IMHO.

Thief Gold vs Thief

Thief Gold and Thief both land in Action 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 are Action games on Steam. Thief Gold (2012) is 2 years older than Thief (2014). Thief Gold scores higher on Steam reviews (92.8% positive) than Thief (67.8% 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 Thief Gold

Choose Thief Gold if you want a Simulation experience. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 92.8% positive across 2,491 reviews.

Choose Thief

Choose Thief if you want an Adventure game with Steam Leaderboards, Subtitle Options, and Custom Volume Controls. 7,433 Steam reviews back the pick.

Both Thief Gold and Thief sit in Action 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

Thief Gold vs Thief — Steam metadata comparison
Thief Gold — Steam game coverThief GoldThief — Steam game coverThief
Released20122014
GenresAction, SimulationAction, Adventure
PlatformsWindowsWindows, macOS
Steam DeckDeck UnsupportedDeck Playable
Price6.99 USD19.99 USD
Steam reviews92.8% positive (2,491 reviews)67.8% positive (7,433 reviews)
MultiplayerSingle-player onlySingle-player only
DevelopersLooking Glass StudiosEidos-Montréal, Feral Interactive (Mac)

Side by side

Thief Gold vs Thief — FAQ

Which is better, Thief Gold or Thief?
On Steam reviews Thief Gold scores higher (92.8% positive) than Thief (67.8% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Thief Gold is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
Should I play Thief Gold or Thief first?
If you want chronology, Thief Gold (2012) came out before Thief (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 Thief Gold and Thief similar?
They overlap on Action 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.