The easiest way to watch Lord of the Rings online is to subscribe to HBO Max if you’re in the US or HBO Go if you live in Europe, Asia, or Latin America. HBO Go (sometimes just HBO.com or HBO online) is widely available in most regions of the world, and features the entire trilogy.
You can also watch it on Amazon Prime Video, which features the exclusive new series The Rings of Power and all movies in The Hobbit trilogy.
If you’re out of luck and these services aren’t available in your country, you can still watch the LotR franchise on Netflix, by using a VPN. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do this:
- Subscribe to a VPN service. We recommend NordVPN to stream Lord of the Rings.
- Download the application from NordVPN’s site.
- Install the software on your device.
- Connect to a server in Turkey. It’s the only Netflix library that currently carries the films.
- Log into Netflix and browse for Lord of the Rings.
If you want to find out more about watching The Lord of the Rings online, keep reading below.
One streaming service to rule them all, one streaming service to find them,
One service to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them,
In the land of the Internet, where the regional restrictions lie.
Unfortunately, our interpretation of the “One Ring” quote from Tolkien’s Fellowship of The Ring remains wishful thinking. It would be amazing if there was one single streaming platform that would bundle all the Lord of the Rings movies, the Hobbit trilogy, and The Rings of Power in one place. But alas, we’re out of luck.
Granted, there are a lot of platforms that let you stream parts of the Lord of the Rings saga, including HBO Max, HBO Go, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. However, LotR is not always available on the same platforms in every region of the world. You might need some workarounds to accompany Frodo and Sam on their journey to Mordor.
Lord of the Rings: Stream The Rings of Power
Back in 2017, Amazon bought the TV rights to the Lord of the Rings so they could produce a prequel series to the original trilogy: The Rings of Power. Along with others, the power cast features Robert Aramayo, Benjamin Walker, and Morfydd Clark.
The Rings of Power is available worldwide to anyone with an Amazon Prime membership and its first season was released weekly from September 2, 2022, onwards. The first season consists of eight episodes. A second season for The Rings of Power has already been announced.
LotR: The Rights of Power summary
J.R.R. Tolkien was not only a fantastic storyteller, he created an entire universe. The adventures of familiar characters Frodo (LotR) and Bilbo (The Hobbit) take place in the widely expansive world of Middle-earth. The Rings of Power tells the history of this world.
In the eight-episode first season of The Rings of Power, we follow Míriel, queen of Númenor. She was alive during the Second Age, thousands of years before Bilbo was born. The Prime Video series captures important events, such as the creation of the Rings of Power, the rise of Sauron, the fall of the kingdom of Númenor, and the last alliance between man and elf. We also see the earlier years of characters like Galadriel, portrayed by Morfydd Clark.
The Rings of Power is set to have five seasons in total.
Getting excited? Check out the Rings of Power trailer here!
Where Can You Watch The Lord of the Rings Online?
The entire Lord of the Rings series is available on HBO Max, HBO Go, and Netflix. However, in the words of J.R.R. Tolkien himself: “The world changes and all that once was strong now proves unsure.”
If you live in the US, you can sign up for an HBO Max subscription, and you’ll find the entire franchise there. If you live outside the US, HBO Go is most likely available in your country, as it has almost worldwide coverage.
Netflix, still the leading digital publisher, has many regional restrictions. In some countries, only the first film, The Fellowship of the Ring, is available. If you want to watch all three movies via Netflix, you have to have access to the libraries of certain countries. At the moment, all three movies are only available in Turkey.
If these platforms aren’t available in your country, you can still access them with the help of a VPN (virtual private network).
A VPN changes your IP address with the press of a button, making it seem like you’re accessing the internet from a different country. Keep reading to find out how you can circumvent regional restrictions, and enjoy The Lord of the Rings trilogy or The Rings of Power regardless of where you live.
Watching The Lord of the Rings on HBO Max and HBO Go
HBO Max, and its regional variants, like HBO GO, offer the most reliable way to stream Lord of the Rings.
Not only can you watch the main trilogy on HBO Max, you can actually enjoy the extended versions of the films. On top of that, HBO Max USA includes the entire Hobbit trilogy: An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug, and The Battle of the Five Armies. This gives you over sixteen hours of Tolkien adventures on one streaming site! For The Rings of Power you need to head over to Amazon.
Our research has shown that HBO offers the trilogy to any user on their services, without regional restrictions. However, you might have a hard time accessing the platform itself. HBO Max is not always available to users outside the US. In theory, you can circumvent this with a VPN. A VPN will change your IP, making it look like you’re surfing the web from a different location.
However, actually subscribing to HBO Max can still be a struggle, since you’ll need very specific payment methods. If you want to try it, here’s what you do:
- Subscribe to a VPN. NordVPN is your best option for an American IP address.
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- Download the VPN software from their site.
- Install the application on your device. Most VPN services have apps for Mac, PC, iPhone, and Android.
- Choose a server in the US from the app’s primary screen.
- Press “Connect” to change your IP.
