Choose Darkest Dungeon®
Choose Darkest Dungeon® if you want a Strategy experience. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 55,844 Steam reviews back the pick.
Darkest Dungeon® vs GnollHack
Darkest Dungeon® and GnollHack both land in Indie, RPG 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, RPG on Steam. Darkest Dungeon® (2016) is 9 years older than GnollHack (2025). Both sit near 91% positive on Steam (Darkest Dungeon®: 55,844 reviews, GnollHack: 35). 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 GnollHack
Choose GnollHack if you want an Adventure and Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. GnollHack launched in 2025.
Both Darkest Dungeon® and GnollHack sit in Indie and RPG on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (90.8% vs 91.4% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Darkest Dungeon® |  GnollHack | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2025 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, RPG | Indie, Adventure, RPG, Free To Play |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 24.99 USD | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 90.8% positive (55,844 reviews) | 91.4% positive (35 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Red Hook Studios | Hyvän mielen pelit ry |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, RPG on Steam.
- Darkest Dungeon® (2016) is 9 years older than GnollHack (2025).
- Both sit near 91% positive on Steam (Darkest Dungeon®: 55,844 reviews, GnollHack: 35).
- GnollHack is free; Darkest Dungeon® is paid (24.99 USD).
- Darkest Dungeon® is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; GnollHack has no Deck rating yet.
Darkest Dungeon® vs GnollHack — FAQ
- Should I play Darkest Dungeon® or GnollHack first?
- If you want chronology, Darkest Dungeon® (2016) came out before GnollHack (2025). 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 Darkest Dungeon® and GnollHack similar?
- They overlap on Indie, RPG 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.
- Is GnollHack free?
- Yes — GnollHack is a free-to-play Steam title. Darkest Dungeon® is paid (24.99 USD).
- Does Darkest Dungeon® run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Darkest Dungeon® is rated Deck Verified by Valve. GnollHack doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.