Choose Contagion
Choose Contagion if you want an Indie and Adventure game with Multi-player, Steam Leaderboards, and Online PvP. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 5,535 Steam reviews back the pick.
Contagion vs Barricade
Contagion and Barricade both land in Action 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 Action games on Steam. Contagion (2013) is 11 years older than Barricade (2024). Barricade scores higher on Steam reviews (90% positive) than Contagion (73.2% 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 Barricade
Choose Barricade if it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Barricade launched in 2024.
Both Contagion and Barricade sit in Action 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
 Contagion |  Barricade | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2024 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure | Action |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 3.99 USD | 3.74 USD |
| Steam reviews | 73.2% positive (5,535 reviews) | 90% positive (30 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Monochrome, Inc | SOCKHOUSE STUDIOS |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Contagion (2013) is 11 years older than Barricade (2024).
- Barricade scores higher on Steam reviews (90% positive) than Contagion (73.2% positive).
- Barricade is currently ~6% cheaper on Steam than Contagion (3.74 USD vs. 3.99 USD).
- Contagion has co-op; Barricade does not.
- Contagion is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Barricade has no Deck rating yet.
Contagion vs Barricade — FAQ
- Should I play Contagion or Barricade first?
- If you want chronology, Contagion (2013) came out before Barricade (2024). 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 Contagion and Barricade similar?
- They overlap on Action 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 Barricade have multiplayer like Contagion?
- No. Contagion supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op), while Barricade is listed as single-player only.
- Does Contagion run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Contagion is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Barricade doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.