Choose Anomaly 2
Choose Anomaly 2 if you want the Multi-player side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 73.6% positive across 197 reviews.
Anomaly 2 vs Anomaly Defenders
Anomaly 2 and Anomaly Defenders both land in Action, 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 Action, Strategy, Indie on Steam. Anomaly 2 (2013) is 1 year older than Anomaly Defenders (2014). Anomaly 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (73.6% positive) than Anomaly Defenders (68.2% 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 Anomaly Defenders
Choose Anomaly Defenders if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 33% cheaper on the Steam Store. Anomaly Defenders launched in 2014.
Both Anomaly 2 and Anomaly Defenders sit in Action, Strategy, and Indie 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
 Anomaly 2 |  Anomaly Defenders | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2014 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie | Action, Strategy, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 73.6% positive (197 reviews) | 68.2% positive (170 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer | Single-player only |
| Developers | 11 bit studios | 11 bit studios |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- Anomaly 2 (2013) is 1 year older than Anomaly Defenders (2014).
- Anomaly 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (73.6% positive) than Anomaly Defenders (68.2% positive).
- Anomaly Defenders is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than Anomaly 2 (9.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
Anomaly 2 vs Anomaly Defenders — FAQ
- Which is better, Anomaly 2 or Anomaly Defenders?
- On Steam reviews Anomaly 2 scores higher (73.6% positive) than Anomaly Defenders (68.2% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Anomaly 2 is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Anomaly 2 or Anomaly Defenders first?
- If you want chronology, Anomaly 2 (2013) came out before Anomaly Defenders (2014). 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 Anomaly 2 and Anomaly Defenders similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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 Anomaly Defenders have multiplayer like Anomaly 2?
- No. Anomaly 2 supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer), while Anomaly Defenders is listed as single-player only.