Choose Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
Choose Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord if you want an Action, Simulation, and RPG game with Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP. 96,416 Steam reviews back the pick.
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord vs The Crooked Hand
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord and The Crooked Hand both land in Strategy, Indie 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 on Steam. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord (2022) is 4 years older than The Crooked Hand (2026). Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; The Crooked Hand has no Deck rating yet. 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 The Crooked Hand
Choose The Crooked Hand if it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. The Crooked Hand launched in 2026.
Both Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord and The Crooked Hand sit in Strategy and Indie 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
 Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord |  The Crooked Hand | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2022 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie, Simulation, RPG | Strategy, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 49.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 87.1% positive (96,416 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Single-player only |
| Developers | TaleWorlds Entertainment | chenjd |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord (2022) is 4 years older than The Crooked Hand (2026).
- Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; The Crooked Hand has no Deck rating yet.
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord vs The Crooked Hand — FAQ
- Should I play Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord or The Crooked Hand first?
- If you want chronology, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord (2022) came out before The Crooked Hand (2026). 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 Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord and The Crooked Hand similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie 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 Crooked Hand have multiplayer like Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord?
- No. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player), while The Crooked Hand is listed as single-player only.
- Does Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is rated Deck Playable by Valve. The Crooked Hand doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.