Choose Son of Nor
Choose Son of Nor if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it's currently about 33% cheaper on the Steam Store. Son of Nor launched in 2015.
Son of Nor vs Gears 5
Son of Nor and Gears 5 both land in Action, 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 Action, Adventure on Steam. Son of Nor (2015) is 4 years older than Gears 5 (2019). Gears 5 scores higher on Steam reviews (73.4% positive) than Son of Nor (54.1% 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 Gears 5
Choose Gears 5 if you want the Online PvP, Shared/Split Screen PvP, and Online Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2019) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 8,300 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Son of Nor and Gears 5 sit in Action and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Co-op, 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
 Son of Nor |  Gears 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2019 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure | Action, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Playable |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 29.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 54.1% positive (85 reviews) | 73.4% positive (8,300 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | stillalive studios | The Coalition |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure on Steam.
- Son of Nor (2015) is 4 years older than Gears 5 (2019).
- Gears 5 scores higher on Steam reviews (73.4% positive) than Son of Nor (54.1% positive).
- Son of Nor is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than Gears 5 (19.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Gears 5 is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Son of Nor has no Deck rating yet.
Son of Nor vs Gears 5 — FAQ
- Should I play Son of Nor or Gears 5 first?
- If you want chronology, Son of Nor (2015) came out before Gears 5 (2019). 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 Son of Nor and Gears 5 similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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.
- Do both Son of Nor and Gears 5 have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Son of Nor ships Co-op; Gears 5 ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op.