Choose Distant Worlds: Universe
Choose Distant Worlds: Universe if it's currently about 40% cheaper on the Steam Store. 1,147 Steam reviews back the pick.
Distant Worlds: Universe vs Distant Worlds 2
Distant Worlds: Universe and Distant Worlds 2 both land in Strategy, 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, Simulation on Steam. Distant Worlds: Universe (2014) is 8 years older than Distant Worlds 2 (2022). Both sit near 71% positive on Steam (Distant Worlds: Universe: 1,147 reviews, Distant Worlds 2: 2,068). 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 Distant Worlds 2
Choose Distant Worlds 2 if it's the newer release (2022) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 2,068 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Distant Worlds: Universe and Distant Worlds 2 sit in Strategy and Simulation on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (71.2% vs 71% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Distant Worlds: Universe |  Distant Worlds 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2014 | 2022 |
| Genres | Strategy, Simulation | Strategy, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Playable |
| Price | 29.99 USD | 49.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 71.2% positive (1,147 reviews) | 71% positive (2,068 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Code Force | CodeForce |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Simulation on Steam.
- Distant Worlds: Universe (2014) is 8 years older than Distant Worlds 2 (2022).
- Both sit near 71% positive on Steam (Distant Worlds: Universe: 1,147 reviews, Distant Worlds 2: 2,068).
- Distant Worlds: Universe is currently ~40% cheaper on Steam than Distant Worlds 2 (29.99 USD vs. 49.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Distant Worlds: Universe is Deck Unsupported, Distant Worlds 2 is Deck Playable.
Distant Worlds: Universe vs Distant Worlds 2 — FAQ
- Which is better, Distant Worlds: Universe or Distant Worlds 2?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Distant Worlds: Universe sits at 71.2% positive (1,147 reviews), Distant Worlds 2 at 71% (2,068). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Distant Worlds: Universe or Distant Worlds 2 first?
- If you want chronology, Distant Worlds: Universe (2014) came out before Distant Worlds 2 (2022). 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 Distant Worlds: Universe and Distant Worlds 2 similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, 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.