The team behind the reimagining of the original Lara Croft adventure, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, have opened up on how they're approaching the 1996 game's difficulty and instakills, acknowledging it will have to be adjusted for "modern player tastes."

Speaking at a press event and captured by GamesRadar+, Crystal Dynamics' game director Will Kerslake said: "part of reimagining a game right is adjusting that game evolving for modern player tastes."

He also hinted at what kind of gameplay we can expect to see, insisting "it is core to the Tomb Raider experience that there are puzzles in combat and traversal and death-defying action." However, Kerslake stressed that the things we remember from the original game will remain, adding: "you'll see big rolling balls, and you know, the things that you expect in a Tomb Raider game are going to be there in spades."

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is due out at some point in 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC via Steam. Alix Wilton Regan will now play Lara Croft in both Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis and 2027's Tomb Raider: Catalyst, with Camilla Luddington, who portrayed Lara Croft in the Survivor Trilogy, issuing a heartfelt goodbye to the character this week.

Meanwhile, some Tomb Raider fans are bracing themselves for retcons, given the need to fit both Legacy of Atlantis and Catalyst in a new, unified Tomb Raider timeline. There's also the upcoming Amazon TV show to consider. The live-action Tomb Raider Prime Video series, which will star Game of Thrones alum Sophie Turner, will “reinvent the franchise on a massive scale” and interconnect “live-action television series and video games into a unified storytelling universe.”

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

Gil Gerard, best known for playing Buck Rogers, has died aged 82.

His wife, Janet, shared the news in a Facebook post, confirming his death on Tuesday, December 16.

Early this morning Gil - my soulmate - lost his fight with a rare and viciously aggressive form of cancer. From the moment when we knew something was wrong to his death this morning was only days. No matter how many years I got to spend with him it would have ever been enough. Hold the ones you have tightly and love them fiercely.

Gerard played the titular light-hearted sci-fi hero in NBC series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, which ran from 1979-1981 following the successful theatrical release of a movie of the same name. The plot follows 20th-century astronaut Buck Rogers, who is frozen for 500 years after a space anomaly sends his shuttle off course. He awakes in the futuristic, post-nuclear-holocaust Earth of 2491. Revived by the alien Draconians, who are secretly planning to invade Earth, Buck adjusts to his new time, teams up with Earth Defense Directorate Colonel Wilma Deering (Erin Gray), and convinces humanity of the imminent threat.

The Fallout TV show is packed full of characters, factions, locations, and items familiar to any who has played the beloved RPGs. There are so many easter eggs to spot that we found 111 video game details in Season 1 alone. With Season 2 heading to a fan-favourite region of the Fallout universe, New Vegas, there's naturally a whole new flood of iconography set to make its way from the games into the Prime Video series. So, we’ll be digging into each and every episode and picking out everything we’ve noticed that relates to the source material. Without further ado, let's take a look at every video game easter egg and details we spotted in the season premiere of Fallout Season 2.

Characters and Factions

1. The likes of Lucy and The Ghoul obviously return in Fallout Season 2, but one less obvious returning character is Robert House, who first appeared at the end of Season 1, albeit looking a little different. That’s because he’s now been recast, with Justin Theroux taking over (sort of) from Rafi Silver, in anticipation of a presumably larger role this time around. It makes sense, too, as New Vegas is where the founder of RobCo Industries is found in the game, declaring himself as CEO, President, and Sole Proprietor of the New Vegas strip. We first see him in a flashback sequence at a local bar.

2. New Vegas is also home to some iconic factions that battle for control over the Mojave wasteland. One we see prominently in this episode is the Great Khans, a raider tribe inspired by Mongolian culture of the old world. This can clearly be seen in their horned helmets and recognisable logo that’s proudly on display in Novac.

3. A number of corpses wearing fur hats can be seen as Lucy and The Ghoul investigate an abandoned vault. These are similar to the hats worn by the People's Liberation Army, as seen in Fallout 3 and its Operation: Anchorage DLC, although these are not actually dead members of the PLA, but the rotting carcasses of Americans brainwashed into thinking they’re communists.

