Choose The Universim
Choose The Universim if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 5,082 Steam reviews back the pick.
The Universim vs Surviving Mars
The Universim and Surviving Mars both land in 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 Strategy, Simulation on Steam. Surviving Mars (2018) is 6 years older than The Universim (2024). Both sit near 79% positive on Steam (The Universim: 5,082 reviews, Surviving Mars: 10,552). 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 Surviving Mars
Choose Surviving Mars if it matches what drew you to this matchup. 10,552 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both The Universim and Surviving Mars sit in Strategy and Simulation on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (79.6% vs 79% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 The Universim |  Surviving Mars | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024 | 2018 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Simulation | Strategy, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 29.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 79.6% positive (5,082 reviews) | 79% positive (10,552 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Crytivo | Haemimont Games, Abstraction |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Simulation on Steam.
- Surviving Mars (2018) is 6 years older than The Universim (2024).
- Both sit near 79% positive on Steam (The Universim: 5,082 reviews, Surviving Mars: 10,552).
- Steam Deck: The Universim is Deck Playable, Surviving Mars is Deck Unsupported.
The Universim vs Surviving Mars — FAQ
- Which is better, The Universim or Surviving Mars?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: The Universim sits at 79.6% positive (5,082 reviews), Surviving Mars at 79% (10,552). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play The Universim or Surviving Mars first?
- If you want chronology, Surviving Mars (2018) came out before The Universim (2024). 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 The Universim and Surviving Mars similar?
- They overlap on 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.