Choose Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead
Choose Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead if it's currently about 33% cheaper on the Steam Store. 8,736 Steam reviews back the pick.
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead vs Arma 3
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead and Arma 3 both land in Action, Strategy, Simulation 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, Strategy, Simulation on Steam. Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead (2010) is 3 years older than Arma 3 (2013). Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead scores higher on Steam reviews (92.9% positive) than Arma 3 (91.6% 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 Arma 3
Choose Arma 3 if you want the Steam Leaderboards, LAN PvP, and LAN Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2013) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 110,281 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead and Arma 3 sit in Action, Strategy, and Simulation on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (92.9% vs 91.6% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead |  Arma 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2010 | 2013 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Simulation | Action, Strategy, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 29.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 92.9% positive (8,736 reviews) | 91.6% positive (110,281 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op |
| Developers | Bohemia Interactive | Bohemia Interactive |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Strategy, Simulation on Steam.
- Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead (2010) is 3 years older than Arma 3 (2013).
- Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead scores higher on Steam reviews (92.9% positive) than Arma 3 (91.6% positive).
- Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than Arma 3 (19.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead is Deck Playable, Arma 3 is Deck Unsupported.
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead vs Arma 3 — FAQ
- Which is better, Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead or Arma 3?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead sits at 92.9% positive (8,736 reviews), Arma 3 at 91.6% (110,281). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead or Arma 3 first?
- If you want chronology, Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead (2010) came out before Arma 3 (2013). 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 Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead and Arma 3 similar?
- They overlap on Action, Strategy, Simulation 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 Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead and Arma 3 have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Arma 3 ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op.