Choose Don't Starve
Choose Don't Starve if it's currently about 33% cheaper on the Steam Store. 32,871 Steam reviews back the pick.
Don't Starve vs Don't Starve Together
Don't Starve and Don't Starve Together both land in Indie, Adventure, Simulation 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, Simulation on Steam. Don't Starve (2013) is 3 years older than Don't Starve Together (2016). Both sit near 96% positive on Steam (Don't Starve: 32,871 reviews, Don't Starve Together: 80,691). 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 Don't Starve Together
Choose Don't Starve Together if you want an Action, Strategy, and RPG game with Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online Co-op. On Steam, it's the newer release (2016) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 80,691 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Don't Starve and Don't Starve Together sit in Indie, Adventure, and Simulation on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (96.1% vs 95.6% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Don't Starve |  Don't Starve Together | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2016 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Simulation | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.1% positive (32,871 reviews) | 95.6% positive (80,691 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op |
| Developers | Klei Entertainment | Klei Entertainment |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure, Simulation on Steam.
- Don't Starve (2013) is 3 years older than Don't Starve Together (2016).
- Both sit near 96% positive on Steam (Don't Starve: 32,871 reviews, Don't Starve Together: 80,691).
- Don't Starve is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than Don't Starve Together (9.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Don't Starve Together has co-op; Don't Starve does not.
- Steam Deck: Don't Starve is Deck Playable, Don't Starve Together is Deck Verified.
Don't Starve vs Don't Starve Together — FAQ
- Which is better, Don't Starve or Don't Starve Together?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Don't Starve sits at 96.1% positive (32,871 reviews), Don't Starve Together at 95.6% (80,691). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Don't Starve or Don't Starve Together first?
- If you want chronology, Don't Starve (2013) came out before Don't Starve Together (2016). 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 Don't Starve and Don't Starve Together similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure, Simulation 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 Don't Starve have multiplayer like Don't Starve Together?
- No. Don't Starve Together supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op), while Don't Starve is listed as single-player only.