The shadow-drop remaster of Lord of the Rings: War in the North caught almost everyone by surprise. Aspyr rebuilt the 2011 co-op action RPG for modern hardware, and for a week it topped the Steam wishlist charts in three regions. It also reminded us how rare a good three-player online action RPG actually is, especially one with a real fiction to hang the loot grind on. If you love War in the North’s specific pitch, three heroes fighting through Middle-earth’s second-tier villains, the field of games that scratch the same itch is thinner than it should be. We rounded up seven that come closest. These are the best Lord of the Rings: War in the North alternatives on desktop in 2026.
Why people finish War in the North and want more
Users on Reddit’s r/lotr and r/patientgamers keep naming the same three reasons the game holds up:
- The three-player split with a ranger, a warrior, and a dwarf that all play differently, not palette swaps
- The setting — Angmar, Fornost, and the rest of Eriador done in loving detail, not just a Rohan reskin
- The pacing — a 12- to 15-hour campaign that ends before the loot grind sours
The problem is finding another game that does even two of the three. Most co-op ARPGs today are endless loot loops; most single-player action RPGs skip online co-op entirely. The picks below split the difference.
Quick comparison table
| Game | Best for | Players | Free plan | Starting price | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baldur’s Gate 3 | Story-heavy co-op with real choice | 1-4 | Free demo | $59.99 | Every dialogue counts |
| Diablo IV | Modern loot ARPG with seasons | 1-4 | Trial | $69.99 | Console-quality co-op |
| Vermintide 2 | Melee-first co-op through hordes | 1-4 | Trial | $29.99 | 5 wildly different heroes |
| Deep Rock Galactic | Four-class co-op with class synergy | 1-4 | Trial | $29.99 | Best class chemistry on this list |
| Torchlight Infinite | Free-to-play loot ARPG | Solo + online | Free | Free (cosmetic IAP) | Zero buy-in |
| Grim Dawn | Old-school ARPG with modding | 1-4 | Demo | $24.99 | Deep dual-class system |
| Path of Exile 2 | Free build-craft loot ARPG | 1-6 | Free | Free (cosmetic IAP) | Genre-defining depth |
Why people leave War in the North for these
Three reasons come up in almost every forum thread:
- The campaign is a fixed length and modding never took off, so there is no endgame to sink into
- The matchmaking is dead in 2026 (you need pre-arranged friends)
- The Middle-earth setting is stuck in Eriador and never sees the greatest hits
Every game below solves at least one of those.
1. Baldur’s Gate 3, best for story-heavy co-op with real choice
Baldur’s Gate 3 is the modern gold standard for narrative co-op RPGs. Four players share a party, every choice carries downstream consequences, and combat is turn-based rather than action, which lands differently but keeps the “three heroes on a heroic arc” feel. The Forgotten Realms is not Middle-earth, but the tonal register (a real fictional world, real stakes) is the closest thing there.
Where it falls short: the pace is glacial by War in the North’s standards. A single dungeon can eat an evening.
Pricing:
- Paid: $59.99 on Steam, includes all patches through Patch 8
- vs War in the North: significantly deeper and longer, but a different combat style
Migrating from War in the North: the class fantasy translates cleanly. A ranger picks a ranger; a warrior picks a barbarian or fighter.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: the pick when the group wants the story to matter more than the loot.
2. Diablo IV, best for modern loot ARPG polish
Diablo IV is the loot ARPG most players actually finish these days. The Vessel of Hatred expansion and the 2026 seasons keep the endgame fresh, and the four-player online co-op is the smoothest of any game on this list. Vast open world, four to five hero classes, and combat that leans into the same action-RPG rhythm as War in the North.
Where it falls short: the setting is Sanctuary, not Middle-earth. If the fiction was the draw, this is not the pick.
Pricing:
- Paid: $69.99 base game; Vessel of Hatred is a separate purchase
- vs War in the North: much more polished; setting is not Tolkien
Migrating from War in the North: the “three heroes drop into a dungeon” muscle memory transfers directly.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: the pick when the group wants the loot loop, at a modern polish level, and setting can flex.
3. Vermintide 2, best for melee-first co-op
Vermintide 2 puts four heroes shoulder-to-shoulder against endless waves of Skaven. The melee combat has real weight, the five heroes each play like a different game, and the maps are dense with skirmish spots that reward map awareness. If the moment-to-moment feel of War in the North (three of you against a horde in a chokepoint) was the draw, Vermintide gets closer than any pure loot game.
Where it falls short: the fiction (Warhammer Fantasy) is denser and darker than Middle-earth, and the campaign structure is mission-based, not narrative.
