Choose Elixir of Life
Choose Elixir of Life if you want a Strategy, Casual, and Early Access experience. On Steam, it's currently about 75% cheaper on the Steam Store. Elixir of Life launched in 2021.
Elixir of Life vs Core Keeper
Elixir of Life and Core Keeper both land in Indie, Adventure, Simulation 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 Indie, Adventure, Simulation on Steam. Elixir of Life (2021) is 3 years older than Core Keeper (2024). Elixir of Life is currently ~75% cheaper on Steam than Core Keeper (4.99 USD vs. 19.99 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 Core Keeper
Choose Core Keeper if you want an Action game with Multi-player, Online Co-op, and Co-op. On Steam, it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 22,806 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Elixir of Life and Core Keeper sit in Indie, Adventure, and Simulation 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
 Elixir of Life |  Core Keeper | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2024 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, RPG, Casual, Early Access | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Verified |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 2 reviews | 94.8% positive (22,806 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Gurcan Games | Pugstorm |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure, Simulation on Steam.
- Elixir of Life (2021) is 3 years older than Core Keeper (2024).
- Elixir of Life is currently ~75% cheaper on Steam than Core Keeper (4.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Core Keeper has co-op; Elixir of Life does not.
- Core Keeper is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Elixir of Life has no Deck rating yet.
Elixir of Life vs Core Keeper — FAQ
- Should I play Elixir of Life or Core Keeper first?
- If you want chronology, Elixir of Life (2021) came out before Core Keeper (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 Elixir of Life and Core Keeper similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure, Simulation 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.
- Does Elixir of Life have multiplayer like Core Keeper?
- No. Core Keeper supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op), while Elixir of Life is listed as single-player only.