Choose Wasteland 2: Director's Cut
Choose Wasteland 2: Director's Cut if it matches what drew you to this matchup. 3,125 Steam reviews back the pick.
Wasteland 2: Director's Cut vs Wasteland 1 - The Original Classic
Wasteland 2: Director's Cut and Wasteland 1 - The Original Classic both land in Strategy, Indie, Adventure 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 Strategy, Indie, Adventure on Steam. Wasteland 1 - The Original Classic (2013) is 1 year older than Wasteland 2: Director's Cut (2014). Both sit near 81% positive on Steam (Wasteland 2: Director's Cut: 3,125 reviews, Wasteland 1 - The Original Classic: 222). 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 Wasteland 1 - The Original Classic
Choose Wasteland 1 - The Original Classic if it's currently about 80% cheaper on the Steam Store. Wasteland 1 - The Original Classic launched in 2013.
Both Wasteland 2: Director's Cut and Wasteland 1 - The Original Classic sit in Strategy, Indie, and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (81.2% vs 81.1% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Wasteland 2: Director's Cut |  Wasteland 1 - The Original Classic | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2014 | 2013 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Adventure, RPG | Strategy, Indie, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 29.99 USD | 5.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 81.2% positive (3,125 reviews) | 81.1% positive (222 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | inXile Entertainment | inXile Entertainment |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Wasteland 1 - The Original Classic (2013) is 1 year older than Wasteland 2: Director's Cut (2014).
- Both sit near 81% positive on Steam (Wasteland 2: Director's Cut: 3,125 reviews, Wasteland 1 - The Original Classic: 222).
- Wasteland 1 - The Original Classic is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than Wasteland 2: Director's Cut (5.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
Wasteland 2: Director's Cut vs Wasteland 1 - The Original Classic — FAQ
- Which is better, Wasteland 2: Director's Cut or Wasteland 1 - The Original Classic?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Wasteland 2: Director's Cut sits at 81.2% positive (3,125 reviews), Wasteland 1 - The Original Classic at 81.1% (222). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Wasteland 2: Director's Cut or Wasteland 1 - The Original Classic first?
- If you want chronology, Wasteland 1 - The Original Classic (2013) came out before Wasteland 2: Director's Cut (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 Wasteland 2: Director's Cut and Wasteland 1 - The Original Classic similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie, Adventure 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.