IMHO.

Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter vs Serious Sam 4

Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter and Serious Sam 4 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 HD: The Second Encounter (2010) is 10 years older than Serious Sam 4 (2020). Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter scores higher on Steam reviews (89.3% positive) than Serious Sam 4 (82.8% 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 Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter

Choose Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter if you want the Steam Leaderboards, Online PvP, and PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 89.3% positive across 319 reviews.

Choose Serious Sam 4

Choose Serious Sam 4 if you want an Adventure experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 5,007 Steam reviews back the pick.

Both Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter and Serious Sam 4 sit in Action and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, and Co-op, 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

Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter vs Serious Sam 4 — Steam metadata comparison
Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter — Steam game coverSerious Sam HD: The Second EncounterSerious Sam 4 — Steam game coverSerious Sam 4
Released20102020
GenresAction, IndieAction, Indie, Adventure
PlatformsWindowsWindows
Steam DeckUnratedDeck Verified
Price19.99 USD39.99 USD
Steam reviews89.3% positive (319 reviews)82.8% positive (5,007 reviews)
MultiplayerMulti-player, Online Co-op, Co-opMulti-player, Online Co-op, Co-op
DevelopersCroteamCroteam

Side by side

Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter vs Serious Sam 4 — FAQ

Which is better, Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter or Serious Sam 4?
On Steam reviews Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter scores higher (89.3% positive) than Serious Sam 4 (82.8% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
Should I play Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter or Serious Sam 4 first?
If you want chronology, Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter (2010) came out before Serious Sam 4 (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 Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter and Serious Sam 4 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 Second Encounter and Serious Sam 4 have co-op?
Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Serious Sam 4 ships Online Co-op, Co-op.
Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter vs Serious Sam 4 · imho.run