Choose Towns
Choose Towns if you want a Simulation experience. On Steam, it's currently about 67% cheaper on the Steam Store. 2,076 Steam reviews back the pick.
Towns vs Balrum
Towns and Balrum both land in Strategy, Indie, RPG 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, RPG on Steam. Towns (2012) is 4 years older than Balrum (2016). Balrum scores higher on Steam reviews (76.7% positive) than Towns (25.6% 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 Balrum
Choose Balrum if you want an Adventure experience. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 76.7% positive across 433 reviews.
Both Towns and Balrum sit in Strategy, Indie, and RPG 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
 Towns |  Balrum | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2016 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Simulation, RPG | Strategy, Indie, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Playable |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 25.6% positive (2,076 reviews) | 76.7% positive (433 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Xavi Canal, Ben Palgi | Balcony Softworks |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, RPG on Steam.
- Towns (2012) is 4 years older than Balrum (2016).
- Balrum scores higher on Steam reviews (76.7% positive) than Towns (25.6% positive).
- Towns is currently ~67% cheaper on Steam than Balrum (4.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Balrum is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Towns has no Deck rating yet.
Towns vs Balrum — FAQ
- Which is better, Towns or Balrum?
- On Steam reviews Balrum scores higher (76.7% positive) than Towns (25.6% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Balrum is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Towns or Balrum first?
- If you want chronology, Towns (2012) came out before Balrum (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 Towns and Balrum similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie, RPG 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.