Choose Dungeon Defenders II
Choose Dungeon Defenders II if you want an Action and Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. 13,347 Steam reviews back the pick.
Dungeon Defenders II vs Eternal Rift Defense
Dungeon Defenders II and Eternal Rift Defense both land in Strategy, Indie, 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 Strategy, Indie, RPG on Steam. Dungeon Defenders II (2017) is 9 years older than Eternal Rift Defense (2026). Dungeon Defenders II is free; Eternal Rift Defense is paid (Price unknown). 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 Eternal Rift Defense
Choose Eternal Rift Defense if you want the Steam Leaderboards, Online PvP, and PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Eternal Rift Defense launched in 2026.
Both Dungeon Defenders II and Eternal Rift Defense sit in Strategy, Indie, and RPG on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, and 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
 Dungeon Defenders II |  Eternal Rift Defense | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie, RPG, Free To Play | Strategy, Indie, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 74% positive (13,347 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | Chromatic Games | MagmaBear Games |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, RPG on Steam.
- Dungeon Defenders II (2017) is 9 years older than Eternal Rift Defense (2026).
- Dungeon Defenders II is free; Eternal Rift Defense is paid (Price unknown).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Dungeon Defenders II is Deck Unsupported on Steam Deck; Eternal Rift Defense has no Deck rating yet.
Dungeon Defenders II vs Eternal Rift Defense — FAQ
- Should I play Dungeon Defenders II or Eternal Rift Defense first?
- If you want chronology, Dungeon Defenders II (2017) came out before Eternal Rift Defense (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 Dungeon Defenders II and Eternal Rift Defense similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie, 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 Dungeon Defenders II and Eternal Rift Defense have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Dungeon Defenders II ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Eternal Rift Defense ships Online Co-op, Co-op.
- Is Dungeon Defenders II free?
- Yes — Dungeon Defenders II is a free-to-play Steam title. Eternal Rift Defense is paid (Price unknown).