Choose Oil Rush
Choose Oil Rush if you want the Steam Leaderboards and Online PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Oil Rush launched in 2012.
Oil Rush vs Basic Warfare
Oil Rush and Basic Warfare 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. Oil Rush (2012) is 8 years older than Basic Warfare (2020). Oil Rush is free; Basic Warfare is paid (3.99 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 Basic Warfare
Choose Basic Warfare if you want an Action experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Basic Warfare launched in 2020.
Both Oil Rush and Basic Warfare sit in Strategy and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, LAN PvP, and PvP, 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
 Oil Rush |  Basic Warfare | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2020 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie | Action, Strategy, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | 3.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 48% positive (333 reviews) | 3 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer |
| Developers | Unigine Corp. | Bog Iron Games |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- Oil Rush (2012) is 8 years older than Basic Warfare (2020).
- Oil Rush is free; Basic Warfare is paid (3.99 USD).
Oil Rush vs Basic Warfare — FAQ
- Should I play Oil Rush or Basic Warfare first?
- If you want chronology, Oil Rush (2012) came out before Basic Warfare (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 Oil Rush and Basic Warfare 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.
- Is Oil Rush free?
- Yes — Oil Rush is a free-to-play Steam title. Basic Warfare is paid (3.99 USD).