4. Before the bombs dropped, we also get a look at a Vault-Tec salesman who looks to be dressed pretty much exactly like the one who rings your doorbell at the start of Fallout 4. We’d be highly surprised if it’s the exact same one, considering they’d have to be in both Boston and Los Angeles near the beginning of the apocalypse, but it's great to see that Vault-Tec enforces a strict dress code policy.

Locations

5. In fact, the whole neighborhood that the salesman is roaming around is similar to the one seen at the beginning of Fallout 4. Even a military Vertibird can be seen flying over the street, exactly like it does in the 2015 game.

6. Lucy and The Ghoul walk past a sign pointing towards the Starlight Drive-In Theater as they wander the wasteland. This drive-in cinema is actually a location you can visit in Fallout 4, but I guess there must have been a large chain of these that spread throughout America.

7. Vault 24 is a curious one. Strictly speaking, it doesn’t exist in Fallout: New Vegas, but following its 2010 release, a Vault 24 jumpsuit has been found in the game files of Obsidian’s RPG. It seems like this was a location that was ultimately cut, so it's nice to see it get its moment in the limelight here, even if it doesn’t seem the most welcoming of places.

8. One location that is definitely in Fallout: New Vegas is the Dino Dee-lite Motel. Arguably one of the Mojave wasteland’s most iconic landmarks, in this part of the timeline, the Great Khans have seemingly taken control of it at the expense of the game’s previous occupant, Jeannie May Crawford, who ran it fifteen years earlier in 2281.

9. Dinky the T-Rex is the motel’s looming dinosaur mascot, and he looks just like he does in New Vegas. In a clear reference to the video game, Lucy uses its gaping mouth as a sniper’s nest, just as Craig Boone and Manny Vargas once did.

10. The Dino Dee-Lite motel is what the town of Novac is built around, having gotten its name from the damaged “No Vacancy” sign that sits outside of it. In the game, its residents describe it as “a small oasis in a big desert”, but it looks like it's seen better days in the show.

Items and Iconography

11. A nice little detail is the shield and skull decoration seen in Novac. This is a reference to the Great Khans ending slide from the first Fallout, which you may have seen based on the choices you’d made in that original Interplay Productions game.

12. And of course, it wouldn’t be Fallout with Nuka Cola. A vending machine for the wasteland’s favourite carbonated drink can be seen in Novac by the motel.

13. Caffeine isn’t the only drug rife in the Mojave, though. This Great Khan member can be seen inhaling some Jet, a powerful hallucinogenic chem that gives the user a brief period of enhanced awareness. In the games, this translates as slowing down the action around you to give the player an edge in combat. Incidentally, the most common form of Jet is created using the fumes emanating from the dung of Brahmin (Fallout’s multi-headed bovine).

14. The Ghoul can be seen using a device that produces a green light or mist to heal the cuts on his neck. We initially wondered if this was a miniaturised version of Fallout 76’s Stimpack Diffuser, which creates a cloud of green healing mist. However, IGN reader ZaFreesh pointed out this is actually a damaged Fusion Core, the devices used to power many of the universe's devices (you can see its yellow body and connecting prongs through The Ghoul's fingers.) In all of Bethesda's Fallout games, ghouls are able to use radiation to heal. That green light is leaking ionizing radiation.

15. Of course, there are also more traditional ways of harming your insides. Big Boss cigarettes are a very common brand in the Fallout universe, and we can see Mr House with a pack of them in the opening.

16. If you’re more of a straight-edge kinda person, perhaps we can interest you in some of the wasteland’s more precious items – purified water. A bottle can be seen on the floor of a vault back in Los Angeles.

17. Another great way to restore some health in the Fallout games is by eating some Sugar Bombs. An incredibly sugary breakfast cereal, a box can be spotted in the far less sweet-looking medical facility inside Vault 24.

18. Back in the very Fallout 4-looking town in the middle of the episode, we can spot a Vault-Tec van, presumably belonging to the aforementioned salesman. In case you don’t know, Vault-Tec is the company responsible for building and maintaining the hundreds of nuclear bunkers across North America.

19. And don’t get too excited, but that isn’t the only van-related detail, as in the episode’s opening scene we are shown a Radiation King van behind Robert House. Radiation King is an electronics company that, among other items, makes many of the televisions spotted across Fallout’s wasteland.

