Choose DEFCON
Choose DEFCON if you want the Online PvP, Online Co-op, and LAN PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 31% cheaper on the Steam Store. 2,711 Steam reviews back the pick.
DEFCON vs Death Crown
DEFCON and Death Crown both land in Strategy, 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 Strategy, Indie on Steam. DEFCON (2006) is 13 years older than Death Crown (2019). Both sit near 88% positive on Steam (DEFCON: 2,711 reviews, Death Crown: 299). 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 Death Crown
Choose Death Crown if you want the Shared/Split Screen, Steam Leaderboards, and Shared/Split Screen PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2019) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Death Crown launched in 2019.
Both DEFCON and Death Crown sit in Strategy and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, PvP, and Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (88% vs 88.3% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 DEFCON |  Death Crown | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2006 | 2019 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie | Strategy, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | 8.99 USD | 12.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 88% positive (2,711 reviews) | 88.3% positive (299 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Introversion Software | 5WORD Team |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- DEFCON (2006) is 13 years older than Death Crown (2019).
- Both sit near 88% positive on Steam (DEFCON: 2,711 reviews, Death Crown: 299).
- DEFCON is currently ~31% cheaper on Steam than Death Crown (8.99 USD vs. 12.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: DEFCON is Deck Playable, Death Crown is Deck Verified.
DEFCON vs Death Crown — FAQ
- Which is better, DEFCON or Death Crown?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: DEFCON sits at 88% positive (2,711 reviews), Death Crown at 88.3% (299). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play DEFCON or Death Crown first?
- If you want chronology, DEFCON (2006) came out before Death Crown (2019). 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 DEFCON and Death Crown similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, 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.
- Do both DEFCON and Death Crown have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: DEFCON ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op; Death Crown ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op.