Choose Tower Wars
Choose Tower Wars if you want an Action game with Multi-player, Steam Leaderboards, and Online PvP. On Steam, it has co-op, so you can bring a friend. Tower Wars launched in 2012.
Tower Wars vs War in a Box: Paper Tanks
Tower Wars and War in a Box: Paper Tanks 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. Tower Wars (2012) is 2 years older than War in a Box: Paper Tanks (2014). War in a Box: Paper Tanks scores higher on Steam reviews (70.7% positive) than Tower Wars (68.2% 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 War in a Box: Paper Tanks
Choose War in a Box: Paper Tanks if it's currently about 38% cheaper on the Steam Store. War in a Box: Paper Tanks launched in 2014.
Both Tower Wars and War in a Box: Paper Tanks sit in Strategy and Indie 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
 Tower Wars |  War in a Box: Paper Tanks | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2014 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie | Strategy, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 7.99 USD | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 68.2% positive (733 reviews) | 70.7% positive (75 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | SuperVillain Studios | DQ Team |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- Tower Wars (2012) is 2 years older than War in a Box: Paper Tanks (2014).
- War in a Box: Paper Tanks scores higher on Steam reviews (70.7% positive) than Tower Wars (68.2% positive).
- War in a Box: Paper Tanks is currently ~38% cheaper on Steam than Tower Wars (4.99 USD vs. 7.99 USD).
- Tower Wars has co-op; War in a Box: Paper Tanks does not.
- Tower Wars is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; War in a Box: Paper Tanks has no Deck rating yet.
Tower Wars vs War in a Box: Paper Tanks — FAQ
- Should I play Tower Wars or War in a Box: Paper Tanks first?
- If you want chronology, Tower Wars (2012) came out before War in a Box: Paper Tanks (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 Tower Wars and War in a Box: Paper Tanks 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.
- Does War in a Box: Paper Tanks have multiplayer like Tower Wars?
- No. Tower Wars supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op), while War in a Box: Paper Tanks is listed as single-player only.
- Does Tower Wars run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Tower Wars is rated Deck Playable by Valve. War in a Box: Paper Tanks doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.