Choose Cry of Fear
Choose Cry of Fear if you want an Indie game with Multi-player, Valve Anti-Cheat enabled, and Co-op. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 88.1% positive across 37,058 reviews.
Cry of Fear vs Syndrome
Cry of Fear and Syndrome both land in Action, 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 Action, Adventure on Steam. Cry of Fear (2013) is 3 years older than Syndrome (2016). Cry of Fear scores higher on Steam reviews (88.1% positive) than Syndrome (72.1% 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 Syndrome
Choose Syndrome if it's the newer release (2016) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Syndrome launched in 2016.
Both Cry of Fear and Syndrome sit in Action and Adventure 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
 Cry of Fear |  Syndrome | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2016 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure | Action, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 88.1% positive (37,058 reviews) | 72.1% positive (147 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Team Psykskallar | Camel 101 |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure on Steam.
- Cry of Fear (2013) is 3 years older than Syndrome (2016).
- Cry of Fear scores higher on Steam reviews (88.1% positive) than Syndrome (72.1% positive).
- Cry of Fear is free; Syndrome is paid (19.99 USD).
- Cry of Fear has co-op; Syndrome does not.
- Cry of Fear is Deck Unsupported on Steam Deck; Syndrome has no Deck rating yet.
Cry of Fear vs Syndrome — FAQ
- Which is better, Cry of Fear or Syndrome?
- On Steam reviews Cry of Fear scores higher (88.1% positive) than Syndrome (72.1% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Cry of Fear is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Cry of Fear or Syndrome first?
- If you want chronology, Cry of Fear (2013) came out before Syndrome (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 Cry of Fear and Syndrome similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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.
- Does Syndrome have multiplayer like Cry of Fear?
- No. Cry of Fear supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Co-op), while Syndrome is listed as single-player only.
- Is Cry of Fear free?
- Yes — Cry of Fear is a free-to-play Steam title. Syndrome is paid (19.99 USD).