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Dragon's Dogma: Dark ArisenVSMiddle-earth™: Shadow of War™

Which game gives you more value right now? Every metric, head to head.

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

Quality
86Popularity
37Value
67
GAMIVOBetter Deal· GAMIVO
in 3 hours
−81% $5.57
Buy Now
VS
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™

Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™

Quality
72Popularity
40Value
82
GAMIVOBetter Deal· GAMIVO
−93% $3.41
Buy Now

Winner

Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ wins 11 of 14 head-to-head metrics.

The stars are aligning for this one. At this moment, the game is delivering well and the price feels right.

Grab It Now
3
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
3 of 14 metrics
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™
11 of 14 metrics
11

Head-to-Head Metrics

Direct metric-by-metric comparison: winner determined by count, no weighting

Value
Pricing & Deals
Current Best Price (USD)
$5.57 -
$3.41 Wins
Historical Low Price (USD)
$3.61 -
$3.26 Wins
Best Current Discount
-81% -
-93% Wins
Sales Frequency
190 price changes Wins
33 price changes -
Quality
Critical & User Reception
Metacritic
81/100 Wins
N/A -
Steam Review Score
88.5% positive -
88.9% positive Wins
Total Steam Reviews
37.3K -
87.2K Wins
Positive Steam Reviews
33.0K -
77.5K Wins
Negative Steam Reviews
4.3K Wins
9.7K -
Popularity
Community & Activity
Average Concurrent Players (14 days)
456 -
1.3K Wins
Steam Recommendations
36.6K -
86.6K Wins
Features
Features & Content
Achievements
59 -
72 Wins
Supported Languages
7 languages -
13 languages Wins
Release Date
Jan 2016 -
Oct 2017 Wins
GameValio Recommendation
Worth ItDragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

Solid pick at the moment — it's holding up well and the price is fair for what you get.

Worth ItMiddle-earth™: Shadow of War™

The stars are aligning for this one. At this moment, the game is delivering well and the price feels right.

Statistics Over Time

Side-by-side historical trends: same time range, same scale

Time Range:
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™

Player Count Trends

· Concurrent players over time

Review Score Trends

· Positive review ratio over time

Review Volume Trends

— Total reviews accumulated over time

Price Comparison

Current deals and best prices side by side

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

4 Stores
GAMIVO
GAMIVO −81% $5.57Buy Now
Kinguin
Kinguin +68% $9.33View
Green Man Gaming
Green Man Gaming$29.99View
Steam
Steam$29.99View
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™

Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™

3 Stores
GAMIVO
GAMIVO −93% $3.41Buy Now
Green Man Gaming
Green Man Gaming$49.99View
Steam
Steam$49.99View

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

Quality

Excellent community reception — players and critics agree on the quality.

89% positive (37,311 reviews) — very positive reception
Metacritic 81/100 — high marks from professional reviewers
37,311 reviews — very trustworthy data

Value

Acceptable value right now — fair price for the content.

$5.57 — very accessible price
81% off — massive discount

Popularity

Smaller but still existing player base — longer wait times for multiplayer.

Player count surging +54%
586 concurrent players — smaller but active
37,311 total reviews — proven game with large community

Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™

Quality

Most players came away satisfied — more positives than negatives.

89% positive (87,195 reviews) — very positive reception
87,195 reviews — extremely reliable sample

Value

Very attractive price — excellent value for money right now.

$3.41 — very accessible price
93% off — massive discount
Near historical low ($2.90)

Popularity

Activity a bit low — loyal community but no instant queues.

Player count surging +71%
1,726 concurrent players — solid base
87,195 total reviews — major title
Game DetailsDragon's Dogma: Dark ArisenMiddle-earth™: Shadow of War™
Release Date
January 15, 2016
October 9, 2017
Developers
Capcom
Monolith Productions
Publishers
Capcom
WB Games
Platforms
Windows
Windows
Achievements
59
72

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

Recommended

Recommended:
  • OS *: Windows 7/8/10
  • Processor: Intel Core i7-4770K or equivalent
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 or equivalent
  • DirectX: Version 9.0c
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 20 GB available space
  • Sound Card: DirectX-compatible sound card or onboard audio chip
  • Additional Notes: 1) Supports Keyboard+Mouse and XInput/DirectInput devices including Xbox 360, Xbox One, DualShock4 and Steam Controller.
    2) Some high end integrated graphics chips and modern gaming laptops with a discrete GPU may work but have not been tested, nor are they officially supported by Capcom.

Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™

Recommended

Recommended:
  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10 Creators Update
  • Processor: AMD FX-8350, 4.0 GHz / Intel Core i7-3770, 3.4 GHz
  • Memory: 12 GB RAM
  • Graphics: AMD RX 480, 4 GB or RX580, 4GB / NVIDIA GTX 970, 4GB or GTX1060, 6GB
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 70 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: X64 required
Which is better: Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen or Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™?

Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ won the comparison against Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen based on the head-to-head metric breakdown. Check the metrics table above for a full side-by-side analysis.

How is the comparison calculated?

The comparison winner is determined objectively by counting which game wins more individual metrics in the head-to-head table. No weighting is applied. The GameValio Recommendation shown separately is our own suggestion for each game, based on a weighted score that combines quality (reviews), popularity (player counts), and affordability (price vs value) into a score out of 100. These are two different things: the comparison is objective, the recommendation is GameValio's opinion.

Is Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen worth buying over Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™?

Based on the metrics, Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ won the direct comparison. However, also check the GameValio Recommendation for each game and the price comparison table to make the most informed purchase decision.

Which game has better player reviews?

Review score trends and volume over time are shown in the charts section above. The game with consistently higher positive ratios has stronger community reception.

Which game offers better value for money?

The affordability score and price comparison table above highlight the best deals. Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ currently scores better on value relative to its quality and price.

Analysis updated: Aug 9, 2026, 08:58 PM UTC

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Data sourced from Steam, Metacritic, and various stores. Not affiliated with Valve Corporation. Scores updated daily to keep recommendations fresh.

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