Choose The Escapists
Choose The Escapists if you want a Strategy and Simulation experience. On Steam, it's currently about 28% cheaper on the Steam Store. 9,331 Steam reviews back the pick.
The Escapists vs Smintheus
The Escapists and Smintheus both land in Action, Indie, 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, Indie, Adventure on Steam. The Escapists (2015) is 6 years older than Smintheus (2021). The Escapists is currently ~28% cheaper on Steam than Smintheus (3.59 USD vs. 4.99 USD). 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 Smintheus
Choose Smintheus if it's the newer release (2021) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Smintheus launched in 2021.
Both The Escapists and Smintheus sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam and both list Steam Leaderboards, 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
 The Escapists |  Smintheus | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2021 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Simulation | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 3.59 USD | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 89.9% positive (9,331 reviews) | 5 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Mouldy Toof Studios | Henrik Chukhran |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- The Escapists (2015) is 6 years older than Smintheus (2021).
- The Escapists is currently ~28% cheaper on Steam than Smintheus (3.59 USD vs. 4.99 USD).
- The Escapists is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Smintheus has no Deck rating yet.
The Escapists vs Smintheus — FAQ
- Should I play The Escapists or Smintheus first?
- If you want chronology, The Escapists (2015) came out before Smintheus (2021). 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 The Escapists and Smintheus similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, 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.
- Does The Escapists run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — The Escapists is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Smintheus doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.