Choose Dear Esther
Choose Dear Esther if it matches what drew you to this matchup. 3,075 Steam reviews back the pick.
Dear Esther vs Dear Esther: Landmark Edition
Dear Esther and Dear Esther: Landmark Edition 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 5 years older than Dear Esther: Landmark Edition (2017). Dear Esther scores higher on Steam reviews (77.6% positive) than Dear Esther: Landmark Edition (75.9% 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 Dear Esther: Landmark Edition
Choose Dear Esther: Landmark Edition if you want a Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2017) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 1,402 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Dear Esther and Dear Esther: Landmark Edition sit in Indie, Adventure, and Casual on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (77.6% vs 75.9% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Dear Esther |  Dear Esther: Landmark Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2017 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Casual | Indie, Adventure, Free To Play, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | Price unknown | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 77.6% positive (3,075 reviews) | 75.9% positive (1,402 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | The Chinese Room, Robert Briscoe | The Chinese Room, Robert Briscoe |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure, Casual on Steam.
- Dear Esther (2012) is 5 years older than Dear Esther: Landmark Edition (2017).
- Dear Esther scores higher on Steam reviews (77.6% positive) than Dear Esther: Landmark Edition (75.9% positive).
- Both are Deck Verified.
Dear Esther vs Dear Esther: Landmark Edition — FAQ
- Which is better, Dear Esther or Dear Esther: Landmark Edition?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Dear Esther sits at 77.6% positive (3,075 reviews), Dear Esther: Landmark Edition at 75.9% (1,402). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Dear Esther or Dear Esther: Landmark Edition first?
- If you want chronology, Dear Esther (2012) came out before Dear Esther: Landmark Edition (2017). 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 Dear Esther: Landmark Edition 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.
- Do Dear Esther and Dear Esther: Landmark Edition both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.