The ultimate chronological timeline for all Lord of the Rings related media
Third Age, 3018 - 3019
Released December 2001
A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.
Third Age, 3018 - 3019
Released September 2002
Based on Tolkien's novel, The Fellowship of the Ring chronicles the journey of Frodo Baggins, a young hobbit from the Shire, as he embarks on a perilous quest to destroy the One Ring.
Third Age, 3018 - 3019
Released April 2007
In Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings Online sees heroes battling Sauron's forces and exploring hidden lore during the War of the Ring.
Third Age
Released March 1981 - August 1981
The 1981 BBC radio adaptation follows Frodo's quest to destroy the One Ring and defeat Sauron.
Third Age
Released November 1978
The 1978 animated The Lord of the Rings follows Frodo's quest to destroy the One Ring.
Third Age
Released March 2006 - Present
The Lord of the Rings musical (2006) adapts Tolkien's epic, combining song, dance, and visual effects to tell the story of Frodo's quest to destroy the One Ring and defeat Sauron.
Third Age, 3018 - 3019
Released January 1979
The 1979 American radio dramatization follows Frodo's quest to destroy the One Ring, with Tom Bombadil included.
Third Age, 3018 - 3019
Released October 2012
Frodo, Sam, Gandalf and the rest of the Fellowship are rebuilt brick by brick in this Lego retelling of the film trilogy, from the Shire all the way to Mount Doom.
Third Age, 3018
Released December 1971
Bilbo leaves the Shire, Frodo inherits the Ring and flees with his friends to Rivendell, in a short Swedish children's film set to the music of Bo Hansson.
Third Age, 3018 - 3019
Released January 1990
Lead Frodo and the Fellowship out of the Shire in Interplay's 1990 role-playing adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring.
Every Middle-earth story on one timeline: Tolkien's books, Peter Jackson's films, The Rings of Power, the animated films, the video games, the BBC radio drama and the stage musical. Sort them by in-universe date, by release date or alphabetically, and filter by media type.
Not every adaptation tells the same story, so the works are split into three timelines. The Tolkien timeline holds his own books and the adaptations that follow them closely, like the BBC radio drama. The cinematic timeline is the world of the Peter Jackson films and of the games made from them. Everything else, from The Rings of Power to Ralph Bakshi's animated film, sits on the standalone timeline.
The Age buttons narrow the list to one part of the history of Arda: the days before the First Age, the First Age and the wars against Morgoth, the Second Age and the fall of Númenor, the Third Age of the Hobbit and the War of the Ring, and the Fourth Age that follows. A work that spans several Ages shows up under each of them.
Each work has its own page with a synopsis, its release date and its place in the chronology, with links to the stories that come just before and after it.
Looking for something specific? See the Lord of the Rings watch order, the Tolkien books reading order, the games in chronological order, or where The Hunt for Gollum fits. You can also try to draw Frodo's road to Mordor.
The First Age tales (The Silmarillion, The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien, The Fall of Gondolin) come first, then the Second Age (The Fall of Númenor, The Rings of Power). The Third Age follows with The War of the Rohirrim, The Hobbit and finally The Lord of the Rings.
The Hobbit takes place in the year 2941 of the Third Age. Frodo leaves Bag End in 3018, 77 years later.
Both. Each entry is placed at the in-universe date of its own story, and the films, series and games that do not follow Tolkien closely are grouped on a separate standalone timeline.
