Choose Element TD 2 - Tower Defense
Choose Element TD 2 - Tower Defense if it's currently about 63% cheaper on the Steam Store. 1,623 Steam reviews back the pick.
Element TD 2 - Tower Defense vs Circle Empires Rivals
Element TD 2 - Tower Defense and Circle Empires Rivals both land in Strategy, Indie on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Strategy, Indie on Steam. Circle Empires Rivals (2020) is 1 year older than Element TD 2 - Tower Defense (2021). Element TD 2 - Tower Defense scores higher on Steam reviews (90.9% positive) than Circle Empires Rivals (89.6% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Circle Empires Rivals
Choose Circle Empires Rivals if you want a Casual experience. Circle Empires Rivals launched in 2020.
Both Element TD 2 - Tower Defense and Circle Empires Rivals sit in Strategy and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Steam Leaderboards, and Online PvP, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (90.9% vs 89.6% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Element TD 2 - Tower Defense |  Circle Empires Rivals | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2020 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie | Strategy, Indie, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 5.99 USD | 15.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 90.9% positive (1,623 reviews) | 89.6% positive (425 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op |
| Developers | Element Studios | Luminous |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- Circle Empires Rivals (2020) is 1 year older than Element TD 2 - Tower Defense (2021).
- Element TD 2 - Tower Defense scores higher on Steam reviews (90.9% positive) than Circle Empires Rivals (89.6% positive).
- Element TD 2 - Tower Defense is currently ~63% cheaper on Steam than Circle Empires Rivals (5.99 USD vs. 15.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Playable.
Element TD 2 - Tower Defense vs Circle Empires Rivals — FAQ
- Which is better, Element TD 2 - Tower Defense or Circle Empires Rivals?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Element TD 2 - Tower Defense sits at 90.9% positive (1,623 reviews), Circle Empires Rivals at 89.6% (425). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Element TD 2 - Tower Defense or Circle Empires Rivals first?
- If you want chronology, Circle Empires Rivals (2020) came out before Element TD 2 - Tower Defense (2021). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Element TD 2 - Tower Defense and Circle Empires Rivals similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Do both Element TD 2 - Tower Defense and Circle Empires Rivals have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Element TD 2 - Tower Defense ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op; Circle Empires Rivals ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op.