Choose Banished
Choose Banished if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 90% positive across 25,649 reviews.
Banished vs Life is Hard
Banished and Life is Hard both land in Strategy, Indie, Simulation 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, Simulation on Steam. Banished (2014) is 7 years older than Life is Hard (2021). Banished scores higher on Steam reviews (90% positive) than Life is Hard (48.5% 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 Life is Hard
Choose Life is Hard if you want an Adventure experience. On Steam, it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. Life is Hard launched in 2021.
Both Banished and Life is Hard sit in Strategy, Indie, and Simulation 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
 Banished |  Life is Hard | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2014 | 2021 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Simulation | Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 90% positive (25,649 reviews) | 48.5% positive (132 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Shining Rock Software LLC | Pirozhok Studio, Vitaliy Ruzankin |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, Simulation on Steam.
- Banished (2014) is 7 years older than Life is Hard (2021).
- Banished scores higher on Steam reviews (90% positive) than Life is Hard (48.5% positive).
- Life is Hard is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Banished (9.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Banished is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Life is Hard has no Deck rating yet.
Banished vs Life is Hard — FAQ
- Which is better, Banished or Life is Hard?
- On Steam reviews Banished scores higher (90% positive) than Life is Hard (48.5% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Banished is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Banished or Life is Hard first?
- If you want chronology, Banished (2014) came out before Life is Hard (2021). 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 Banished and Life is Hard similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie, Simulation 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 Banished run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Banished is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Life is Hard doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.