Choose Shadowgrounds
Choose Shadowgrounds if you want the Multi-player and Shared/Split Screen side of the pairing. Shadowgrounds launched in 2006.
Shadowgrounds vs Hatred
Shadowgrounds and Hatred 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. Shadowgrounds (2006) is 9 years older than Hatred (2015). Both sit near 81% positive on Steam (Shadowgrounds: 557 reviews, Hatred: 9,619). 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 Hatred
Choose Hatred if you want an Indie game with Steam Leaderboards. On Steam, it's the newer release (2015) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 9,619 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Shadowgrounds and Hatred sit in Action on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (81.3% vs 81.5% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Shadowgrounds |  Hatred | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2006 | 2015 |
| Genres | Action | Action, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Playable |
| Price | 6.99 USD | 5.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 81.3% positive (557 reviews) | 81.5% positive (9,619 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Single-player only |
| Developers | Frozenbyte | Destructive Creations |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Shadowgrounds (2006) is 9 years older than Hatred (2015).
- Both sit near 81% positive on Steam (Shadowgrounds: 557 reviews, Hatred: 9,619).
- Hatred is currently ~14% cheaper on Steam than Shadowgrounds (5.99 USD vs. 6.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Shadowgrounds is Deck Unsupported, Hatred is Deck Playable.
Shadowgrounds vs Hatred — FAQ
- Which is better, Shadowgrounds or Hatred?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Shadowgrounds sits at 81.3% positive (557 reviews), Hatred at 81.5% (9,619). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Shadowgrounds or Hatred first?
- If you want chronology, Shadowgrounds (2006) came out before Hatred (2015). 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 Shadowgrounds and Hatred 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 Hatred have multiplayer like Shadowgrounds?
- No. Shadowgrounds supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player), while Hatred is listed as single-player only.