Choose School Days
Choose School Days if it's currently about 67% cheaper on the Steam Store. School Days launched in 2023.
School Days vs Hard Time III
School Days and Hard Time III both land in Indie, Adventure, Simulation 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, Simulation on Steam. School Days (2023) is 1 year older than Hard Time III (2024). School Days scores higher on Steam reviews (90.9% positive) than Hard Time III (84.1% 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 Hard Time III
Choose Hard Time III if you want an Action and RPG experience. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. Hard Time III launched in 2024.
Both School Days and Hard Time III sit in Indie, Adventure, and Simulation on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen PvP, 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
 School Days |  Hard Time III | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2023 | 2024 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Simulation | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 90.9% positive (22 reviews) | 84.1% positive (748 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | MDickie | MDickie |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure, Simulation on Steam.
- School Days (2023) is 1 year older than Hard Time III (2024).
- School Days scores higher on Steam reviews (90.9% positive) than Hard Time III (84.1% positive).
- School Days is currently ~67% cheaper on Steam than Hard Time III (4.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: School Days is Deck Playable, Hard Time III is Deck Verified.
School Days vs Hard Time III — FAQ
- Should I play School Days or Hard Time III first?
- If you want chronology, School Days (2023) came out before Hard Time III (2024). 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 School Days and Hard Time III similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure, Simulation 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 School Days and Hard Time III have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: School Days ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op; Hard Time III ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op.