Choose Portal
Choose Portal if you want the Includes Source SDK, Subtitle Options, and Camera Comfort side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 47% cheaper on the Steam Store. 81,472 Steam reviews back the pick.
Portal vs Beam
Portal and Beam 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. Portal (2007) is 13 years older than Beam (2020). Portal scores higher on Steam reviews (98.7% positive) than Beam (93.8% 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 Beam
Choose Beam if you want an Indie and Adventure experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Beam launched in 2020.
Both Portal and Beam 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
 Portal |  Beam | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2007 | 2020 |
| Genres | Action | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 18.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 98.7% positive (81,472 reviews) | 93.8% positive (16 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Valve | Binary Impact |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Portal (2007) is 13 years older than Beam (2020).
- Portal scores higher on Steam reviews (98.7% positive) than Beam (93.8% positive).
- Portal is currently ~47% cheaper on Steam than Beam (9.99 USD vs. 18.99 USD).
- Portal is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Beam has no Deck rating yet.
Portal vs Beam — FAQ
- Should I play Portal or Beam first?
- If you want chronology, Portal (2007) came out before Beam (2020). 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 Portal and Beam 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 Portal run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Portal is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Beam doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.