Choose Painkiller: Black Edition
Choose Painkiller: Black Edition if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 85.4% positive across 769 reviews.
Painkiller: Black Edition vs Painkiller Hell & Damnation
Painkiller: Black Edition and Painkiller Hell & Damnation both land in Action 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 Action games on Steam. Painkiller: Black Edition (2007) is 5 years older than Painkiller Hell & Damnation (2012). Painkiller: Black Edition scores higher on Steam reviews (85.4% positive) than Painkiller Hell & Damnation (72.1% 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 Painkiller Hell & Damnation
Choose Painkiller Hell & Damnation if you want the Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2012) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Painkiller Hell & Damnation launched in 2012.
Both Painkiller: Black Edition and Painkiller Hell & Damnation sit in Action 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
 Painkiller: Black Edition |  Painkiller Hell & Damnation | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2007 | 2012 |
| Genres | Action | Action |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Playable |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 85.4% positive (769 reviews) | 72.1% positive (976 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player, Co-op |
| Developers | People Can Fly | The Farm 51 |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Painkiller: Black Edition (2007) is 5 years older than Painkiller Hell & Damnation (2012).
- Painkiller: Black Edition scores higher on Steam reviews (85.4% positive) than Painkiller Hell & Damnation (72.1% positive).
- Painkiller: Black Edition is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Painkiller Hell & Damnation (9.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Painkiller Hell & Damnation has co-op; Painkiller: Black Edition does not.
- Steam Deck: Painkiller: Black Edition is Deck Unsupported, Painkiller Hell & Damnation is Deck Playable.
Painkiller: Black Edition vs Painkiller Hell & Damnation — FAQ
- Which is better, Painkiller: Black Edition or Painkiller Hell & Damnation?
- On Steam reviews Painkiller: Black Edition scores higher (85.4% positive) than Painkiller Hell & Damnation (72.1% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Painkiller: Black Edition is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Painkiller: Black Edition or Painkiller Hell & Damnation first?
- If you want chronology, Painkiller: Black Edition (2007) came out before Painkiller Hell & Damnation (2012). 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 Painkiller: Black Edition and Painkiller Hell & Damnation similar?
- They overlap on Action 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 Painkiller: Black Edition have multiplayer like Painkiller Hell & Damnation?
- No. Painkiller Hell & Damnation supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Co-op), while Painkiller: Black Edition is listed as without multiplayer support.