Choose Helldorado
Choose Helldorado if it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. Helldorado launched in 2009.
Helldorado vs Hard West
Helldorado and Hard West both land in Strategy 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 Strategy games on Steam. Helldorado (2009) is 6 years older than Hard West (2015). Hard West scores higher on Steam reviews (73.7% positive) than Helldorado (72.2% 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 Hard West
Choose Hard West if you want an Indie, Adventure, and RPG experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2015) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 2,209 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Helldorado and Hard West sit in Strategy on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (72.2% vs 73.7% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Helldorado |  Hard West | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2009 | 2015 |
| Genres | Strategy | Strategy, Indie, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 72.2% positive (54 reviews) | 73.7% positive (2,209 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Spellbound | CreativeForge Games |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- Helldorado (2009) is 6 years older than Hard West (2015).
- Hard West scores higher on Steam reviews (73.7% positive) than Helldorado (72.2% positive).
- Helldorado is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Hard West (9.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Playable.
Helldorado vs Hard West — FAQ
- Should I play Helldorado or Hard West first?
- If you want chronology, Helldorado (2009) came out before Hard West (2015). 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 Helldorado and Hard West similar?
- They overlap on Strategy 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.