Choose War Thunder
Choose War Thunder if you want an Action game with Online PvP, Online Co-op, and PvP. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 74.1% positive across 308,911 reviews.
War Thunder vs Steel Ocean
War Thunder and Steel Ocean both land in Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play 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 Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play on Steam. War Thunder (2013) is 2 years older than Steel Ocean (2015). War Thunder scores higher on Steam reviews (74.1% positive) than Steel Ocean (68.3% 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 Steel Ocean
Choose Steel Ocean if it matches what drew you to this matchup. 2,207 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both War Thunder and Steel Ocean sit in Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, and Free To Play on Steam and both list Multi-player, MMO, 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
 War Thunder |  Steel Ocean | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2015 |
| Genres | Action, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play | Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 74.1% positive (308,911 reviews) | 68.3% positive (2,207 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player, Co-op |
| Developers | Gaijin Entertainment | Changyou.com Limited |
Side by side
- Both share Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play on Steam.
- War Thunder (2013) is 2 years older than Steel Ocean (2015).
- War Thunder scores higher on Steam reviews (74.1% positive) than Steel Ocean (68.3% positive).
- War Thunder is free; Steel Ocean is paid (Price unknown).
- Both support cooperative play.
- War Thunder is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Steel Ocean has no Deck rating yet.
War Thunder vs Steel Ocean — FAQ
- Which is better, War Thunder or Steel Ocean?
- On Steam reviews War Thunder scores higher (74.1% positive) than Steel Ocean (68.3% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, War Thunder is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play War Thunder or Steel Ocean first?
- If you want chronology, War Thunder (2013) came out before Steel Ocean (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 War Thunder and Steel Ocean similar?
- They overlap on Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play 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 War Thunder and Steel Ocean have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: War Thunder ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Steel Ocean ships Co-op.
- Is War Thunder free?
- Yes — War Thunder is a free-to-play Steam title. Steel Ocean is paid (Price unknown).
- Does War Thunder run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — War Thunder is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Steel Ocean doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.