Choose Plains of Pain
Choose Plains of Pain if you want an Indie, Simulation, and Massively Multiplayer game with Online PvP, LAN PvP, and PvP. Plains of Pain launched in 2023.
Plains of Pain vs Craterlands
Plains of Pain and Craterlands both land in Action, Adventure, 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 Action, Adventure, RPG on Steam. Plains of Pain (2023) is 3 years older than Craterlands (2026). Both support cooperative play. 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 Craterlands
Choose Craterlands if you want the Stereo Sound, Playable without Timed Input, and Adjustable Difficulty side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Craterlands launched in 2026.
Both Plains of Pain and Craterlands sit in Action, Adventure, and RPG on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, and LAN Co-op, 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
 Plains of Pain |  Craterlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2023 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Early Access | Action, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 84.4% positive (423 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op |
| Developers | Cobra Byte Digital | TBone Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure, RPG on Steam.
- Plains of Pain (2023) is 3 years older than Craterlands (2026).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Plains of Pain is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Craterlands has no Deck rating yet.
Plains of Pain vs Craterlands — FAQ
- Should I play Plains of Pain or Craterlands first?
- If you want chronology, Plains of Pain (2023) came out before Craterlands (2026). 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 Plains of Pain and Craterlands similar?
- They overlap on Action, Adventure, 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.
- Do both Plains of Pain and Craterlands have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Plains of Pain ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op; Craterlands ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op.
- Does Plains of Pain run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Plains of Pain is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Craterlands doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.