Choose Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter
Choose Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter if it matches what drew you to this matchup. 2,396 Steam reviews back the pick.
Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter vs Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta)
Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter and Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta) both land in Action, 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, Indie on Steam. Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta) scores higher on Steam reviews (92.1% positive) than Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter (91.1% positive). Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta) is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter (14.99 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 Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta)
Choose Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta) if you want the Tracked Controller Support and VR Supported side of the pairing. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 1,703 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter and Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta) sit in Action and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Steam Leaderboards, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (91.1% vs 92.1% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter |  Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta) | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2009 | — |
| Genres | Action, Indie | Action, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 91.1% positive (2,396 reviews) | 92.1% positive (1,703 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | Croteam | Croteam |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta) scores higher on Steam reviews (92.1% positive) than Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter (91.1% positive).
- Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta) is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter (14.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter is Deck Playable, Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta) is Deck Verified.
Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter vs Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta) — FAQ
- Which is better, Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter or Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta)?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter sits at 91.1% positive (2,396 reviews), Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta) at 92.1% (1,703). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Are Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter and Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta) similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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.
- Do both Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter and Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta) have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op; Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta) ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op.