Choose Contagion
Choose Contagion if you want an Adventure game with Steam Leaderboards, Online PvP, and Online Co-op. 5,535 Steam reviews back the pick.
Contagion vs Dead Effect 2
Contagion and Dead Effect 2 both land in Action, 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, Indie on Steam. Contagion (2013) is 3 years older than Dead Effect 2 (2016). Dead Effect 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (74.9% 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 Dead Effect 2
Choose Dead Effect 2 if you want a RPG experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2016) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Dead Effect 2 launched in 2016.
Both Contagion and Dead Effect 2 sit in Action and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player and Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (73.2% vs 74.9% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Contagion |  Dead Effect 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2016 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure | Action, Indie, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 11.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 73.2% positive (5,535 reviews) | 74.9% positive (913 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Co-op |
| Developers | Monochrome, Inc | BadFly Interactive, a.s. |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Contagion (2013) is 3 years older than Dead Effect 2 (2016).
- Dead Effect 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (74.9% positive) than Contagion (73.2% positive).
- Contagion is currently ~17% cheaper on Steam than Dead Effect 2 (9.99 USD vs. 11.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Verified.
Contagion vs Dead Effect 2 — FAQ
- Which is better, Contagion or Dead Effect 2?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Contagion sits at 73.2% positive (5,535 reviews), Dead Effect 2 at 74.9% (913). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Contagion or Dead Effect 2 first?
- If you want chronology, Contagion (2013) came out before Dead Effect 2 (2016). 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 Dead Effect 2 similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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.
- Do both Contagion and Dead Effect 2 have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Contagion ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Dead Effect 2 ships Co-op.
- Do Contagion and Dead Effect 2 both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.