They can change the bedroom, lounge, pantry, and kitchen with all manner of unique furniture items that can be bought from the various market stalls located across Bywater.

Additionally, when they're not setting up their new wardrobe, fans can head out into Bywater in search of other things to do, guided by butterflies that take players to interesting locations, much like the birds in Ghost of Tsushima. Players will be able to fish in the nearby lakes, forage for resources that can then be used in other parts of the game, talk to their neighbors, shop around for useful items, and even trade. There's so much to see and do, and players can venture out and explore a world with its own day/night cycle and changing seasons.

Players will also have access to a fully customizable garden where they can plant various vegetables and more to then use in cooking. There are multiple available plots in the garden which fans will need to utilize efficiently, and they'll need to be tended to each and every day, not unlike the farm in Stardew Valley. It's not hard to see how all of these mechanics will come together satisfyingly and potentially make Tales of the Shire one of the best cozy games on the Nintendo Switch.

Tales Of The Shire Has A Focus On Cooking

Players Will Need To Prepare Every Meal

Tales of the Shire puts a huge emphasis on the cooking side of being a Hobbit, as making meals to then give to the other characters is a great way for players to build up their bonds with their neighbors. Every meal will require its own preparation, with fans needing to chop up their vegetables, cook them according to the right instructions, and ensure they have all the right ingredients. Each meal will also come with its own star rating, with each step needing to be completed in the correct way in order to achieve the highest rating.

This feeds into one of Tales of the Shire's other activities, scavenging, as players will need to locate seasonal items that are necessary for specific meals. Suffice it to say, The Lord of the Rings: Tales of the Shire has a lot to offer fans of cozy games and the LOTR franchise, and will be a great life sim for those looking to run away to the verdant valleys of the Shire.

Source: Tales Of the Shire/YouTube