Which is better, The Elder Scrolls® Online or The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle?

On Steam reviews The Elder Scrolls® Online scores higher (81.6% positive) than The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle (59.5% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, The Elder Scrolls® Online is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.

Should I play The Elder Scrolls® Online or The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle first?

If you want chronology, The Elder Scrolls® Online (2017) came out before The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle (2022). 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.

Does The Elder Scrolls® Online run on Steam Deck?

Yes — The Elder Scrolls® Online is rated Deck Playable by Valve. The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.

The Elder Scrolls® Online vs The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle

The Elder Scrolls® Online and The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle both land in Action, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer 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, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer on Steam. The Elder Scrolls® Online (2017) is 5 years older than The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle (2022). The Elder Scrolls® Online scores higher on Steam reviews (81.6% positive) than The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle (59.5% 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 The Elder Scrolls® Online

Choose The Elder Scrolls® Online if you want the HDR available, Camera Comfort, and Custom Volume Controls side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 81.6% positive across 73,647 reviews.

Choose The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle

Choose The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle if it's the newer release (2022) and ships with the modern feature baseline. The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle launched in 2022.

Both The Elder Scrolls® Online and The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle sit in Action, Adventure, and Massively Multiplayer on Steam and both list Multi-player, MMO, and Online 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.

The Elder Scrolls® Online vs The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle — Steam metadata comparison
	The Elder Scrolls® Online	The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle
Released	2017	2022
Genres	Action, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG	Action, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG
Platforms	Windows, macOS	Windows, macOS
Steam Deck	Deck Playable	Unrated
Price	19.99 USD	Price unknown
Steam reviews	81.6% positive (73,647 reviews)	59.5% positive (163 reviews)
Multiplayer	Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op	Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op
Developers	ZeniMax Online Studios	ZeniMax Online Studios

Side by side

Both share Action, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer on Steam.
The Elder Scrolls® Online (2017) is 5 years older than The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle (2022).
The Elder Scrolls® Online scores higher on Steam reviews (81.6% positive) than The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle (59.5% positive).
Both support cooperative play.
The Elder Scrolls® Online is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle has no Deck rating yet.