Choose Dear Esther
Choose Dear Esther if you want a Casual experience. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 3,075 Steam reviews back the pick.
Dear Esther vs MANDAGON
Dear Esther and MANDAGON both land in Indie, Adventure 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 on Steam. Dear Esther (2012) is 4 years older than MANDAGON (2016). MANDAGON scores higher on Steam reviews (94.6% positive) than Dear Esther (77.6% 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 MANDAGON
Choose MANDAGON if you want a Free To Play experience. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 94.6% positive across 3,891 reviews.
Both Dear Esther and MANDAGON sit in Indie and Adventure 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 |  MANDAGON | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2016 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Casual | Indie, Adventure, Free To Play |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | Price unknown | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 77.6% positive (3,075 reviews) | 94.6% positive (3,891 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | The Chinese Room, Robert Briscoe | Blind Sky Studios |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Dear Esther (2012) is 4 years older than MANDAGON (2016).
- MANDAGON scores higher on Steam reviews (94.6% positive) than Dear Esther (77.6% positive).
- MANDAGON is free; Dear Esther is paid (Price unknown).
- Steam Deck: Dear Esther is Deck Verified, MANDAGON is Deck Playable.
Dear Esther vs MANDAGON — FAQ
- Which is better, Dear Esther or MANDAGON?
- On Steam reviews MANDAGON scores higher (94.6% positive) than Dear Esther (77.6% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, MANDAGON is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Dear Esther or MANDAGON first?
- If you want chronology, Dear Esther (2012) came out before MANDAGON (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 Dear Esther and MANDAGON similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure 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 MANDAGON free?
- Yes — MANDAGON is a free-to-play Steam title. Dear Esther is paid (Price unknown).