Choose Orcs Must Die! 2
Choose Orcs Must Die! 2 if you want an Adventure game with Steam Leaderboards. 6,027 Steam reviews back the pick.
Orcs Must Die! 2 vs Birth of Shadows®
Orcs Must Die! 2 and Birth of Shadows® both land in Action, 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 Action, Strategy, Indie on Steam. Orcs Must Die! 2 (2012) is 3 years older than Birth of Shadows® (2015). Birth of Shadows® is currently ~67% cheaper on Steam than Orcs Must Die! 2 (4.99 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 Birth of Shadows®
Choose Birth of Shadows® if it's currently about 67% cheaper on the Steam Store. Birth of Shadows® launched in 2015.
Both Orcs Must Die! 2 and Birth of Shadows® sit in Action, Strategy, and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, and LAN Co-op, 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
 Orcs Must Die! 2 |  Birth of Shadows® | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2015 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, RPG | Action, Strategy, Indie, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 91.4% positive (6,027 reviews) | 5 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op |
| Developers | Robot Entertainment | Precision Games, LLC |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- Orcs Must Die! 2 (2012) is 3 years older than Birth of Shadows® (2015).
- Birth of Shadows® is currently ~67% cheaper on Steam than Orcs Must Die! 2 (4.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Orcs Must Die! 2 is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Birth of Shadows® has no Deck rating yet.
Orcs Must Die! 2 vs Birth of Shadows® — FAQ
- Should I play Orcs Must Die! 2 or Birth of Shadows® first?
- If you want chronology, Orcs Must Die! 2 (2012) came out before Birth of Shadows® (2015). 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 Orcs Must Die! 2 and Birth of Shadows® similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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.
- Do both Orcs Must Die! 2 and Birth of Shadows® have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Orcs Must Die! 2 ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op; Birth of Shadows® ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op.
- Does Orcs Must Die! 2 run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Orcs Must Die! 2 is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Birth of Shadows® doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.