Choose Old School RuneScape
Choose Old School RuneScape if you want a Free To Play experience. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 82.1% positive across 17,676 reviews.
Old School RuneScape vs The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom
Old School RuneScape and The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom both land in Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG 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 Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG on Steam. Old School RuneScape (2021) is 2 years older than The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom (2023). Old School RuneScape scores higher on Steam reviews (82.1% positive) than The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom (71.8% 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 The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom
Choose The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom if you want an Action game with Online PvP, Online Co-op, and PvP. On Steam, it has co-op, so you can bring a friend. The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom launched in 2023.
Both Old School RuneScape and The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom sit in Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, and RPG on Steam and both list Multi-player and MMO, 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
 Old School RuneScape |  The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2023 |
| Genres | Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Free To Play | Action, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 82.1% positive (17,676 reviews) | 71.8% positive (181 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Jagex Ltd | ZeniMax Online Studios |
Side by side
- Both share Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG on Steam.
- Old School RuneScape (2021) is 2 years older than The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom (2023).
- Old School RuneScape scores higher on Steam reviews (82.1% positive) than The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom (71.8% positive).
- Old School RuneScape is free; The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom is paid (Price unknown).
- The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom has co-op; Old School RuneScape does not.
- Old School RuneScape is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom has no Deck rating yet.
Old School RuneScape vs The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom — FAQ
- Which is better, Old School RuneScape or The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom?
- On Steam reviews Old School RuneScape scores higher (82.1% positive) than The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom (71.8% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Old School RuneScape is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Old School RuneScape or The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom first?
- If you want chronology, Old School RuneScape (2021) came out before The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom (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 Old School RuneScape and The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom similar?
- They overlap on Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG 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 Old School RuneScape free?
- Yes — Old School RuneScape is a free-to-play Steam title. The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom is paid (Price unknown).
- Does Old School RuneScape run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Old School RuneScape is rated Deck Playable by Valve. The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.