20. Speaking of technology and Mr House, could the neck-mounted radio chips that he uses to overpower the construction worker’s brain be an early prototype of the Mesmetron, or perhaps a competing design from RobCo Industries? The Mesmetron is a mind control device that we’ve only previously seen in Fallout 3. This unique weapon was developed by Implied Hypnotics Inc. and grants the player the ability to confuse enemies, and even make their heads explode.

21. Speaking of non-Fallout: New Vegas-related items from the games making their way into the TV show, the Whack a Commie! arcade machine from Fallout 4’s Nuka World expansion can be seen being played by Cooper’s daughter, Janey, in a flashback.

Music

22. Music is a huge part of the Fallout games, and that’s no different in the show. During the Novac shootout, we can hear “Big Iron” by Marty Robbins. This track features in Fallout: New Vegas and has lived a long life since, becoming a meme in its own right.

23. “It’s All Over” by The Ink Spots can also be heard in the episode. This is from Fallout 4, with The Ink Spots being a 1930s and ‘40s group that has become synonymous with the games, having had songs featured in multiple entries.

24. “Make the World Go Away” is a country song originally written by Hank Cochran. Though not in any Fallout, a cover of it has been used in a video game: GTA San Andreas, which also visits Las Vegas as one of its key locations.

25. A couple of other tracks also get aired throughout the season two premiere: A cover of “Cheek to Cheek” by Frank Sinatra, and “Workin’ For the Man” by Roy Orbison. These have no connection to the already established Fallout universe as far as we can tell, but do fit the vibe perfectly.

And that’s everything we spotted in the first episode of season two of the Fallout TV show. Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments. For more Fallout, check out our review of the premiere, and stay tuned next week for all of episode two’s easter eggs.

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.

You don't have to pay more for a white-colored graphics card. For a limited time, Amazon is offering its Prime members a Gigabyte Aero GeForce RTX 5070 OC 12GB Graphics Card, decked out in a white and silver colorway, for $499. That's better than most 5070 deals I've seen because the GPU also features a triple-fan cooling system. The RTX 5070 is an excellent GPU for gaming at up to 1440p at comfortable framerates, and even at 4K with the help of DLSS4.

Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5070 12GB OC Graphics Card for $499

Triple fan cooling

This review contains spoilers for Fallout Season 2’s premiere episode, “The Innovator”, which is available to stream now on Prime Video. For a spoiler-free look at what's to come, check out our Fallout Season 2 Episodes 1-6 review.

We may have only known them for just under eight hours in total, but it feels really good to be back in the company of Lucy MacLean and The Ghoul. Ella Purnell and Walton Goggins have breathed exceptional life into this odd couple pairing, and their first season triumphs are effortlessly picked up in this second season premiere – Purnell never less than completely charming, even when guzzling flea soup, and Goggins always ready with a sharp blade or sharper word. The strength of this duo is emblematic of Fallout’s strength as a whole – a project that completely understands the often contradictory tone required of this eccentric world, where the goofy walks side-by-side with the terrifying. That deep understanding is vital for this season’s new challenge: the gargantuan task of working within the lore of Fallout: New Vegas, one of the most beloved RPGs of all time. And while the most interesting and iconic stuff is still beyond the horizon of this episode, the authenticity of the show is still plain to see, and it helps this enjoyable premiere rise above a few noticeable blemishes.

While Fallout’s Season 2 premiere never fails to be entertaining, the first half is too preoccupied with reminding you what Fallout is and who all of its characters are to truly get this season’s storyline going with earnestness. The sequence at the Dino Dee-lite Motel, one of Fallout: New Vegas’ most famous landmarks, is an enjoyably silly showcase of just how much The Ghoul takes pleasure in turning humans into bits of pie-filling, and how Lucy will always look for the non-lethal way out of sticky situations. But the entire event is a reiteration of character traits we already know, and so is essentially homework for those arriving late to the party. It’s a revision exercise that feels slightly unnecessary following almost six minutes of “previously on Fallout” montage, and one we’ll likely have to go through again soon considering the show’s third lead, Maximus (Aaron Moten), has yet to show his face.

