Choose Badlanders
Choose Badlanders if you want a Simulation and Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Badlanders launched in 2022.
Badlanders vs Duelgrounds
Badlanders and Duelgrounds both land in Action, Strategy, Early Access 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, Strategy, Early Access on Steam. Badlanders (2022) is 4 years older than Duelgrounds (2026). Badlanders is free; Duelgrounds is paid (Price unknown). 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 Duelgrounds
Choose Duelgrounds if you want an Indie game with Custom Volume Controls and Stereo Sound. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Duelgrounds launched in 2026.
Both Badlanders and Duelgrounds sit in Action, Strategy, and Early Access on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online Co-op, 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
 Badlanders |  Duelgrounds | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2022 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Simulation, Free To Play, Early Access | Action, Strategy, Indie, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 52.8% positive (657 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | 101.Studio | Sauna Interactive |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Strategy, Early Access on Steam.
- Badlanders (2022) is 4 years older than Duelgrounds (2026).
- Badlanders is free; Duelgrounds is paid (Price unknown).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Badlanders is Deck Unsupported on Steam Deck; Duelgrounds has no Deck rating yet.
Badlanders vs Duelgrounds — FAQ
- Should I play Badlanders or Duelgrounds first?
- If you want chronology, Badlanders (2022) came out before Duelgrounds (2026). 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 Badlanders and Duelgrounds similar?
- They overlap on Action, Strategy, Early Access 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 Badlanders and Duelgrounds have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Badlanders ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Duelgrounds ships Online Co-op, Co-op.
- Is Badlanders free?
- Yes — Badlanders is a free-to-play Steam title. Duelgrounds is paid (Price unknown).