Choose A Year Of Rain
Choose A Year Of Rain if you want a RPG experience. A Year Of Rain launched in 2020.
A Year Of Rain vs Element TD 2 - Tower Defense
A Year Of Rain and Element TD 2 - Tower Defense 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. A Year Of Rain (2020) is 1 year older than Element TD 2 - Tower Defense (2021). Element TD 2 - Tower Defense scores higher on Steam reviews (90.9% positive) than A Year Of Rain (39.8% 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 Element TD 2 - Tower Defense
Choose Element TD 2 - Tower Defense if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 90.9% positive across 1,623 reviews.
Both A Year Of Rain and Element TD 2 - Tower Defense sit in Strategy and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online 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
 A Year Of Rain |  Element TD 2 - Tower Defense | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2021 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, RPG | Strategy, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 5.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 39.8% positive (201 reviews) | 90.9% positive (1,623 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op |
| Developers | Daedalic Entertainment | Element Studios |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- A Year Of Rain (2020) is 1 year older than Element TD 2 - Tower Defense (2021).
- Element TD 2 - Tower Defense scores higher on Steam reviews (90.9% positive) than A Year Of Rain (39.8% positive).
- Element TD 2 - Tower Defense is currently ~60% cheaper on Steam than A Year Of Rain (5.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Playable.
A Year Of Rain vs Element TD 2 - Tower Defense — FAQ
- Which is better, A Year Of Rain or Element TD 2 - Tower Defense?
- On Steam reviews Element TD 2 - Tower Defense scores higher (90.9% positive) than A Year Of Rain (39.8% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Element TD 2 - Tower Defense is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play A Year Of Rain or Element TD 2 - Tower Defense first?
- If you want chronology, A Year Of Rain (2020) came out before Element TD 2 - Tower Defense (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 A Year Of Rain and Element TD 2 - Tower Defense 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.
- Do both A Year Of Rain and Element TD 2 - Tower Defense have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: A Year Of Rain ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op; Element TD 2 - Tower Defense ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op.