Choose Ardarium
Choose Ardarium if you want an Indie and Casual experience. On Steam, it's currently about 95% cheaper on the Steam Store. Ardarium launched in 2021.
Ardarium vs Shadows of Forbidden Gods
Ardarium and Shadows of Forbidden Gods both land in Strategy, 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 Strategy, Simulation on Steam. Ardarium (2021) is 2 years older than Shadows of Forbidden Gods (2023). Ardarium scores higher on Steam reviews (93.3% positive) than Shadows of Forbidden Gods (91.5% 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 Shadows of Forbidden Gods
Choose Shadows of Forbidden Gods if it matches what drew you to this matchup. Shadows of Forbidden Gods launched in 2023.
Both Ardarium and Shadows of Forbidden Gods sit in Strategy and Simulation on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (93.3% vs 91.5% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Ardarium |  Shadows of Forbidden Gods | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2023 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Casual | Strategy, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 0.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 93.3% positive (15 reviews) | 91.5% positive (916 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Daniel Cox | Bobby Two Hands |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Simulation on Steam.
- Ardarium (2021) is 2 years older than Shadows of Forbidden Gods (2023).
- Ardarium scores higher on Steam reviews (93.3% positive) than Shadows of Forbidden Gods (91.5% positive).
- Ardarium is currently ~95% cheaper on Steam than Shadows of Forbidden Gods (0.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Playable.
Ardarium vs Shadows of Forbidden Gods — FAQ
- Should I play Ardarium or Shadows of Forbidden Gods first?
- If you want chronology, Ardarium (2021) came out before Shadows of Forbidden Gods (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 Ardarium and Shadows of Forbidden Gods similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, 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.