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Helm or High Water vs Pirates! Showdown: Enhanced Edition

Helm or High Water and Pirates! Showdown: Enhanced Edition both land in Early Access 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 Early Access games on Steam. Helm or High Water (2022) is 2 years older than Pirates! Showdown: Enhanced Edition (2024). Pirates! Showdown: Enhanced Edition is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than Helm or High Water (9.99 USD vs. 14.99 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 Helm or High Water

Choose Helm or High Water if you want an Action and Simulation game with Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen Co-op. On Steam, it has co-op, so you can bring a friend. Helm or High Water launched in 2022.

Choose Pirates! Showdown: Enhanced Edition

Choose Pirates! Showdown: Enhanced Edition if you want a Strategy experience. On Steam, it's currently about 33% cheaper on the Steam Store. Pirates! Showdown: Enhanced Edition launched in 2024.

Both Helm or High Water and Pirates! Showdown: Enhanced Edition sit in Early Access 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

Helm or High Water vs Pirates! Showdown: Enhanced Edition — Steam metadata comparison
Helm or High Water — Steam game coverHelm or High WaterPirates! Showdown: Enhanced Edition — Steam game coverPirates! Showdown: Enhanced Edition
Released20222024
GenresAction, Simulation, Early AccessStrategy, Early Access
PlatformsWindowsWindows
Steam DeckUnratedUnrated
Price14.99 USD9.99 USD
Steam reviews4 reviews100% positive (12 reviews)
MultiplayerMulti-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-opSingle-player only
DevelopersJordan HobgoodFlashPoint Games, LLC

Side by side

Helm or High Water vs Pirates! Showdown: Enhanced Edition — FAQ

Should I play Helm or High Water or Pirates! Showdown: Enhanced Edition first?
If you want chronology, Helm or High Water (2022) came out before Pirates! Showdown: Enhanced Edition (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 Helm or High Water and Pirates! Showdown: Enhanced Edition similar?
They overlap on Early Access 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 Pirates! Showdown: Enhanced Edition have multiplayer like Helm or High Water?
No. Helm or High Water supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op), while Pirates! Showdown: Enhanced Edition is listed as single-player only.
Helm or High Water vs Pirates! Showdown: Enhanced Edition · imho.run