Choose Unturned
Choose Unturned if you want an Adventure, Free To Play, and Casual game with Online PvP, LAN PvP, and PvP. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. 220,437 Steam reviews back the pick.
Unturned vs The Refuge
Unturned and The Refuge both land in Action, Indie 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 on Steam. Unturned is free; The Refuge is paid (Price unknown). Both support cooperative play. 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 The Refuge
Choose The Refuge if you want a Simulation and Early Access experience.
Both Unturned and The Refuge sit in Action and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, and LAN Co-op, 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
 Unturned |  The Refuge | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | — |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Free To Play, Casual | Action, Indie, Simulation, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 90.8% positive (220,437 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op |
| Developers | Smartly Dressed Games | TheLittleGames |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Unturned is free; The Refuge is paid (Price unknown).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Unturned is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; The Refuge has no Deck rating yet.
Unturned vs The Refuge — FAQ
- Are Unturned and The Refuge similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie 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.
- Do both Unturned and The Refuge have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Unturned ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op; The Refuge ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op.
- Is Unturned free?
- Yes — Unturned is a free-to-play Steam title. The Refuge is paid (Price unknown).
- Does Unturned run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Unturned is rated Deck Playable by Valve. The Refuge doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.