Choose The Big Con
Choose The Big Con if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. The Big Con launched in 2021.
The Big Con vs Life is Paine
The Big Con and Life is Paine both land in Indie, Adventure 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, Adventure on Steam. The Big Con (2021) is 1 year older than Life is Paine (2022). Life is Paine is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than The Big Con (3.00 USD vs. 14.99 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 Life is Paine
Choose Life is Paine if it's currently about 80% cheaper on the Steam Store. Life is Paine launched in 2022.
Both The Big Con and Life is Paine sit in Indie and Adventure on Steam, 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
 The Big Con |  Life is Paine | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2022 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 3.00 USD |
| Steam reviews | 94.8% positive (343 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Mighty Yell | Jonas Autenrieth |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- The Big Con (2021) is 1 year older than Life is Paine (2022).
- Life is Paine is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than The Big Con (3.00 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- The Big Con is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Life is Paine has no Deck rating yet.
The Big Con vs Life is Paine — FAQ
- Should I play The Big Con or Life is Paine first?
- If you want chronology, The Big Con (2021) came out before Life is Paine (2022). 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 The Big Con and Life is Paine similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure 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.
- Does The Big Con run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — The Big Con is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Life is Paine doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.