Choose Portal
Choose Portal if you want the Includes Source SDK, Subtitle Options, and Camera Comfort side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 98.7% positive across 81,472 reviews.
Portal vs BLACKHOLE
Portal and BLACKHOLE 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 8 years older than BLACKHOLE (2015). Portal scores higher on Steam reviews (98.7% positive) than BLACKHOLE (73.1% 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 BLACKHOLE
Choose BLACKHOLE if you want an Indie and Adventure experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2015) and ships with the modern feature baseline. BLACKHOLE launched in 2015.
Both Portal and BLACKHOLE 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 |  BLACKHOLE | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2007 | 2015 |
| Genres | Action | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 8.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 98.7% positive (81,472 reviews) | 73.1% positive (197 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Valve | FiolaSoft Studio |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Portal (2007) is 8 years older than BLACKHOLE (2015).
- Portal scores higher on Steam reviews (98.7% positive) than BLACKHOLE (73.1% positive).
- BLACKHOLE is currently ~10% cheaper on Steam than Portal (8.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Portal is Deck Verified, BLACKHOLE is Deck Playable.
Portal vs BLACKHOLE — FAQ
- Which is better, Portal or BLACKHOLE?
- On Steam reviews Portal scores higher (98.7% positive) than BLACKHOLE (73.1% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Portal is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Portal or BLACKHOLE first?
- If you want chronology, Portal (2007) came out before BLACKHOLE (2015). 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 BLACKHOLE 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.