Choose Dear Esther
Choose Dear Esther if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 3,075 Steam reviews back the pick.
Dear Esther vs Finding the Soul Orb
Dear Esther and Finding the Soul Orb both land in Indie, Adventure, Casual 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 Indie, Adventure, Casual on Steam. Dear Esther (2012) is 8 years older than Finding the Soul Orb (2020). Dear Esther scores higher on Steam reviews (77.6% positive) than Finding the Soul Orb (71.4% 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 Finding the Soul Orb
Choose Finding the Soul Orb if you want an Action game with Stereo Sound, Surround Sound, and Playable without Timed Input. On Steam, it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Finding the Soul Orb launched in 2020.
Both Dear Esther and Finding the Soul Orb sit in Indie, Adventure, and Casual 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
 Dear Esther |  Finding the Soul Orb | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2020 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Casual | Action, Indie, Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | Price unknown | 3.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 77.6% positive (3,075 reviews) | 71.4% positive (42 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | The Chinese Room, Robert Briscoe | Tonguç Bodur |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure, Casual on Steam.
- Dear Esther (2012) is 8 years older than Finding the Soul Orb (2020).
- Dear Esther scores higher on Steam reviews (77.6% positive) than Finding the Soul Orb (71.4% positive).
- Dear Esther is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Finding the Soul Orb has no Deck rating yet.
Dear Esther vs Finding the Soul Orb — FAQ
- Should I play Dear Esther or Finding the Soul Orb first?
- If you want chronology, Dear Esther (2012) came out before Finding the Soul Orb (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 Dear Esther and Finding the Soul Orb similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure, Casual 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 Dear Esther run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Dear Esther is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Finding the Soul Orb doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.