Choose Clay Game
Choose Clay Game if you want a Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Clay Game launched in 2020.
Clay Game vs The Mage
Clay Game and The Mage both land in Indie, Adventure, Casual 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, Casual on Steam. Clay Game (2020) is 3 years older than The Mage (2023). Clay Game is free; The Mage is paid (0.99 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 The Mage
Choose The Mage if it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. The Mage launched in 2023.
Both Clay Game and The Mage sit in Indie, Adventure, and Casual 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
 Clay Game |  The Mage | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2023 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Free To Play, Casual | Indie, Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | 0.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 86.5% positive (111 reviews) | 6 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Andy Schmitt | Gabriel Bissonnette, Vincent Salgueiro |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure, Casual on Steam.
- Clay Game (2020) is 3 years older than The Mage (2023).
- Clay Game is free; The Mage is paid (0.99 USD).
Clay Game vs The Mage — FAQ
- Should I play Clay Game or The Mage first?
- If you want chronology, Clay Game (2020) came out before The Mage (2023). 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 Clay Game and The Mage similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure, Casual 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.
- Is Clay Game free?
- Yes — Clay Game is a free-to-play Steam title. The Mage is paid (0.99 USD).