Should I play Realm of the Mad God Exalt or Hecaton first?

If you want chronology, Realm of the Mad God Exalt (2012) came out before Hecaton (2020). 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 Realm of the Mad God Exalt and Hecaton similar?

They overlap on Action, Indie, RPG 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 Hecaton have multiplayer like Realm of the Mad God Exalt?

No. Realm of the Mad God Exalt supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op), while Hecaton is listed as single-player only.

Is Realm of the Mad God Exalt free?

Yes — Realm of the Mad God Exalt is a free-to-play Steam title. Hecaton is paid (1.99 USD).

Does Realm of the Mad God Exalt run on Steam Deck?

Yes — Realm of the Mad God Exalt is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Hecaton doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.

Realm of the Mad God Exalt vs Hecaton

Realm of the Mad God Exalt and Hecaton both land in Action, Indie, RPG 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 Action, Indie, RPG on Steam. Realm of the Mad God Exalt (2012) is 8 years older than Hecaton (2020). Realm of the Mad God Exalt is free; Hecaton is paid (1.99 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 Realm of the Mad God Exalt

Choose Realm of the Mad God Exalt if you want an Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, and Free To Play game with Multi-player, MMO, and Online Co-op. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. 32,601 Steam reviews back the pick.

Choose Hecaton

Choose Hecaton if it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Hecaton launched in 2020.

Both Realm of the Mad God Exalt and Hecaton sit in Action, Indie, and RPG 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.

Realm of the Mad God Exalt vs Hecaton — Steam metadata comparison
	Realm of the Mad God Exalt	Hecaton
Released	2012	2020
Genres	Action, Indie, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Free To Play	Action, Indie, RPG
Platforms	Windows, macOS	Windows
Steam Deck	Deck Playable	Unrated
Price	Free to play	1.99 USD
Steam reviews	80.8% positive (32,601 reviews)	4 reviews
Multiplayer	Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op	Single-player only
Developers	Wild Shadow Studios, Deca Live Operations GmbH	NWatch Games

Side by side

Both share Action, Indie, RPG on Steam.
Realm of the Mad God Exalt (2012) is 8 years older than Hecaton (2020).
Realm of the Mad God Exalt is free; Hecaton is paid (1.99 USD).
Realm of the Mad God Exalt has co-op; Hecaton does not.
Realm of the Mad God Exalt is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Hecaton has no Deck rating yet.