Choose XCOM® 2
Choose XCOM® 2 if it's currently about 93% cheaper on the Steam Store. 44,276 Steam reviews back the pick.
XCOM® 2 vs Wasteland 3
XCOM® 2 and Wasteland 3 both land in Strategy 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 are Strategy games on Steam. XCOM® 2 (2016) is 4 years older than Wasteland 3 (2020). Both sit near 85% positive on Steam (XCOM® 2: 44,276 reviews, Wasteland 3: 11,050). 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 Wasteland 3
Choose Wasteland 3 if you want a RPG game with Multi-player, Online Co-op, and Co-op. On Steam, it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 11,050 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both XCOM® 2 and Wasteland 3 sit in Strategy on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (85.8% vs 85.1% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 XCOM® 2 |  Wasteland 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2020 |
| Genres | Strategy | Strategy, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 2.99 USD | 39.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 85.8% positive (44,276 reviews) | 85.1% positive (11,050 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | Firaxis Games, Feral Interactive (Mac), Feral Interactive (Linux) | inXile Entertainment |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- XCOM® 2 (2016) is 4 years older than Wasteland 3 (2020).
- Both sit near 85% positive on Steam (XCOM® 2: 44,276 reviews, Wasteland 3: 11,050).
- XCOM® 2 is currently ~93% cheaper on Steam than Wasteland 3 (2.99 USD vs. 39.99 USD).
- Wasteland 3 has co-op; XCOM® 2 does not.
- Both are Deck Playable.
XCOM® 2 vs Wasteland 3 — FAQ
- Which is better, XCOM® 2 or Wasteland 3?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: XCOM® 2 sits at 85.8% positive (44,276 reviews), Wasteland 3 at 85.1% (11,050). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play XCOM® 2 or Wasteland 3 first?
- If you want chronology, XCOM® 2 (2016) came out before Wasteland 3 (2020). 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 XCOM® 2 and Wasteland 3 similar?
- They overlap on Strategy 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 XCOM® 2 have multiplayer like Wasteland 3?
- No. Wasteland 3 supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op), while XCOM® 2 is listed as single-player only.