Choose Always Surrender
Choose Always Surrender if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Always Surrender launched in 2024.
Always Surrender vs ESTEN
Always Surrender and ESTEN both land in Action 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 are Action games on Steam. ESTEN (2021) is 3 years older than Always Surrender (2024). ESTEN is currently ~75% cheaper on Steam than Always Surrender (0.99 USD vs. 3.99 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 ESTEN
Choose ESTEN if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it's currently about 75% cheaper on the Steam Store. ESTEN launched in 2021.
Both Always Surrender and ESTEN sit in Action 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
 Always Surrender |  ESTEN | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024 | 2021 |
| Genres | Action | Action, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 3.99 USD | 0.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 100% positive (11 reviews) | 7 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | The Covert Sheep Example | Discade Project |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- ESTEN (2021) is 3 years older than Always Surrender (2024).
- ESTEN is currently ~75% cheaper on Steam than Always Surrender (0.99 USD vs. 3.99 USD).
Always Surrender vs ESTEN — FAQ
- Should I play Always Surrender or ESTEN first?
- If you want chronology, ESTEN (2021) came out before Always Surrender (2024). 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 Always Surrender and ESTEN similar?
- They overlap on Action 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.