Choose Defense Grid: The Awakening
Choose Defense Grid: The Awakening if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 96.2% positive across 3,392 reviews.
Defense Grid: The Awakening vs DG2: Defense Grid 2
Defense Grid: The Awakening and DG2: Defense Grid 2 both land in Strategy, Indie 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, Indie on Steam. Defense Grid: The Awakening (2008) is 6 years older than DG2: Defense Grid 2 (2014). Defense Grid: The Awakening scores higher on Steam reviews (96.2% positive) than DG2: Defense Grid 2 (85.7% 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 DG2: Defense Grid 2
Choose DG2: Defense Grid 2 if you want the Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2014) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 1,787 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Defense Grid: The Awakening and DG2: Defense Grid 2 sit in Strategy and Indie 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
 Defense Grid: The Awakening |  DG2: Defense Grid 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2008 | 2014 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie | Strategy, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.2% positive (3,392 reviews) | 85.7% positive (1,787 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op |
| Developers | Hidden Path Entertainment | Hidden Path Entertainment |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- Defense Grid: The Awakening (2008) is 6 years older than DG2: Defense Grid 2 (2014).
- Defense Grid: The Awakening scores higher on Steam reviews (96.2% positive) than DG2: Defense Grid 2 (85.7% positive).
- DG2: Defense Grid 2 is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Defense Grid: The Awakening (9.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
- DG2: Defense Grid 2 has co-op; Defense Grid: The Awakening does not.
- Steam Deck: Defense Grid: The Awakening is Deck Playable, DG2: Defense Grid 2 is Deck Verified.
Defense Grid: The Awakening vs DG2: Defense Grid 2 — FAQ
- Which is better, Defense Grid: The Awakening or DG2: Defense Grid 2?
- On Steam reviews Defense Grid: The Awakening scores higher (96.2% positive) than DG2: Defense Grid 2 (85.7% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Defense Grid: The Awakening is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Defense Grid: The Awakening or DG2: Defense Grid 2 first?
- If you want chronology, Defense Grid: The Awakening (2008) came out before DG2: Defense Grid 2 (2014). 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 Defense Grid: The Awakening and DG2: Defense Grid 2 similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie 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 Defense Grid: The Awakening have multiplayer like DG2: Defense Grid 2?
- No. DG2: Defense Grid 2 supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op), while Defense Grid: The Awakening is listed as single-player only.