Choose Ostranauts
Choose Ostranauts if you want a RPG experience. On Steam, it's currently about 20% cheaper on the Steam Store. 2,106 Steam reviews back the pick.
Ostranauts vs Hired Stars
Ostranauts and Hired Stars both land in Indie, Simulation, Early Access 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 Indie, Simulation, Early Access on Steam. Ostranauts (2020) is 6 years older than Hired Stars (2026). Ostranauts is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than Hired Stars (15.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD). 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 Hired Stars
Choose Hired Stars if you want an Action, Strategy, and Adventure game with Adjustable Text Size, Subtitle Options, and Stereo Sound. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Hired Stars launched in 2026.
Both Ostranauts and Hired Stars sit in Indie, Simulation, and Early Access on Steam and both list Color Alternatives, Camera Comfort, and Custom Volume Controls, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Ostranauts |  Hired Stars | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2026 |
| Genres | Indie, Simulation, RPG, Early Access | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 15.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 79.9% positive (2,106 reviews) | 3 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Blue Bottle Games | Mark Kaps |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Simulation, Early Access on Steam.
- Ostranauts (2020) is 6 years older than Hired Stars (2026).
- Ostranauts is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than Hired Stars (15.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Ostranauts is Deck Verified, Hired Stars is Deck Playable.
Ostranauts vs Hired Stars — FAQ
- Should I play Ostranauts or Hired Stars first?
- If you want chronology, Ostranauts (2020) came out before Hired Stars (2026). 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 Ostranauts and Hired Stars similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Simulation, Early Access 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.