Choose Darkest Dungeon®
Choose Darkest Dungeon® if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 55,844 Steam reviews back the pick.
Darkest Dungeon® vs Five Elements
Darkest Dungeon® and Five Elements both land in Strategy, 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 Strategy, Indie, RPG on Steam. Darkest Dungeon® (2016) is 1 year older than Five Elements (2017). Darkest Dungeon® scores higher on Steam reviews (90.8% positive) than Five Elements (71.4% 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 Five Elements
Choose Five Elements if it's currently about 80% cheaper on the Steam Store. Five Elements launched in 2017.
Both Darkest Dungeon® and Five Elements sit in Strategy, Indie, and RPG 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
 Darkest Dungeon® |  Five Elements | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2017 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, RPG | Strategy, Indie, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 24.99 USD | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 90.8% positive (55,844 reviews) | 71.4% positive (14 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Red Hook Studios | TaosX |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, RPG on Steam.
- Darkest Dungeon® (2016) is 1 year older than Five Elements (2017).
- Darkest Dungeon® scores higher on Steam reviews (90.8% positive) than Five Elements (71.4% positive).
- Five Elements is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than Darkest Dungeon® (4.99 USD vs. 24.99 USD).
- Darkest Dungeon® is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Five Elements has no Deck rating yet.
Darkest Dungeon® vs Five Elements — FAQ
- Should I play Darkest Dungeon® or Five Elements first?
- If you want chronology, Darkest Dungeon® (2016) came out before Five Elements (2017). 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 Five Elements similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, 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.
- Does Darkest Dungeon® run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Darkest Dungeon® is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Five Elements doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.