While Lucy and Ghoul’s journey does eventually stumble into more interesting territory (more on that later), it’s by visiting the past that this premiere episode is able to establish more compelling stories for the show’s future. The pre-war flashbacks return, picking up just seconds after The Ghoul’s former self, Hollywood actor Cooper Howard, eavesdropped on Vault-Tec’s diabolical plans in the Season 1 finale. I’m pleased to see that Sarita Choudhury’s Moldaver is back as part of all this, and that her first task is pressuring Howard into becoming a cold-blooded killer. While it seems like she’ll be no more than a shadowy figure on the sidelines, at least she gets to be the person that kickstarts Cooper’s descent into becoming a frequent creator of bloody messes.

Cooper’s involvement with Moldaver, Vault-Tec, and attempting to prevent armageddon puts him in the fascinating position of being on the frontlines of what has previously only ever been Fallout’s distant backstory. Season 1 used Cooper as a lens through which to truly live the kind of pre-apocalypse existence that the games have only hinted at through shattered retrofuturistic kitchens and rusted robot butlers, but we’re going somewhere very different now: right into the middle of the events that caused Fallout. It’s sacred territory, the stuff I’d usually say should be kept perpetually beyond our reach, only ever learned about through notes and audio logs hidden behind a hacking puzzle. But I can’t deny that I’m excited to see where this more hands-on approach takes both Cooper and Fallout as a whole.

Much of that excitement is generated by Moldaver and Howard’s target: Justin Theroux’s Robert House. Or, as the episode’s ominous intertitle credits him as, “The Man Who Knew.” A cold opening provides an impressive look at Theroux’s take on New Vegas’ most important character, who combines immaculate grooming, unbreakable confidence, and a trademark breathy “hw” sound at the start of his “when”, “where”, and “why”s to create a delightfully insufferable upper-class intellectual. His deal with the striking construction worker is a neat demonstration of how he’s able to use that intellect to orchestrate scenarios to optimum outcomes; he uses money to lure the man into becoming his test subject, and then a mind control chip to take total control. He’s a master manipulator who’ll do anything to bend you to his will. If last season’s finale didn’t make it abundantly clear, billionaires are the problem.

The splattery back-alley experiment is a fantastic introduction to House, but one minorly stained by the show’s attempt to create an in-universe explanation for the character’s re-casting. Rafi Silver, who played House for a single scene last season, returns in a retconned role that appears to be the industrialist’s “public face.” In the strikers’ local bar, workers decry the sight of Silver’s face on the TV, but have absolutely no idea who Justin Theroux is. Perhaps this is supposed to be some kind of twist in the making – “Surprise, this guy was House all the long!” But if that’s the case, perhaps they shouldn’t have given Theroux the exact same hair, make-up, and smoking habit that Silver has. The whole sequence had me confused as to if the person who looked like House was actually House, rather than genuinely hoodwinked by a red herring. While the character does admittedly need to sport his iconic moustache, that could always have been added in a later reveal. And, more importantly, if Amazon was shooting for a twist, they shouldn’t have confirmed Theroux was playing House in both trailers and interviews that landed months ahead of this episode.

Despite this rough edge, I’m excited about House’s position in the show and can’t wait to see him butt heads with Cooper. I’m less enthusiastic about the ongoing tale of interconnected vaults 31, 32, and 33, which so far still needs to prove it was worth continuing into this second season. I’ll admit that I was unoptimistic about this storyline in the first season and was eventually proved wrong by the finale, but what we seem to have this time is multiple vault dweller storylines, rather than just the one spearheaded by Moisés Arias’s Norm. His journey is thankfully off to a reasonably strong start that instantly builds on his discovery of the now-thawing 200-year-old battalion of frozen Vault-Tec managers, and I expect things will heat up as soon as they’ve wiped the frost from their eyes next week. But the other vault-based plots already threaten to be inconsequential, such as the broken water chip (which reared its head last season for little more than a single line of dialogue), Steph’s ascent to overseer, and especially the in-breeding social club started by a very bored Reg. While it’s true that these jumpsuited idiots do provide a few good laughs, I think gags are better delivered within the main narrative and not as comedy sideshows. There may be three vaults, but I don’t think there needs to be three stories… although, like with last season, a good final twist may justify the time spent with these vault boys and girls.

