# The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

> The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is EA's 2003 hack-and-slash adaptation of the film, playable as Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Frodo and Sam.

Web page: https://emulationking.com/microsoft/xbox/games/lordoftheringsthereturnoftheking/
Page updated: 2026-10-28

- Console: Xbox
- Released: 2003
- Developer: EA Redwood Shores

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was developed by EA Redwood Shores and published by Electronic Arts in 2003 for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube and Windows. It follows Peter Jackson's film from Helm's Deep to the Black Gate, with the Fellowship split between the Path of the King and the Path of the Hobbits.

It builds on The Two Towers' combat with more playable characters, upgradable combos and two-player co-op, and uses clips and voice work from the film.

## The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King PC Ports

- [Athelas](https://emulationking.com/microsoft/xbox/games/lordoftheringsthereturnoftheking/ports/athelas/index.md): Athelas is a free launcher for three Lord of the Rings games on Windows: native PC ports of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King for the Xbox, plus a fix for the 2003 PC game.