IMHO.

Skulls of the Shogun vs Front Wars

Skulls of the Shogun and Front Wars both land in Strategy, Indie 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 on Steam. Skulls of the Shogun (2013) is 2 years older than Front Wars (2015). Skulls of the Shogun scores higher on Steam reviews (89.5% positive) than Front Wars (52.9% 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 Skulls of the Shogun

Choose Skulls of the Shogun if you want the Online PvP, Shared/Split Screen PvP, and PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. Skulls of the Shogun launched in 2013.

Choose Front Wars

Choose Front Wars if it matches what drew you to this matchup. Front Wars launched in 2015.

Both Skulls of the Shogun and Front Wars sit in Strategy and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player and Steam Leaderboards, 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

Skulls of the Shogun vs Front Wars — Steam metadata comparison
Skulls of the Shogun — Steam game coverSkulls of the ShogunFront Wars — Steam game coverFront Wars
Released20132015
GenresStrategy, IndieStrategy, Indie
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxWindows, macOS
Steam DeckDeck VerifiedUnrated
Price9.99 USDPrice unknown
Steam reviews89.5% positive (220 reviews)52.9% positive (34 reviews)
MultiplayerMulti-playerMulti-player
Developers17-BITHomemade Games

Side by side

Skulls of the Shogun vs Front Wars — FAQ

Should I play Skulls of the Shogun or Front Wars first?
If you want chronology, Skulls of the Shogun (2013) came out before Front Wars (2015). 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 Skulls of the Shogun and Front Wars similar?
They overlap on Strategy, Indie 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 Skulls of the Shogun run on Steam Deck?
Yes — Skulls of the Shogun is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Front Wars doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.
Skulls of the Shogun vs Front Wars — Verdict (2026) · imho.run