When you can see the exciting sparks of disparate plot threads being welded together, though, it really does feel like the best of Fallout is back. The first season eventually wrought many of its ideas into one satisfying, coherent whole, and it feels like this second season is getting started with that process even earlier. Stories from across both the timeline and breadth of the wasteland are stitched together in this episode’s more propulsive second half, as Lucy and The Ghoul discover the abandoned vault that was once used to trial the mind-control chips we saw Robert House testing in the opening sequence. The “turn Americans into communists” theme of the vault’s experiment is a good laugh – not sharp enough to be genuine satire, but enough to colourfully evoke the idea of a mad Vault-Tec scientist creating “monsters,” Clockwork Orange-style. It further enriches Fallout’s shadowy corners, demonstrates that aforementioned understanding of the games’ tone, and hopefully points towards even more messed up experiments in the future. Anyone up for a trip to the “Gary” vault?

Meanwhile, in the metal bowels of yet another underground bunker, we’re treated to a precious few minutes with Kyle MacLachlan to round the episode out on a high. Hank MacLean initially appears to be a dedicated Vault-Tec company man, getting ready to complete his employer’s plans in a fantastically upbeat sequence set to Roy Orbison’s “Working for the Man,” which is only made better by the involvement of a hot cup of coffee and a damn good smile. But that final radio call really threw me for a loop. Hank may be working for the man, but that man certainly ain’t Vault-Tec. Fallout veterans will recognise that all signs point to Robert House, but how are these men connected? What does Hank’s promotion entail? And is House even still alive? There well may be nobody listening to Hank’s report, after all. Whatever the answers, there’s now a clearly defined web of intrigue that links Hank, Lucy, The Ghoul, Cooper Howard, and Robert House all together. And there’s our central throughline established. While this premiere certainly has its struggles, it gets to exactly where it needs to be before everything fades to black.

Sonos is hosting a last-minute Christmas sale across its entire site, but one of its best deals can be found in its certified refurbished section. For a limited time, the certified refurbished Sonos Era 100 smart speaker drops to just $134. Shipping is free, but there's also a Best Buy in-store pickup option for even faster retrieval.

A brand new Sonos Era 100 is also on sale right now for $169, but in my opinion there's no reason to spend the extra $35, especially since the warranty is exactly the same. Sonos refurbished products come like new, in pristine packaging with all the original accessories and a one year Sonos warranty.

Sonos Era 100 Smart Speaker for $134

Certified refurbished with 1 year Sonos warranty

In this week’s deals haul, I fell down the familiar rabbit hole of "just checking prices" and somehow emerged with a shortlist of games I have already sunk irresponsible hours into. Some of these are comfort food, some are long overdue, and a few are perfect excuses to cancel weekend plans. No regrets.

Contents

• Retro
• Nintendo
• Xbox
• PlayStation
• PC
• PC Gear
• LEGO

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I’m using a precision railgun shot to simultaneously light 26 candles on a cake baked for Quake III Arena. I have extremely fond memories of my older, vastly more employed brother building his first PC to play this at launch as I watched on in awe. It was an absolute batcomputer of a rig packing a Pentium II 266 MHz, 64MB RAM, and a beastly 4MB video card. The latter was very much needed because, unlike most other games released at the time, the idTech3 engine demanded an OpenGL-compliant graphics accelerator to run.

From the first FMV frames of a stogie-chewin’ Sarge making his last stand, I was hooked. The Quake series wasn’t really known for its narrative depth, so pinging around a meticulously crafted Thunderdome with 15 other bots/players was a clever pare back of all the puzzle solvin’ and key findin ‘for pure, unadulterated killin’ at a greased lightning pace. Never shall I forget those all-nighter LANs, the arsey rocket jumps, and railgun duelling across The Longest Yard.

LEGO hasn't been just for kids for a while now. There are countless "adults welcome" LEGO sets that are perfect for offices, game rooms, or to mount on your walls. Sure, most of these sets are nerd-adjacent, from Star Wars display models to an enormous Lord of the Rings Rivendell set, but they are a testament to just how much the toy brand has changed over the years. Some of the biggest upcoming LEGO sets are 18+ builds specifically targeted at adult collectors this year. And If you're both an avid reader and huge LEGO fan like me, the three new themed book nooks now available are absolutely worth checking out. These book nooks are an entirely new type of LEGO set made to fit perfectly on your shelf and live amongst your book collection. If you're on the hunt for a perfect gift for the reader in your life, look no further.

