Choose The Stanley Parable
Choose The Stanley Parable if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 28,192 Steam reviews back the pick.
The Stanley Parable vs When the Darkness comes
The Stanley Parable and When the Darkness comes both land in Indie, Adventure 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 on Steam. The Stanley Parable (2013) is 6 years older than When the Darkness comes (2019). Both sit near 92% positive on Steam (The Stanley Parable: 28,192 reviews, When the Darkness comes: 5,826). 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 When the Darkness comes
Choose When the Darkness comes if you want a Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. 5,826 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both The Stanley Parable and When the Darkness comes sit in Indie and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (92.3% vs 91.9% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 The Stanley Parable |  When the Darkness comes | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2019 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Adventure, Free To Play |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 14.99 USD | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 92.3% positive (28,192 reviews) | 91.9% positive (5,826 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Galactic Cafe | Sirhaian |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- The Stanley Parable (2013) is 6 years older than When the Darkness comes (2019).
- Both sit near 92% positive on Steam (The Stanley Parable: 28,192 reviews, When the Darkness comes: 5,826).
- When the Darkness comes is free; The Stanley Parable is paid (14.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: The Stanley Parable is Deck Verified, When the Darkness comes is Deck Playable.
The Stanley Parable vs When the Darkness comes — FAQ
- Which is better, The Stanley Parable or When the Darkness comes?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: The Stanley Parable sits at 92.3% positive (28,192 reviews), When the Darkness comes at 91.9% (5,826). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play The Stanley Parable or When the Darkness comes first?
- If you want chronology, The Stanley Parable (2013) came out before When the Darkness comes (2019). 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 The Stanley Parable and When the Darkness comes similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure 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.
- Is When the Darkness comes free?
- Yes — When the Darkness comes is a free-to-play Steam title. The Stanley Parable is paid (14.99 USD).