Choose GROUND BRANCH
Choose GROUND BRANCH if you want an Indie and Simulation experience. On Steam, it's currently about 20% cheaper on the Steam Store. 24,471 Steam reviews back the pick.
GROUND BRANCH vs Insurgency: Sandstorm
GROUND BRANCH and Insurgency: Sandstorm both land in Action 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 Action games on Steam. Insurgency: Sandstorm (2018) is 8 years older than GROUND BRANCH (2026). Insurgency: Sandstorm scores higher on Steam reviews (86.4% positive) than GROUND BRANCH (85.2% 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 Insurgency: Sandstorm
Choose Insurgency: Sandstorm if it matches what drew you to this matchup. 59,257 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both GROUND BRANCH and Insurgency: Sandstorm sit in Action on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (85.2% vs 86.4% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 GROUND BRANCH |  Insurgency: Sandstorm | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026 | 2018 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Simulation | Action |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 23.99 USD | 29.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 85.2% positive (24,471 reviews) | 86.4% positive (59,257 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | BlackFoot Studios, MicroProse Software | New World Interactive |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Insurgency: Sandstorm (2018) is 8 years older than GROUND BRANCH (2026).
- Insurgency: Sandstorm scores higher on Steam reviews (86.4% positive) than GROUND BRANCH (85.2% positive).
- GROUND BRANCH is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than Insurgency: Sandstorm (23.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Playable.
GROUND BRANCH vs Insurgency: Sandstorm — FAQ
- Which is better, GROUND BRANCH or Insurgency: Sandstorm?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: GROUND BRANCH sits at 85.2% positive (24,471 reviews), Insurgency: Sandstorm at 86.4% (59,257). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play GROUND BRANCH or Insurgency: Sandstorm first?
- If you want chronology, Insurgency: Sandstorm (2018) came out before GROUND BRANCH (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 GROUND BRANCH and Insurgency: Sandstorm similar?
- They overlap on Action 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 GROUND BRANCH and Insurgency: Sandstorm have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: GROUND BRANCH ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Insurgency: Sandstorm ships Online Co-op, Co-op.