Choose XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Choose XCOM: Enemy Unknown if you want the Multi-player side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 93% positive across 24,805 reviews.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown vs XCOM® 2
XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM® 2 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. XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012) is 4 years older than XCOM® 2 (2016). XCOM: Enemy Unknown scores higher on Steam reviews (93% positive) than XCOM® 2 (85.8% 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 XCOM® 2
Choose XCOM® 2 if it's the newer release (2016) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 44,276 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM® 2 sit in Strategy 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
 XCOM: Enemy Unknown |  XCOM® 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2016 |
| Genres | Strategy | Strategy |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 93% positive (24,805 reviews) | 85.8% positive (44,276 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer | Single-player only |
| Developers | Firaxis Games, Feral Interactive (Linux) | Firaxis Games, Feral Interactive (Mac), Feral Interactive (Linux) |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012) is 4 years older than XCOM® 2 (2016).
- XCOM: Enemy Unknown scores higher on Steam reviews (93% positive) than XCOM® 2 (85.8% positive).
- XCOM: Enemy Unknown is currently ~25% cheaper on Steam than XCOM® 2 (14.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Playable.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown vs XCOM® 2 — FAQ
- Which is better, XCOM: Enemy Unknown or XCOM® 2?
- On Steam reviews XCOM: Enemy Unknown scores higher (93% positive) than XCOM® 2 (85.8% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, XCOM: Enemy Unknown is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play XCOM: Enemy Unknown or XCOM® 2 first?
- If you want chronology, XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012) came out before XCOM® 2 (2016). 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 XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM® 2 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.
- Does XCOM® 2 have multiplayer like XCOM: Enemy Unknown?
- No. XCOM: Enemy Unknown supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer), while XCOM® 2 is listed as single-player only.