The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Mod Brings Four-Player Co-op to Middle-earth

Four players, one screen, and an army of Orcs standing between you and victory. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is getting a multiplayer upgrade that makes gathering a few friends for another trip through Middle-earth considerably more appealing.

Created by brig-dev, ROTKPlus expands the original 2003 PC game's local co-op to support three or four players. There's also a Versus mode for two to four people, should fighting Sauron's armies together eventually give way to fighting each other. One detail we appreciate is that an allied NPC remains present even in four-player levels, so the expanded party doesn't come at the expense of the game's supporting characters.

Additional players' progress is saved through the first player's profile, keeping everything tied to the person hosting the session. The mod also works with the original PC release and the community's Athelas fix.

This is strictly local multiplayer, not online co-op. You'll need everyone in the same room, controllers ready, and enough space on the couch. Considering how much of The Return of the King's appeal comes from fighting alongside familiar heroes, letting four actual people share those battles feels like a natural fit.