Choose The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Choose The Vanishing of Ethan Carter if it matches what drew you to this matchup. 4,130 Steam reviews back the pick.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter vs Desert of Vice
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter and Desert of Vice 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 4 years older than Desert of Vice (2018). Both sit near 86% positive on Steam (The Vanishing of Ethan Carter: 4,130 reviews, Desert of Vice: 14). 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 Desert of Vice
Choose Desert of Vice if it's currently about 85% cheaper on the Steam Store. Desert of Vice launched in 2018.
Both The Vanishing of Ethan Carter and Desert of Vice sit in Indie and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (86.4% vs 85.7% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 The Vanishing of Ethan Carter |  Desert of Vice | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2014 | 2018 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 2.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 86.4% positive (4,130 reviews) | 85.7% positive (14 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | The Astronauts | Karolis Dikcius |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (2014) is 4 years older than Desert of Vice (2018).
- Both sit near 86% positive on Steam (The Vanishing of Ethan Carter: 4,130 reviews, Desert of Vice: 14).
- Desert of Vice is currently ~85% cheaper on Steam than The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (2.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Desert of Vice has no Deck rating yet.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter vs Desert of Vice — FAQ
- Should I play The Vanishing of Ethan Carter or Desert of Vice first?
- If you want chronology, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (2014) came out before Desert of Vice (2018). 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 Desert of Vice 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 Playable by Valve. Desert of Vice doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.