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 The Master
Dear Esther and The Master 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 6 years older than The Master (2018). Dear Esther scores higher on Steam reviews (77.6% positive) than The Master (58.2% 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 The Master
Choose The Master if you want a Simulation experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2018) and ships with the modern feature baseline. The Master launched in 2018.
Both Dear Esther and The Master 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 |  The Master | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2018 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Casual | Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | Price unknown | 0.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 77.6% positive (3,075 reviews) | 58.2% positive (55 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | The Chinese Room, Robert Briscoe | Gem Rose Accent, Corentin Derbré |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure, Casual on Steam.
- Dear Esther (2012) is 6 years older than The Master (2018).
- Dear Esther scores higher on Steam reviews (77.6% positive) than The Master (58.2% positive).
- Dear Esther is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; The Master has no Deck rating yet.
Dear Esther vs The Master — FAQ
- Should I play Dear Esther or The Master first?
- If you want chronology, Dear Esther (2012) came out before The Master (2018). 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 The Master 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. The Master doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.