Office Dog announced The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Trick-Taking Game on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, completing its cooperative trick-taking trilogy with a February 2027 release and a limited pre-release in December 2026.
Key facts
- Game: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Trick-Taking Game
- Publisher: Office Dog (Asmodee)
- Series: Third and final game in the Trick-Taking Chapters trilogy
- Release: February 2027
- Pre-release: December 2026, at PAX Unplugged 2026 and select US game stores
- Price: $26.99
- Players: 1 to 4, ages 10 and up, about 20 minutes
- Link: Office Dog announcement below
How does the game play?
It plays cooperatively, like the two games before it. Players work together through a series of chapters with increasingly difficult objectives drawn from The Return of the King: Frodo and Sam push on into Mordor while Aragorn rallies the Free Peoples of Middle-earth for the final battle against Sauron. Solo play returns, so one player can run the whole journey alone.
ICv2 reports that this chapter adds new characters including Denethor, Dernhelm, Sharkey and Beregond, and that the game has multiple modes of play. Office Dog says this final chapter adds new twists, while keeping the structure that made the first two games work: every card played matters, and every trick counts.
The trilogy is a different kind of Lord of the Rings game from the big campaign boxes. Our recent coverage of The Lord of the Rings: The King’s Gambit closing at $2.58 million on Kickstarter shows the other end of the Middle-earth table.
When can you play it first?
You can play it first in December 2026. Office Dog will offer a limited pre-release at PAX Unplugged 2026 and through select US game stores that month, ahead of the full February 2027 release. ICv2 lists the retail price at $26.99, for one to four players ages 10 and up, with games taking about 20 minutes.
What bonus comes with early copies?
Players who buy through participating Hobby Next retailers get an exclusive Deathless & Eldest promotional card pack, while supplies last, according to Office Dog.
Source: Office Dog; retail details via ICv2
Image credit: Office Dog
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