Choose Close Combat - Gateway to Caen
Choose Close Combat - Gateway to Caen if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 67.3% positive across 303 reviews.
Close Combat - Gateway to Caen vs Close Combat: The Bloody First
Close Combat - Gateway to Caen and Close Combat: The Bloody First 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. Close Combat - Gateway to Caen (2014) is 5 years older than Close Combat: The Bloody First (2019). Close Combat - Gateway to Caen scores higher on Steam reviews (67.3% positive) than Close Combat: The Bloody First (52.1% 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 Close Combat: The Bloody First
Choose Close Combat: The Bloody First if you want the Online PvP and PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2019) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Close Combat: The Bloody First launched in 2019.
Both Close Combat - Gateway to Caen and Close Combat: The Bloody First sit in Strategy and Simulation on Steam and both list Multi-player, 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
 Close Combat - Gateway to Caen |  Close Combat: The Bloody First | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2014 | 2019 |
| Genres | Strategy, Simulation | Strategy, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Playable |
| Price | 39.99 USD | 39.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 67.3% positive (303 reviews) | 52.1% positive (259 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player |
| Developers | Matrix Games | Matrix Games |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Simulation on Steam.
- Close Combat - Gateway to Caen (2014) is 5 years older than Close Combat: The Bloody First (2019).
- Close Combat - Gateway to Caen scores higher on Steam reviews (67.3% positive) than Close Combat: The Bloody First (52.1% positive).
- Close Combat: The Bloody First is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Close Combat - Gateway to Caen (39.99 USD vs. 39.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Close Combat - Gateway to Caen is Deck Unsupported, Close Combat: The Bloody First is Deck Playable.
Close Combat - Gateway to Caen vs Close Combat: The Bloody First — FAQ
- Which is better, Close Combat - Gateway to Caen or Close Combat: The Bloody First?
- On Steam reviews Close Combat - Gateway to Caen scores higher (67.3% positive) than Close Combat: The Bloody First (52.1% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Close Combat - Gateway to Caen is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Close Combat - Gateway to Caen or Close Combat: The Bloody First first?
- If you want chronology, Close Combat - Gateway to Caen (2014) came out before Close Combat: The Bloody First (2019). 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 Close Combat - Gateway to Caen and Close Combat: The Bloody First 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.