Choose X-Morph: Defense
Choose X-Morph: Defense if you want the Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 33% cheaper on the Steam Store. 1,142 Steam reviews back the pick.
X-Morph: Defense vs Hold the Core
X-Morph: Defense and Hold the Core both land in Action, Strategy, Indie 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 share Action, Strategy, Indie on Steam. X-Morph: Defense (2017) is 9 years older than Hold the Core (2026). X-Morph: Defense is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than Hold the Core (3.99 USD vs. 5.94 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 Hold the Core
Choose Hold the Core if you want the Save Anytime side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Hold the Core launched in 2026.
Both X-Morph: Defense and Hold the Core sit in Action, Strategy, and Indie on Steam and both list Steam Leaderboards, Camera Comfort, and Custom Volume Controls, 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
 X-Morph: Defense |  Hold the Core | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie | Action, Strategy, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 3.99 USD | 5.94 USD |
| Steam reviews | 92.1% positive (1,142 reviews) | 1 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | EXOR Studios | Faven Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- X-Morph: Defense (2017) is 9 years older than Hold the Core (2026).
- X-Morph: Defense is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than Hold the Core (3.99 USD vs. 5.94 USD).
- X-Morph: Defense has co-op; Hold the Core does not.
- X-Morph: Defense is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Hold the Core has no Deck rating yet.
X-Morph: Defense vs Hold the Core — FAQ
- Should I play X-Morph: Defense or Hold the Core first?
- If you want chronology, X-Morph: Defense (2017) came out before Hold the Core (2026). 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 X-Morph: Defense and Hold the Core similar?
- They overlap on Action, Strategy, Indie 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 Hold the Core have multiplayer like X-Morph: Defense?
- No. X-Morph: Defense supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op), while Hold the Core is listed as single-player only.
- Does X-Morph: Defense run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — X-Morph: Defense is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Hold the Core doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.