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 33% cheaper on the Steam Store. 81,472 Steam reviews back the pick.
Portal vs System of Souls
Portal and System of Souls 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 16 years older than System of Souls (2023). Portal is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than System of Souls (9.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD). 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 System of Souls
Choose System of Souls if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. System of Souls launched in 2023.
Both Portal and System of Souls 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 |  System of Souls | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2007 | 2023 |
| Genres | Action | Action, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 98.7% positive (81,472 reviews) | 8 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Valve | Chaotic Lab |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Portal (2007) is 16 years older than System of Souls (2023).
- Portal is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than System of Souls (9.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Portal is Deck Verified, System of Souls is Deck Playable.
Portal vs System of Souls — FAQ
- Should I play Portal or System of Souls first?
- If you want chronology, Portal (2007) came out before System of Souls (2023). 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 System of Souls 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.