Choose Star Control®: Origins
Choose Star Control®: Origins if you want a Simulation game with Online PvP. 1,648 Steam reviews back the pick.
Star Control®: Origins vs Star Control III
Star Control®: Origins and Star Control III 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. Star Control III (2017) is 1 year older than Star Control®: Origins (2018). Star Control®: Origins scores higher on Steam reviews (77.3% positive) than Star Control III (63.9% 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 Star Control III
Choose Star Control III if you want a Strategy and Indie experience. On Steam, it's currently about 80% cheaper on the Steam Store. Star Control III launched in 2017.
Both Star Control®: Origins and Star Control III sit in Action and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen PvP, 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
 Star Control®: Origins |  Star Control III | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2017 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Simulation | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 3.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 77.3% positive (1,648 reviews) | 63.9% positive (36 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player |
| Developers | Stardock Entertainment | Legend Entertainment |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure on Steam.
- Star Control III (2017) is 1 year older than Star Control®: Origins (2018).
- Star Control®: Origins scores higher on Steam reviews (77.3% positive) than Star Control III (63.9% positive).
- Star Control III is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than Star Control®: Origins (3.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Star Control®: Origins is Deck Unsupported on Steam Deck; Star Control III has no Deck rating yet.
Star Control®: Origins vs Star Control III — FAQ
- Should I play Star Control®: Origins or Star Control III first?
- If you want chronology, Star Control III (2017) came out before Star Control®: Origins (2018). 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 Star Control®: Origins and Star Control III 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.