With this new type of set available now, LEGO joins a wide range of brands offering book nook kits for adults in 2025. Below we've featured all of the options currently available, including a pair of bookends as well.

Every LEGO Book Nook Available Now

All three of the LEGO book nooks came out earlier this summer alongside the rest of June LEGO lineup, and the one pair of bookends here were just released at the beginning of September. They're all riddled with detail and Easter eggs from their respective series and are modular; there's the folded in book nook style and the "unfolded" view. The unfolded mode offers a great display of famous scenes like the Harry and Ron finding Platform 9 3/4 or Gandalf facing off against the Balrog. The modularity makes these sets not only serve their purpose as book nooks well but also as standalone LEGO display pieces for your shelves or coffee tables.

The set of Wicked bookends function a little bit differently by replacing the idea of a simple nook with more of a functional aspect. This is the only bookends set we've seen so far.

LEGO Lord of the Rings Book Nook

LEGO Sherlock Holmes Book Nook

LEGO Hogwarts Express Book Nook

LEGO Wicked: Glinda & Elphaba Bookends

Are There Any Upcoming LEGO Book Nooks?

As of December 2025, there are no known plans for any more LEGO Book Nooks. That being said, the first three sets that released in June and the new Wicked bookends have been extremely popular so far. The success of these initial book nooks would indicated that LEGO will almost certainly be releasing more in the near future. We can only speculate as to which franchises will get the book nook treatment next, but since LEGO hasn't strayed beyond collaborations that are directly tied to book series', there's only so many potential next steps.

The first and most obvious next book nook would be an expansion of Dune. There has only been one LEGO Dune set so far and it was overall very popular thaks to the new movies and fans of the original book series. Something like a giant sand worm book nook would be a great choice. It's possible Disney could also join the fray with a Winnie the Pooh set or something similar. There are already a ton of LEGO Disney sets and this seems like a prime opportunity to put out a really interest Disney gift set for readers.

Myles Obenza is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Bluesky @mylesobenza.bsky.social.

Several retailers have dropped the price on one of Sony's best wireless noise canceling headphones. The Sony WH-1000XM5 is currently $249.99 after a $150 off instant discount. However, Amazon is doing one better than everyone else by also throwing in a free pair of Sony WF-C700N true wireless noise canceling earbuds. This bundle is estimated to be delivered before Christmas. Despite being a generation older, the Sony XM5 is one of the best noise canceling headphones you can get for under $400 and it consistently ranks at the top of the heap in our buying guide.

Sony WH-1000XM5 Noise Cancelling Headphones for $248

Free Sony WF-C700N earbuds with purchase ($120 value)

Missed out on the budget gaming PC deals during Black Friday? Don't fret because here's an even better opportunity. Walmart is currently offering the iBuypower Element SE RTX 5060 Ti gaming PC for just $899 with free delivery. This is the lowest price I've seen for any RTX 5060 Ti equipped gaming PC, and beats the previous Black Friday deal by $100. It's even estimated to be delivered before Christmas (depending on your zip code) in case you need to pack this off as a gift.

iBuypower RTX 5060 Ti Gaming PC for $899

From its epic scale and unmatched sense of adventure to its beloved characters and the unforgettable relationships between them, Lord of the Rings remains the all-time best series of fantasy films. Now, LotR is back in the zeitgeist thanks to Amazon’s Middle-earth TV series, The Rings of Power, as well as a return to theaters in January 2026.

Watching the Lord of the Rings movies in order is a fairly straightforward endeavor, and we’ve put together this article to make sure newcomers can properly navigate both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. With series newcomers in mind, the brief plot synopses below will be spoiler-free beyond broad plot points and character introductions.

At the bottom of the article, you'll find a second list that orders the films by their actual release dates, if you’d prefer to watch them in that order instead (as I do).

Jump to:

• How to watch in chronological order
• How to watch by release order

You can also check out our guide to reading the Lord of the Rings books in order, which includes the Silmarillion.

How Many Lord of the Rings Movies Are There?

There are seven total movies set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth: three The Lord of the Rings movies, three The Hobbit movies, and an animated feature film. There is also older animated trilogy of The Hobbit (1977), The Lord of the Rings, (1978), and The Return of the King (1980) which are separate from the newer films and weren't included here.

