Choose Hexcells
Choose Hexcells if it's currently about 40% cheaper on the Steam Store. 2,917 Steam reviews back the pick.
Hexcells vs Hexlide
Hexcells and Hexlide both land in Strategy, Indie, Casual 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, Casual on Steam. Hexcells (2014) is 3 years older than Hexlide (2017). Hexcells is currently ~40% cheaper on Steam than Hexlide (2.99 USD vs. 4.99 USD). 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 Hexlide
Choose Hexlide if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2017) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Hexlide launched in 2017.
Both Hexcells and Hexlide sit in Strategy, Indie, and Casual 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
 Hexcells |  Hexlide | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2014 | 2017 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Casual | Strategy, Indie, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 2.99 USD | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.7% positive (2,917 reviews) | 2 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Matthew Brown | Dead Ice Entertainment |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, Casual on Steam.
- Hexcells (2014) is 3 years older than Hexlide (2017).
- Hexcells is currently ~40% cheaper on Steam than Hexlide (2.99 USD vs. 4.99 USD).
- Hexcells is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Hexlide has no Deck rating yet.
Hexcells vs Hexlide — FAQ
- Should I play Hexcells or Hexlide first?
- If you want chronology, Hexcells (2014) came out before Hexlide (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 Hexcells and Hexlide similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie, Casual 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 Hexcells run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Hexcells is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Hexlide doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.