Choose Elite Dangerous
Choose Elite Dangerous if you want a Strategy, Simulation, and Massively Multiplayer game with VR Supported and Co-op. On Steam, it has co-op, so you can bring a friend. 52,491 Steam reviews back the pick.
Elite Dangerous vs Lazarus
Elite Dangerous and Lazarus both land in Action, 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 Action, Adventure on Steam. Elite Dangerous (2015) is 3 years older than Lazarus (2018). Elite Dangerous has co-op; Lazarus does not. 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 Lazarus
Choose Lazarus if it's the newer release (2018) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Lazarus launched in 2018.
Both Elite Dangerous and Lazarus sit in Action and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player and MMO, 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
 Elite Dangerous |  Lazarus | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2018 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Adventure, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, RPG | Action, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 76.7% positive (52,491 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Multi-player |
| Developers | Frontier Developments | Spilt Milk Studios Ltd |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure on Steam.
- Elite Dangerous (2015) is 3 years older than Lazarus (2018).
- Elite Dangerous has co-op; Lazarus does not.
- Elite Dangerous is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Lazarus has no Deck rating yet.
Elite Dangerous vs Lazarus — FAQ
- Should I play Elite Dangerous or Lazarus first?
- If you want chronology, Elite Dangerous (2015) came out before Lazarus (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 Elite Dangerous and Lazarus similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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.
- Does Elite Dangerous run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Elite Dangerous is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Lazarus doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.