Choose War Thunder
Choose War Thunder if you want a Massively Multiplayer and Free To Play game with Multi-player, MMO, and Online PvP. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. 308,911 Steam reviews back the pick.
War Thunder vs Steel Thunder
War Thunder and Steel Thunder both land in Action, 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 Action, Simulation on Steam. War Thunder (2013) is 7 years older than Steel Thunder (2020). War Thunder is free; Steel Thunder is paid (6.99 USD). 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 Steel Thunder
Choose Steel Thunder if it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Steel Thunder launched in 2020.
Both War Thunder and Steel Thunder sit in Action and Simulation 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
 War Thunder |  Steel Thunder | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2020 |
| Genres | Action, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play | Action, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | 6.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 74.1% positive (308,911 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Gaijin Entertainment | Accolade, Inc |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Simulation on Steam.
- War Thunder (2013) is 7 years older than Steel Thunder (2020).
- War Thunder is free; Steel Thunder is paid (6.99 USD).
- War Thunder has co-op; Steel Thunder does not.
- War Thunder is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Steel Thunder has no Deck rating yet.
War Thunder vs Steel Thunder — FAQ
- Should I play War Thunder or Steel Thunder first?
- If you want chronology, War Thunder (2013) came out before Steel Thunder (2020). 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 War Thunder and Steel Thunder similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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.
- Does Steel Thunder have multiplayer like War Thunder?
- No. War Thunder supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op), while Steel Thunder is listed as single-player only.
- Is War Thunder free?
- Yes — War Thunder is a free-to-play Steam title. Steel Thunder is paid (6.99 USD).
- Does War Thunder run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — War Thunder is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Steel Thunder doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.