Where Does Rings of Power Fit in the Lord of the Rings Timeline?

Amazon’s Rings of Power series is set during the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, which are set in the Third Age. This is the period in Middle-earth during which we’ll see "the forging of the rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the epic tale of Númenor, and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men," according to showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay.

The Lord of the Rings Movies in Chronological Order

1. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024)

2024's animated feature film, The War of the Rohirrim, is set 183 years before The Lord of the Rings trilogy — and therefore 123 years before The Hobbit. Like the live-action trilogies, The War of the Rohirrim is set during Middle-earth's Third Age.

The War of the Rohirrim follows the ninth King of Rohan, Helm Hammerhand (voiced by Brian Cox), and his family. The story focuses primarily on Helm's daughter, Hèra, and her role in the conflict between Rohan and the Dunlendings.

Read our The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review.

2. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

The Hobbit trilogy is set 60 years before The Lord of the Rings, despite being released a decade later.

Chronologically, the story kicks off with 2012’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which sees Martin Freeman take on the role of a younger Bilbo Baggins (played by Ian Holm in the LotR trilogy). Gandalf – one of several characters whose stories run through both trilogies — recruits Bilbo to join Thorin (Richard Armitage) and Company to help reclaim the Dwarven kingdom beneath Erebor, aka The Lonely Mountain, that had been sacked by the dragon Smaug. Along the way, Bilbo encounters Gollum for the first time and comes into possession of the One Ring.

Read our The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey review.

3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

Thorin and Company continue their journey toward The Lonely Mountain, fending off giant spiders and orcs along the way. Orlando Bloom’s Legolas (another LotR staple) joins the fray alongside newcomer Tauriel (played by Ant-Man’s Evangeline Lilly). While the company reaches Esgaroth, a lake-town south of Erebor, Bilbo descends into the mountain, where he encounters Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch). Smaug ultimately leaves his lair and departs for Esgaroth, setting up the conclusion of The Hobbit trilogy.

Read our The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug review.

4. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

The conflict with Smaug is resolved and the film’s titular battle ensues involving the armies of men, dwarves, elves, and two tribes of orcs. We’re being extra vague here as The Battle of the Five Armies is ripe with resolution (and therefore spoilers), but prepare for an action-heavy film that ultimately leaves off where The Lord of the Rings trilogy begins: back at the Shire, 60 years later, as Gandalf visits Bilbo on his 111th birthday.

Read our The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies review.

5. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

The first Middle-earth film by release date is 2001’s The Fellowship of the Ring. The perspective shifts from Bilbo to his much-younger cousin Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood). Following some exposition that sets up the current state of affairs in Middle-earth, we return to Bilbo’s 111th birthday celebration in the Shire.

Bilbo departs on one last adventure, leaving the One Ring with Frodo; Gandalf warns Frodo he must leave the Shire, as Sauron (the Lord of the Rings) and his evil cronies — specifically the Nazgûl, a host of nine horse-mounted wraiths — will be coming for the ring. Frodo departs the Shire with his best friend, Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin), along with fellow hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippen (Billy Boyd).

After some perilous travel and character introductions, including Aragorn (Mortensen), Legolas (Bloom), and Saruman (Christopher Lee), a plan is devised to destroy the Ring in the fires of Mordor's Mount Doom, where the Rings of Power were forged. The plan is to be carried out by a ragtag group dubbed the Fellowship of the Ring: the wizard Gandalf; the hobbits Frodo, Samwise, Merry, and Pippen; the elf Legolas; the dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies); and humans Aragorn and Boromir (Sean Bean).

A treacherous journey leads them to Lothlórien, an Elven realm ruled by Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel, who also appears throughout The Hobbit trilogy and is one of the main protagonists of the new Amazon series (this younger version of Galadriel is played by Morfydd Clark). Galadriel advises Frodo, and he decides to continue his journey to Mordor without the others, bringing only his most trusted confidant, Sam.

Read our The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring review.

6. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Frodo and Sam take on a third, reluctant travel companion in Gollum (voiced by Andy Serkis), a hobbit long ago corrupted by the power of the One Ring. The trio makes it to the outskirts of Mordor, though are stalled by an unforeseen intervention. The other members of the Fellowship embark on a rescue mission; Gandalf takes a new form; and the trilogy’s first epic battle occurs in the gorge of Helm’s Deep.

