Choose Awesomenauts
Choose Awesomenauts if you want an Action game with Valve Anti-Cheat enabled. 6,996 Steam reviews back the pick.
Awesomenauts vs DG2: Defense Grid 2
Awesomenauts and DG2: Defense Grid 2 both land in Strategy, Indie 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 Strategy, Indie on Steam. Awesomenauts (2012) is 2 years older than DG2: Defense Grid 2 (2014). DG2: Defense Grid 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (85.7% positive) than Awesomenauts (84.4% 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 DG2: Defense Grid 2
Choose DG2: Defense Grid 2 if it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. 1,787 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Awesomenauts and DG2: Defense Grid 2 sit in Strategy and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Steam Leaderboards, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (84.4% vs 85.7% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Awesomenauts |  DG2: Defense Grid 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2014 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie | Strategy, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 84.4% positive (6,996 reviews) | 85.7% positive (1,787 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op |
| Developers | Ronimo Games | Hidden Path Entertainment |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- Awesomenauts (2012) is 2 years older than DG2: Defense Grid 2 (2014).
- DG2: Defense Grid 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (85.7% positive) than Awesomenauts (84.4% positive).
- DG2: Defense Grid 2 is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Awesomenauts (9.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: Awesomenauts is Deck Playable, DG2: Defense Grid 2 is Deck Verified.
Awesomenauts vs DG2: Defense Grid 2 — FAQ
- Which is better, Awesomenauts or DG2: Defense Grid 2?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Awesomenauts sits at 84.4% positive (6,996 reviews), DG2: Defense Grid 2 at 85.7% (1,787). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Awesomenauts or DG2: Defense Grid 2 first?
- If you want chronology, Awesomenauts (2012) came out before DG2: Defense Grid 2 (2014). 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 Awesomenauts and DG2: Defense Grid 2 similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie 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 both Awesomenauts and DG2: Defense Grid 2 have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Awesomenauts ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op; DG2: Defense Grid 2 ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op.