Choose Stellaris
Choose Stellaris if you want the Multi-player side of the pairing. 75,169 Steam reviews back the pick.
Stellaris vs Heart. Papers. Border.
Stellaris and Heart. Papers. Border. both land in Strategy, Simulation 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, Simulation on Steam. Stellaris (2016) is 1 year older than Heart. Papers. Border. (2017). Stellaris is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Heart. Papers. Border. has no Deck rating yet. 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 Heart. Papers. Border.
Choose Heart. Papers. Border. if you want an Indie, Casual, and Early Access experience. On Steam, it's a focused single-player run rather than a multiplayer commitment. Heart. Papers. Border. launched in 2017.
Both Stellaris and Heart. Papers. Border. sit in Strategy and Simulation 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
 Stellaris |  Heart. Papers. Border. | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2017 |
| Genres | Strategy, Simulation | Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Casual, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 49.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 86.5% positive (75,169 reviews) | 6 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer | Single-player only |
| Developers | Paradox Development Studio | Jovian Industries, Pronoia AB |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Simulation on Steam.
- Stellaris (2016) is 1 year older than Heart. Papers. Border. (2017).
- Stellaris is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Heart. Papers. Border. has no Deck rating yet.
Stellaris vs Heart. Papers. Border. — FAQ
- Should I play Stellaris or Heart. Papers. Border. first?
- If you want chronology, Stellaris (2016) came out before Heart. Papers. Border. (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 Stellaris and Heart. Papers. Border. similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Simulation 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 Heart. Papers. Border. have multiplayer like Stellaris?
- No. Stellaris supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer), while Heart. Papers. Border. is listed as single-player only.
- Does Stellaris run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Stellaris is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Heart. Papers. Border. doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.