Should I play The Elder Scrolls® Online or Abyss first?

If you want chronology, The Elder Scrolls® Online (2017) came out before Abyss (2024). 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 Elder Scrolls® Online and Abyss similar?

They overlap on Action, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer 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 The Elder Scrolls® Online and Abyss have co-op?

Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: The Elder Scrolls® Online ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Abyss ships Online Co-op, Co-op.

Does The Elder Scrolls® Online run on Steam Deck?

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

The Elder Scrolls® Online vs Abyss

The Elder Scrolls® Online and Abyss 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 7 years older than Abyss (2024). The Elder Scrolls® Online scores higher on Steam reviews (81.6% positive) than Abyss (67.9% 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 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's currently about 20% cheaper on the Steam Store. 73,647 Steam reviews back the pick.

Choose Abyss

Choose Abyss if you want a Casual and Early Access experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Abyss launched in 2024.

Both The Elder Scrolls® Online and Abyss 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 Abyss — Steam metadata comparison
	The Elder Scrolls® Online	Abyss
Released	2017	2024
Genres	Action, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG	Action, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Casual, Early Access
Platforms	Windows, macOS	Windows
Steam Deck	Deck Playable	Unrated
Price	19.99 USD	24.95 USD
Steam reviews	81.6% positive (73,647 reviews)	67.9% positive (28 reviews)
Multiplayer	Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op	Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op
Developers	ZeniMax Online Studios	Old World Labs

Side by side

Both share Action, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer on Steam.
The Elder Scrolls® Online (2017) is 7 years older than Abyss (2024).
The Elder Scrolls® Online scores higher on Steam reviews (81.6% positive) than Abyss (67.9% positive).
The Elder Scrolls® Online is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than Abyss (19.99 USD vs. 24.95 USD).
Both support cooperative play.
The Elder Scrolls® Online is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Abyss has no Deck rating yet.