Choose Duelyst
Choose Duelyst if you want an Indie and Free To Play experience. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 81% positive across 3,201 reviews.
Duelyst vs Artifact
Duelyst and Artifact 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. Duelyst (2016) is 2 years older than Artifact (2018). Duelyst scores higher on Steam reviews (81% positive) than Artifact (57.9% 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 Artifact
Choose Artifact if it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. 9,748 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Duelyst and Artifact sit in Strategy on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and 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
 Duelyst |  Artifact | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2018 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Free To Play | Strategy |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Playable |
| Price | Price unknown | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 81% positive (3,201 reviews) | 57.9% positive (9,748 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer | Multi-player |
| Developers | Counterplay Games Inc. | Valve |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- Duelyst (2016) is 2 years older than Artifact (2018).
- Duelyst scores higher on Steam reviews (81% positive) than Artifact (57.9% positive).
- Artifact is free; Duelyst is paid (Price unknown).
- Artifact is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Duelyst has no Deck rating yet.
Duelyst vs Artifact — FAQ
- Which is better, Duelyst or Artifact?
- On Steam reviews Duelyst scores higher (81% positive) than Artifact (57.9% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Duelyst is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Duelyst or Artifact first?
- If you want chronology, Duelyst (2016) came out before Artifact (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 Duelyst and Artifact 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.
- Is Artifact free?
- Yes — Artifact is a free-to-play Steam title. Duelyst is paid (Price unknown).