Read our The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers review.

7. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

As with The Battle of the Five Armies, The Return of the King’s plot is essentially all spoilers, so we’ll again highlight only the broadest story beats. Gollum, exploiting the influence of the Ring, pits Frodo against Sam and leads the former into the lair of a deadly foe. The other members of the Fellowship, meanwhile, partake in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields — a massive, final fight against the dark forces of Sauron.

Frodo and Sam ultimately enter Mordor in disguise and, with help from the other members of the Fellowship, see the original plan through. With the journey concluded, we enter the Fourth Age of Middle-Earth and are treated to a bittersweet finale.

Read our The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King review.

How to Watch The Lord of the Rings Movies By Release Date

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
4. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
6. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
7. Rings of Power TV Series (2022-Present)
8. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024)
9. The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum (2027)

The Future of Lord of the Rings

The franchise's next big-screen entry will be a live-action movie called The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Directed by and starring Andy Serkis, The Hunt for Gollum is scheduled to hit theaters on December 17, 2027. Peter Jackson is also involved, serving as an executive producer, while Ian Holm has already confirmed his return as Gandalf. Fortunately, it seems this next movie has absolutely no connection to the (rather bad) Gollum video game.

Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have also struck a deal to produce more Lord of the Rings movies. Few details have been revealed, though we know the deal covers "multiple" films.

When Is Rings of Power Season 3?

The Rings of Power: Season 2 aired its finale in October 2024. Fans of the show will be pleased to know Season 3 ihas already wrapped up filming, though a premiere date has not been announced. Based on the timing between when season 2 was announced and when it was actually released, this means we can potentially expect season 3 to arrive somewhere near February 2027.

In case you missed Sideshow's Black Friday sale, you'll be glad to know Sideshow is still offering its special Free Figure offer for toy collectors to take advantage of. If you spend $300 on Sideshow, you can choose a free collectible at checkout, with two gift options to choose from. Alternatively, if you spend $450, you can choose one free gift from one of four gift options.

If you don't have the budget to throw down hundreds on a new collector's item right now, there's plenty more officially-licensed toys, books, board games and affordable collectibles to choose from on Sideshow that make great, geeky gift ideas. Keep scrolling to find out everything you need to know about the Free Figure offer, and to see some of my favorite gift ideas from Sideshow right now.

Top Sideshow Collectible Gift Ideas Under $100

Note: Act fast to get things shipped ASAP. Some items are ready to ship as soon as next day.

In case you're not familiar with Sideshow, it's one of the top brands out there for collectibles, with six-scale figures, dioramas, art prints and other impressive items across some of the biggest franchises out there.

Because Sideshow is a high-end action figure manufacturer, the prices of its incredibly detailed statues and figures are also typically steep, each ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars (like this Iron Man life size replica standing at 6' 10" tall) even when on sale. However, with gifting season in mind, this is a decent offer for the hardcore collectors in your life that care about high-quality, detailed collectibles.

My Favorite Items on Sideshow Right Now:

Shop Sideshow's Free Figure Offer: Spend $300 and Get Free Item

LG Electronics has announced that at CES in Las Vegas next month, it will be unveiling a new Micro RGB TV, the Micro RGB Evo. It's not announcing pricing yet, but LG says the TV will come in 100-inch, 86-inch, and 75-inch sizes. Hopefully they'll be more affordable than Samsung's 115-inch Micro RGB behemoth, or Hisense's 116-inch RGB MiniLED TV, each of which goes for about $30,000.

Micro RGB is the latest in TV tech being presented as a high-contrast, higher-brightness alternative to OLED TVs. It's not MicroLED, a similar-sounding TV panel tech that is a bit like OLED but with pixels made up of individually lit RGB LEDs. Instead, this tech uses clustered RGB LEDs to backlight a normal LCD panel – it still achieves dimming like a MiniLED would, but with a wider potential color gamut. LG says the new Micro RGB Evo can hit 100 percent coverage in BT.2020, DCI-P3, and Adobe RGB, and that it offers over 1,000 dimming zones, which is about on par with many MiniLEDs.