Choose The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Choose The Vanishing of Ethan Carter if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 4,130 Steam reviews back the pick.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter vs Presences: Dark Awakening
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter and Presences: Dark Awakening both land in 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 Indie, Adventure on Steam. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (2014) is 9 years older than Presences: Dark Awakening (2023). The Vanishing of Ethan Carter scores higher on Steam reviews (86.4% positive) than Presences: Dark Awakening (79.2% 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 Presences: Dark Awakening
Choose Presences: Dark Awakening if you want a Casual experience. On Steam, it's currently about 64% cheaper on the Steam Store. Presences: Dark Awakening launched in 2023.
Both The Vanishing of Ethan Carter and Presences: Dark Awakening sit in Indie and Adventure 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
 The Vanishing of Ethan Carter |  Presences: Dark Awakening | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2014 | 2023 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 7.19 USD |
| Steam reviews | 86.4% positive (4,130 reviews) | 79.2% positive (24 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | The Astronauts | Cozy Marshmallow |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (2014) is 9 years older than Presences: Dark Awakening (2023).
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter scores higher on Steam reviews (86.4% positive) than Presences: Dark Awakening (79.2% positive).
- Presences: Dark Awakening is currently ~64% cheaper on Steam than The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (7.19 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Presences: Dark Awakening has no Deck rating yet.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter vs Presences: Dark Awakening — FAQ
- Should I play The Vanishing of Ethan Carter or Presences: Dark Awakening first?
- If you want chronology, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (2014) came out before Presences: Dark Awakening (2023). 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 The Vanishing of Ethan Carter and Presences: Dark Awakening similar?
- They overlap on 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.
- Does The Vanishing of Ethan Carter run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Presences: Dark Awakening doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.