- Go to HBO Max and sign up for an account with a US credit card.
This is where it gets complicated. HBO Max only accepts payment methods from the US for their monthly subscription. If you don’t have a credit or debit card from the US, you won’t be able to sign up for the service. There is no workaround for this policy, since HBO Max doesn’t accept gift cards.
If you don’t have a US payment method, you can still stream LotR from HBO. You’ll just need to sign up for an HBO Go account instead. HBO Go (sometimes just HBO.com or HBO online) is a regional streaming app available in various regions:
- Latin America
- Central, Eastern and Nordic Europe
- South Asia
- Southeast Asia
- Spain
If you live anywhere else and want to join HBO Go, you can follow the steps above for using a VPN with HBO Max. Instead of a US server, use a server from one of the regions that offer HBO Go and create an account this way.
Best VPN for HBO Max: NordVPN
We recommend NordVPN because of its reliability and fast connection speeds. As one of the reigning VPNs of the moment, NordVPN is an excellent choice for unblocking geographically restricted content.
With great security features and a smooth interface, NordVPN makes it easy to watch the LotR trilogy and the Hobbit films on HBO Max. It’s even possible to split-tunnel your traffic and only use the VPN to stream LotR.
If you’d rather stream The Rings of Power, you can use NordVPN to access Prime.
Watching The Lord of the Rings on Netflix
While Lord of the Rings is no longer available on Netflix in the US, Netflix still streams the entire trilogy in other regions of the world. In some cases, Netflix only streams The Fellowship of the Ring, while the two sequels aren’t available.
If you want to watch LotR on Netflix, but it’s not available in your country, you can follow these steps to watch it:
- Get a VPN subscription. We recommend Surfshark to watch LotR on Netflix.
-
SurfsharkDeal Save 82% + 2 Months free and pay only $2.30 a monthFrom$ 2.309.0- Very user-friendly and works with Netflix and torrents
- 30-day money-back guarantee. No questions asked!
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- Download the VPN app. You should be redirected to a download page after you successfully signed up for Surfshark.
- Install the app. To do this, you just need to follow the instructions of the installation wizard, like you would with any other software on your PC or Mac.
- Open the Surfshark app and connect to a server where LotR is available (currently only in Turkey).
- Press “Connect.” You should now be assigned a new IP.
- Go to Netflix.com and browse for “The Lord of the Rings.”
Over the last few months, the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy has been temporarily available in various countries, including the Netherlands, Poland, Czech Republic, and Lithuania. However, there is currently only one Netflix library that offers all three films: Turkey.
Netflix often changes its libraries. The availability of the LotR movies has varied over the years, due to a complex relationship between the franchise and the streaming giant. This is why we advise you to watch it on Netflix while you still can. Otherwise, HBO Max and HBO Go are still the way to go for the movies!
Best VPN for Netflix: Surfshark
Netflix is known for its strong pushback against VPN use, and not all VPN servers can bypass these regional blocks. One VPN provider that consistently fights back, however, is Surfshark. This is why it’s our top choice for unblocking Netflix.
Surfshark is a very fast and secure VPN that even works in regions with strict censorship. What’s even better is that one Surfshark account gives you unlimited simultaneous connections. This means your friends or family can enjoy the Lord of the Rings films on their own devices, too!
Watching The Lord of the Rings on Amazon Prime Video
With the arrival of The Rings of Power, Amazon Prime Video might be the new go-to platform for Middle-earth content. At the moment, all three movies following Frodo’s withering quest to Mount Doom are available in many countries, including the United States and the Netherlands. On top of that, all three Hobbit films (including extended editions) are currently on Amazon Prime Video. In Belgium, you have to watch The Hobbit on Apple TV.
In the past, however, Amazon has not been the most widely used platform for LotR. This is because the availability of the films in the Prime Video library tends to waver. It’s also unclear how long they’ll stay up, so enjoy them while you can!
Unfortunately, Prime Video also tends to block VPNs. Since streaming servers can only block individual IP addresses and not an entire VPN service, you can circumvent such blockades by selecting a different server in the same country. It can also help to change VPN protocols or use multi-hop. This will route your VPN connections via two or more servers.
Best VPN for Amazon Prime Video: NordVPN
With a server network of over 5,000 servers in 50+ countries around the world, NordVPN is guaranteed to find you an IP address that gives access to Amazon Prime Video. It’s an affordable VPN service that’s easy to use and suited for streaming.
NordVPN might not help you defeat the armies of Mordor, but it’ll definitely allow you to enjoy the epic adventures of LotR and The Rings of Power by letting you access Prime Video.
If you want to access other streaming services where the story of the One Ring is told, NordVPN is also a good pick. You can even get a free trial for it, if you follow the steps in our guide.
Why You Need a VPN to Watch Lord of the Rings Online
A VPN might not always be necessary when watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy. HBO Go is available in a lot of regions, so chances are that you’ll only need to access HBO Go, sign up for an account, and enjoy Peter Jackson’s masterpiece of a trilogy. The new fantasy series The Rings of Power is also widely available.
