Choose Skeleton King
Choose Skeleton King if you want a Simulation, Casual, and Racing game with Steam Leaderboards. On Steam, it's currently about 94% cheaper on the Steam Store. Skeleton King launched in 2021.
Skeleton King vs The Banished Vault
Skeleton King and The Banished Vault both land in 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 are Indie games on Steam. Skeleton King (2021) is 2 years older than The Banished Vault (2023). Skeleton King scores higher on Steam reviews (92% positive) than The Banished Vault (80.5% 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 The Banished Vault
Choose The Banished Vault if you want a Strategy experience. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. The Banished Vault launched in 2023.
Both Skeleton King and The Banished Vault sit in 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
 Skeleton King |  The Banished Vault | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2023 |
| Genres | Indie, Simulation, Casual, Racing | Strategy, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Verified |
| Price | 0.99 USD | 16.74 USD |
| Steam reviews | 92% positive (25 reviews) | 80.5% positive (164 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Forbidden Knowledge | Lunar Division |
Side by side
- Both are Indie games on Steam.
- Skeleton King (2021) is 2 years older than The Banished Vault (2023).
- Skeleton King scores higher on Steam reviews (92% positive) than The Banished Vault (80.5% positive).
- Skeleton King is currently ~94% cheaper on Steam than The Banished Vault (0.99 USD vs. 16.74 USD).
- The Banished Vault is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Skeleton King has no Deck rating yet.
Skeleton King vs The Banished Vault — FAQ
- Should I play Skeleton King or The Banished Vault first?
- If you want chronology, Skeleton King (2021) came out before The Banished Vault (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 Skeleton King and The Banished Vault similar?
- They overlap on 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.