Choose Intravenous
Choose Intravenous if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 1,481 Steam reviews back the pick.
Intravenous vs Intravenous 2: Mercenarism
Intravenous and Intravenous 2: Mercenarism both land in Action, Indie 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 Action, Indie on Steam. Intravenous (2021) is 3 years older than Intravenous 2: Mercenarism (2024). Intravenous 2: Mercenarism scores higher on Steam reviews (93.8% positive) than Intravenous (90.5% 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 Intravenous 2: Mercenarism
Choose Intravenous 2: Mercenarism if you want a Strategy, Adventure, and Simulation experience. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 93.8% positive across 893 reviews.
Both Intravenous and Intravenous 2: Mercenarism sit in Action and Indie 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
 Intravenous |  Intravenous 2: Mercenarism | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2024 |
| Genres | Action, Indie | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 19.99 USD | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 90.5% positive (1,481 reviews) | 93.8% positive (893 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Explosive Squat Games | Explosive Squat Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Intravenous (2021) is 3 years older than Intravenous 2: Mercenarism (2024).
- Intravenous 2: Mercenarism scores higher on Steam reviews (93.8% positive) than Intravenous (90.5% positive).
- Intravenous 2: Mercenarism is free; Intravenous is paid (19.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Intravenous is Deck Verified, Intravenous 2: Mercenarism is Deck Playable.
Intravenous vs Intravenous 2: Mercenarism — FAQ
- Which is better, Intravenous or Intravenous 2: Mercenarism?
- On Steam reviews Intravenous 2: Mercenarism scores higher (93.8% positive) than Intravenous (90.5% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Intravenous 2: Mercenarism is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Intravenous or Intravenous 2: Mercenarism first?
- If you want chronology, Intravenous (2021) came out before Intravenous 2: Mercenarism (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 Intravenous and Intravenous 2: Mercenarism similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie 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 Intravenous 2: Mercenarism free?
- Yes — Intravenous 2: Mercenarism is a free-to-play Steam title. Intravenous is paid (19.99 USD).