Choose Shadow Warrior 2
Choose Shadow Warrior 2 if you want an Adventure experience. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 87.3% positive across 8,672 reviews.
Shadow Warrior 2 vs Borderlands 3
Shadow Warrior 2 and Borderlands 3 both land in Action 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 are Action games on Steam. Shadow Warrior 2 (2016) is 4 years older than Borderlands 3 (2020). Shadow Warrior 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (87.3% positive) than Borderlands 3 (81.3% 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 Borderlands 3
Choose Borderlands 3 if you want a RPG game with LAN Co-op. On Steam, it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 59,663 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Shadow Warrior 2 and Borderlands 3 sit in Action on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, and 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
 Shadow Warrior 2 |  Borderlands 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2020 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure | Action, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 29.99 USD | 59.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 87.3% positive (8,672 reviews) | 81.3% positive (59,663 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | Flying Wild Hog | Gearbox Software |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Shadow Warrior 2 (2016) is 4 years older than Borderlands 3 (2020).
- Shadow Warrior 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (87.3% positive) than Borderlands 3 (81.3% positive).
- Shadow Warrior 2 is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Borderlands 3 (29.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: Shadow Warrior 2 is Deck Verified, Borderlands 3 is Deck Playable.
Shadow Warrior 2 vs Borderlands 3 — FAQ
- Which is better, Shadow Warrior 2 or Borderlands 3?
- On Steam reviews Shadow Warrior 2 scores higher (87.3% positive) than Borderlands 3 (81.3% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Shadow Warrior 2 is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Shadow Warrior 2 or Borderlands 3 first?
- If you want chronology, Shadow Warrior 2 (2016) came out before Borderlands 3 (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 Shadow Warrior 2 and Borderlands 3 similar?
- They overlap on Action 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 Shadow Warrior 2 and Borderlands 3 have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Shadow Warrior 2 ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Borderlands 3 ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op.