Choose Intravenous 2: Mercenarism
Choose Intravenous 2: Mercenarism if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Intravenous 2: Mercenarism launched in 2024.
Intravenous 2: Mercenarism vs Intravenous 3
Intravenous 2: Mercenarism and Intravenous 3 both land in Action, Strategy, 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, Strategy, Adventure on Steam. Intravenous 2: Mercenarism (2024) is 3 years older than Intravenous 3 (2027). Intravenous 2: Mercenarism is free; Intravenous 3 is paid (Price unknown). 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 Intravenous 3
Choose Intravenous 3 if you want the DualShock Controller Support and DualSense Controller Support side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2027) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Intravenous 3 launched in 2027.
Both Intravenous 2: Mercenarism and Intravenous 3 sit in Action, Strategy, and Adventure 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
 Intravenous 2: Mercenarism |  Intravenous 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024 | 2027 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Simulation | Action, Strategy, Adventure, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 93.8% positive (893 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Explosive Squat Games | Explosive Squat Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Strategy, Adventure on Steam.
- Intravenous 2: Mercenarism (2024) is 3 years older than Intravenous 3 (2027).
- Intravenous 2: Mercenarism is free; Intravenous 3 is paid (Price unknown).
- Intravenous 2: Mercenarism is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Intravenous 3 has no Deck rating yet.
Intravenous 2: Mercenarism vs Intravenous 3 — FAQ
- Should I play Intravenous 2: Mercenarism or Intravenous 3 first?
- If you want chronology, Intravenous 2: Mercenarism (2024) came out before Intravenous 3 (2027). 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 Intravenous 2: Mercenarism and Intravenous 3 similar?
- They overlap on Action, Strategy, 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.
- Is Intravenous 2: Mercenarism free?
- Yes — Intravenous 2: Mercenarism is a free-to-play Steam title. Intravenous 3 is paid (Price unknown).
- Does Intravenous 2: Mercenarism run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Intravenous 2: Mercenarism is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Intravenous 3 doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.