Choose Avernum 2: Crystal Souls
Choose Avernum 2: Crystal Souls if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 92.5% positive across 201 reviews.
Avernum 2: Crystal Souls vs Avernum 3: Ruined World
Avernum 2: Crystal Souls and Avernum 3: Ruined World both land in Strategy, Indie, Adventure 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, Adventure on Steam. Avernum 2: Crystal Souls (2015) is 3 years older than Avernum 3: Ruined World (2018). Avernum 2: Crystal Souls scores higher on Steam reviews (92.5% positive) than Avernum 3: Ruined World (86.5% 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 Avernum 3: Ruined World
Choose Avernum 3: Ruined World if it's the newer release (2018) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Avernum 3: Ruined World launched in 2018.
Both Avernum 2: Crystal Souls and Avernum 3: Ruined World sit in Strategy, Indie, and Adventure 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
 Avernum 2: Crystal Souls |  Avernum 3: Ruined World | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2018 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Adventure, RPG | Strategy, Indie, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 5.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 92.5% positive (201 reviews) | 86.5% positive (193 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Spiderweb Software | Spiderweb Software |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Avernum 2: Crystal Souls (2015) is 3 years older than Avernum 3: Ruined World (2018).
- Avernum 2: Crystal Souls scores higher on Steam reviews (92.5% positive) than Avernum 3: Ruined World (86.5% positive).
- Avernum 2: Crystal Souls is currently ~70% cheaper on Steam than Avernum 3: Ruined World (5.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Playable.
Avernum 2: Crystal Souls vs Avernum 3: Ruined World — FAQ
- Which is better, Avernum 2: Crystal Souls or Avernum 3: Ruined World?
- On Steam reviews Avernum 2: Crystal Souls scores higher (92.5% positive) than Avernum 3: Ruined World (86.5% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Avernum 2: Crystal Souls is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Avernum 2: Crystal Souls or Avernum 3: Ruined World first?
- If you want chronology, Avernum 2: Crystal Souls (2015) came out before Avernum 3: Ruined World (2018). 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 Avernum 2: Crystal Souls and Avernum 3: Ruined World similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie, Adventure 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.