IMHO.

ISLANDERS: New Shores vs Hexpire

ISLANDERS: New Shores and Hexpire both land in Strategy 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 are Strategy games on Steam. Hexpire (2024) is 1 year older than ISLANDERS: New Shores (2025). Hexpire is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than ISLANDERS: New Shores (4.99 USD vs. 9.99 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 ISLANDERS: New Shores

Choose ISLANDERS: New Shores if you want an Indie, Simulation, and Casual game with Steam Leaderboards, Adjustable Text Size, and Camera Comfort. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. ISLANDERS: New Shores launched in 2025.

Choose Hexpire

Choose Hexpire if it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. Hexpire launched in 2024.

Both ISLANDERS: New Shores and Hexpire sit in Strategy 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

ISLANDERS: New Shores vs Hexpire — Steam metadata comparison
ISLANDERS: New Shores — Steam game coverISLANDERS: New ShoresHexpire — Steam game coverHexpire
Released20252024
GenresStrategy, Indie, Simulation, CasualStrategy
PlatformsWindows, macOSWindows
Steam DeckDeck VerifiedUnrated
Price9.99 USD4.99 USD
Steam reviews97.1% positive (797 reviews)2 reviews
MultiplayerSingle-player onlySingle-player only
DevelopersThe StationDoughnutDev

Side by side

ISLANDERS: New Shores vs Hexpire — FAQ

Should I play ISLANDERS: New Shores or Hexpire first?
If you want chronology, Hexpire (2024) came out before ISLANDERS: New Shores (2025). 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 ISLANDERS: New Shores and Hexpire similar?
They overlap on Strategy 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 ISLANDERS: New Shores run on Steam Deck?
Yes — ISLANDERS: New Shores is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Hexpire doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.
ISLANDERS: New Shores vs Hexpire — Verdict (2026) · imho.run