Choose Dear Esther
Choose Dear Esther if you want an Adventure 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 JUMP UP
Dear Esther and JUMP UP both land in Indie, 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, Casual on Steam. Dear Esther (2012) is 6 years older than JUMP UP (2018). Dear Esther is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; JUMP UP has no Deck rating yet. 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 JUMP UP
Choose JUMP UP if it's the newer release (2018) and ships with the modern feature baseline. JUMP UP launched in 2018.
Both Dear Esther and JUMP UP sit in Indie 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 |  JUMP UP | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2018 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Casual | Indie, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | Price unknown | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 77.6% positive (3,075 reviews) | 3 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | The Chinese Room, Robert Briscoe | Tornado Games |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Casual on Steam.
- Dear Esther (2012) is 6 years older than JUMP UP (2018).
- Dear Esther is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; JUMP UP has no Deck rating yet.
Dear Esther vs JUMP UP — FAQ
- Should I play Dear Esther or JUMP UP first?
- If you want chronology, Dear Esther (2012) came out before JUMP UP (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 JUMP UP similar?
- They overlap on Indie, 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. JUMP UP doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.