Choose Spirit of War
Choose Spirit of War if you want the Multi-player and Shared/Split Screen side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. Spirit of War launched in 2015.
Spirit of War vs Comrades and Barons: Gates of Freedom
Spirit of War and Comrades and Barons: Gates of Freedom both land in Strategy 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 Strategy games on Steam. Spirit of War (2015) is 8 years older than Comrades and Barons: Gates of Freedom (2023). Comrades and Barons: Gates of Freedom scores higher on Steam reviews (100% positive) than Spirit of War (63.6% 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 Comrades and Barons: Gates of Freedom
Choose Comrades and Barons: Gates of Freedom if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Comrades and Barons: Gates of Freedom launched in 2023.
Both Spirit of War and Comrades and Barons: Gates of Freedom sit in Strategy 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
 Spirit of War |  Comrades and Barons: Gates of Freedom | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2023 |
| Genres | Strategy | Strategy, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 63.6% positive (22 reviews) | 100% positive (11 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Single-player only |
| Developers | G-OLD | Māris Ozols |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- Spirit of War (2015) is 8 years older than Comrades and Barons: Gates of Freedom (2023).
- Comrades and Barons: Gates of Freedom scores higher on Steam reviews (100% positive) than Spirit of War (63.6% positive).
- Spirit of War is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Comrades and Barons: Gates of Freedom (9.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
Spirit of War vs Comrades and Barons: Gates of Freedom — FAQ
- Should I play Spirit of War or Comrades and Barons: Gates of Freedom first?
- If you want chronology, Spirit of War (2015) came out before Comrades and Barons: Gates of Freedom (2023). 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 Spirit of War and Comrades and Barons: Gates of Freedom similar?
- They overlap on Strategy 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 Comrades and Barons: Gates of Freedom have multiplayer like Spirit of War?
- No. Spirit of War supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player), while Comrades and Barons: Gates of Freedom is listed as single-player only.