Who doesn’t want to live like a Hobbit? Moving into a Hobbit hole in the Shire’s rolling hills and tending a garden and brewing ale sounds like a dream. Like Bilbo Baggins says, “It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life.” Maybe you aren’t able to run away to Hobbiton in real life, but a new video game will let you imagine a more straightforward existence as a Hobbit. Tales of the Shire from Private Division and Wētā Workshop is a Hobbit life sim that allows to you farm, fish, decorate your home, and explore the place you live. It looks enchanting.
This is exactly how I want to experience the world of Middle-earth. The Lord of the Rings is full of danger and battles, but I want to sit by a warm hearth and read a book. Traveling to the Hobbiton set is a long-held dream of mine. Tales of the Shire will give me a taste of what that might be like. The game is the latest in a long line of life sims that offer escape—games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Disney Dreamlight Valley. Even Dungeons & Dragons is working on a game that’s part life sim.
Your goal as a Hobbit is to bring the community of Bywater together. Tales of the Shire‘s description states:
Create and personalise a Hobbit with an array of customisations to experience the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved Middle-earth universe your own way. Settle in and decorate a cosy Hobbit home, choosing from an array of furniture and home décor to create your unique, humble abode. Then head outdoors to Bywater for plenty of cooking, fishing, foraging, gardening, and more relaxing activities in the Shire. Toss your lure to catch trout from the glistening waters of Bywater Pool, gather wild mushrooms, and then use the collected ingredients to bake a succulent pie to serve for luncheon. With a full belly, stroll back outside to explore the Shire and build relationships with the Bywater locals by helping them to build a garden, sharing one of the many daily Hobbit meals, and more.
Tales of the Shire will release on March 25th, 2025. It will be available “everywhere” on that date, including on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
Originally published on April 22, 2024.
