Choose Hard West
Choose Hard West if you want an Adventure and RPG experience. On Steam, it's currently about 20% cheaper on the Steam Store. 2,209 Steam reviews back the pick.
Hard West vs Dreadlands
Hard West and Dreadlands both land in Strategy, 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 Strategy, Indie on Steam. Hard West (2015) is 5 years older than Dreadlands (2020). Hard West scores higher on Steam reviews (73.7% positive) than Dreadlands (54.5% 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 Dreadlands
Choose Dreadlands if you want the Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Dreadlands launched in 2020.
Both Hard West and Dreadlands sit in Strategy and Indie on Steam, 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
 Hard West |  Dreadlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2020 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Adventure, RPG | Strategy, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 24.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 73.7% positive (2,209 reviews) | 54.5% positive (99 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | CreativeForge Games | Blackfox Studios |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- Hard West (2015) is 5 years older than Dreadlands (2020).
- Hard West scores higher on Steam reviews (73.7% positive) than Dreadlands (54.5% positive).
- Hard West is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than Dreadlands (19.99 USD vs. 24.99 USD).
- Dreadlands has co-op; Hard West does not.
- Both are Deck Playable.
Hard West vs Dreadlands — FAQ
- Should I play Hard West or Dreadlands first?
- If you want chronology, Hard West (2015) came out before Dreadlands (2020). 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 Hard West and Dreadlands similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, 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.
- Does Hard West have multiplayer like Dreadlands?
- No. Dreadlands supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op), while Hard West is listed as single-player only.