Pricing:
- Paid: $29.99 base; several paid DLC campaigns
- vs War in the North: cheaper, endless replay, no overarching story
Migrating from War in the North: the ranger role becomes a career like Kerillian or Waystalker; the warrior becomes Kruber; the dwarf is literally Bardin.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: the pick when the melee feel matters more than the story.
4. Deep Rock Galactic, best for class chemistry
Deep Rock Galactic is the co-op game where the four classes have to actually cooperate to survive. Scout, Gunner, Engineer, and Driller each solve different problems, and a bad team composition ends missions early. It is not a loot ARPG, but the “three or four dwarves against a hostile world” fantasy overlaps with War in the North’s dwarf party dynamic more than you would expect.
Where it falls short: procedurally generated missions replace hand-crafted areas. If you loved the setting, that is a loss.
Pricing:
- Paid: $29.99 base; seasonal content is free updates
- vs War in the North: cheaper, endlessly replayable, no fixed narrative
Migrating from War in the North: the class-first mindset transfers well. Coordination beats reflexes.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: the pick for a group that wants classes to genuinely matter.
5. Torchlight Infinite, best for a free ARPG entry
Torchlight Infinite is the free-to-play loot ARPG that spawned from the Torchlight lineage. The build system is deep for a free game, the itemization is surprisingly generous, and the whole thing runs on Windows and browser. It is the best free entry point on this list.
Where it falls short: the monetization is cosmetic, not pay-to-win, but the storefront presence in the menus is loud.
Pricing:
- Free (cosmetic IAP)
- vs War in the North: zero buy-in, less narrative
Migrating from War in the North: the moment-to-moment gameplay is similar; the fiction is not.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: the pick when the group wants a free ARPG to jump into tonight.
6. Grim Dawn, best for a deep old-school ARPG
Grim Dawn is Crate Entertainment’s beloved dual-class ARPG. Ten years on, the modding scene is thriving, four-player online co-op works out of the box, and the setting (a fallen Victorian-ish world overrun by eldritch invaders) has a fiction as rich as any modern AAA game.
Where it falls short: the graphics show their age, and the pace is old-school (slow leveling, deliberate combat).
Pricing:
- Paid: $24.99 base; three expansions
- vs War in the North: much longer campaign, less polished visuals
Migrating from War in the North: the ranger becomes an Inquisitor; the warrior becomes a Soldier; the dwarf becomes a Demolitionist. Every War in the North class has a Grim Dawn equivalent.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: the pick for a group that wants the deepest character system on the list.
7. Path of Exile 2, best for the ARPG endgame
Path of Exile 2 is the endgame ARPG. Six-class launch, a build-crafting system unmatched in the genre, and free-to-play with a cosmetic monetization model that never becomes pay-to-win. Online co-op works cleanly, and the leagues (seasonal content resets) mean the game essentially reinvents itself every three months.
Where it falls short: the learning curve is legitimately hostile. Expect to lean on a guide for your first build.
Pricing:
- Free (cosmetic IAP; supporter packs at higher tiers)
- vs War in the North: much deeper systems, no fixed campaign end
Migrating from War in the North: the ranger becomes a Ranger; the warrior becomes a Warrior; the dwarf is closest to Marauder. Combat is more twitch-oriented and demanding.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: the pick for the group that wants a lifelong ARPG they will still be playing in five years.
How to pick the right one
If your group loves stories and dialogue, pick Baldur’s Gate 3. If they love the loot spiral, pick Diablo IV for polish or Path of Exile 2 for depth. If the combat feel was the draw, Vermintide 2 is the closest. If class chemistry was the draw, Deep Rock Galactic is the answer. If they want to start free tonight, Torchlight Infinite. If they want the deepest character system and do not mind older art, Grim Dawn.
FAQ
Is Lord of the Rings: War in the North online multiplayer still active? The Aspyr remaster brought a fresh player base for a few weeks. Matchmaking is spotty; pre-arranged parties with friends remain the reliable path.
Which of these has the best three-player split? Baldur’s Gate 3 with a three-person party, Vermintide 2 with three heroes and a bot, or Deep Rock Galactic dropped to three seats. All handle the specific “three heroes” fantasy cleanly.
Are there any Middle-earth games besides War in the North? Yes. Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War remain the flagship single-player picks. LOTRO is still running as the MMO. For co-op action RPG specifically, War in the North is still one of a kind.
What is the cheapest War in the North alternative? Path of Exile 2 and Torchlight Infinite are free. Grim Dawn is the cheapest paid pick at $24.99.
Which one has the best modding scene? Grim Dawn easily, followed by Vermintide 2. Baldur’s Gate 3 has strong mod support but the modding scene is still maturing.