However, if the LotR trilogy isn’t available in your region, it’s because of distribution rights. When a streaming platform lets you watch a movie on its site, it’s distributing content to you. In order to do so, they need distribution rights for your specific region. Because these rights are too expensive or a different service has already snatched them, a streaming platform might miss out.
This is where a VPN comes into play. If you use a VPN to change your IP, you can make streaming platforms think you’re browsing from a country where they distribute a certain show or movie. That piece of media will then become available to you.
In other words, you’ll need a VPN to watch Lord of the Rings or The Rings of Power online if you don’t have access to it on your local streaming services. Moreover, a VPN with HBO Max or a Prime Video subscription will allow you to watch The Hobbit.
Buying and Renting The Lord of the Rings
Buying or renting the LotR franchise lets you enjoy these legendary movies whenever you want, without having to worry about availability on specific streaming sites or monthly subscription costs. All the movies following Frodo Baggins’ adventures in Middle-Earth are available on Amazon, where you can find the movies for rent ($3.99 per movie) or for sale ($9.99 per movie):
If you want to grab a good deal, you can buy the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy from Google Play. At the time of writing this article, you can get all three movies for $15.99. If you have an iOS device, you can also buy the entire trilogy on iTunes, where it’s available for $29.99.
More Information About The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Peter Jackson’s retelling of The Lord of the Rings book trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien was a worldwide success when it came out and instantly became a fantasy classic.
The movies follow Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee, as well as seven other members of the Fellowship of the Ring, on their quest to destroy Sauron’s ring. The stakes are high: if they fail, they won’t be able to keep Sauron’s slumbering dark forces from waking and destroying Middle-earth. It’s a captivating story, set in a complex fantasy world that generations of people have fallen in love with.
If you’ve never watched Lord of the Rings before, you can check out the trailer for the first movie here:
Good news for all you binge-watchers out there: it only takes just over 11 hours to watch the extended versions of the three movies back-to-back. This is the perfect length for a full day filled with Middle-earth’s most thrilling story.
The Hobbit trilogy
If you want to feel the excitement of watching Gandalf and the Hobbits enter Moria for the first time, you might enjoy watching The Hobbit trilogy as well. The Hobbit follows Bilbo Baggins (Frodo’s second cousin, once removed) as he leaves his peaceful life in the Shire to embark on an epic adventure.
While the novel The Hobbit is only 256 pages long, three movies were created: almost eight hours (nine, if you watch the extended version) of Bilbo’s adventure. Just like The Rings of Power, it’s a prequel to the original trilogy of films. The Rings of Power, however, takes place in a much more distant past.
Just like the LotR trilogy, the Hobbit trilogy is available on HBO Max and HBO Go, as well as on Amazon Prime Video. Have a look at the trailer below.
Final Thoughts
The fascinating world of Middle Earth is brimming with adventure, magic, and intriguing stories. If you want to relive the wonder of watching The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, or The Return of The King, you can do so on:
- HBO Max (in the US)
- HBO Go (or just HBO online in most parts of the world)
- Netflix (in Turkey)
- Amazon Prime Video (in the US, the Netherlands, and various other countries)
For those who’d rather visit the Second Age with Robert Aramayo and Morfydd Clark: all eight episodes of the first season of The Rings of Power will be available worldwide to anyone with an Amazon Prime membership.
Let us know what you think of the movie franchise and The Rings of Power in the comments section below and make sure you also check out our article on how to watch Netflix with a VPN. It can open a whole new world of streaming opportunities for you.
Want More Films and Series?
Are you finished with your Lord of the Rings marathon or not interested in The Rings of Power? Check out of these other franchises:
- How to Watch Harry Potter Online
- How to Watch Loki online (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
- How to Watch Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings online (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
- How to Watch the Spider-Man Movies Online From Anywhere
- How to Watch the Dungeons and Dragons Movie Online
If you’re curious to see what the internet is asking about watching LotR online, check our FAQ section below!
To watch Lord of the Rings online, you’ll need a subscription to either HBO Max (if you live in the US) or HBO Go (if you live anywhere else). Alternatively, you can use Amazon Prime Video, which currently has the trilogy and the new series, The Rings of Power. If these platforms are not available in your country, you can still access them with a VPN. Read our article to find out how to watch the Lord of the Rings online.
According to different online sources (and our own tests), the Lord of the Rings trilogy is available on Netflix, but only in select regions. At the moment, you can stream the franchise if you live in Turkey.
If you’re in a different part of the world, you can still watch LotR on Netflix with a VPN by connecting to a Turkish server, or using HBO’s streaming platforms or Amazon Prime Video.
If you live in the US, yes, you can watch Lord of the Rings on HBO Max. However, if you live outside the US, it’ll be pretty difficult to sign up for HBO Max, since they don’t accept non-US credit cards. The workaround is to sign up for an HBO Go account. HBO Go is available almost worldwide. Read our article about how to watch Lord of the Rings online to find out more.
