Choose Evil Genius
Choose Evil Genius if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 94.2% positive across 2,345 reviews.
Evil Genius vs MachiaVillain
Evil Genius and MachiaVillain 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. Evil Genius (2009) is 9 years older than MachiaVillain (2018). Evil Genius scores higher on Steam reviews (94.2% positive) than MachiaVillain (50.9% 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 MachiaVillain
Choose MachiaVillain if you want an Indie and Simulation experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2018) and ships with the modern feature baseline. MachiaVillain launched in 2018.
Both Evil Genius and MachiaVillain 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
 Evil Genius |  MachiaVillain | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2009 | 2018 |
| Genres | Strategy | Strategy, Indie, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Unrated |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 94.2% positive (2,345 reviews) | 50.9% positive (348 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Elixir Studios | Wild Factor |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- Evil Genius (2009) is 9 years older than MachiaVillain (2018).
- Evil Genius scores higher on Steam reviews (94.2% positive) than MachiaVillain (50.9% positive).
- Evil Genius is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than MachiaVillain (9.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Evil Genius is Deck Unsupported on Steam Deck; MachiaVillain has no Deck rating yet.
Evil Genius vs MachiaVillain — FAQ
- Which is better, Evil Genius or MachiaVillain?
- On Steam reviews Evil Genius scores higher (94.2% positive) than MachiaVillain (50.9% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Evil Genius is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Evil Genius or MachiaVillain first?
- If you want chronology, Evil Genius (2009) came out before MachiaVillain (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 Evil Genius and MachiaVillain 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.