Choose EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair
Choose EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 96.4% positive across 5,855 reviews.
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair vs EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair and EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN 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. EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair (2016) is 3 years older than EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN (2019). EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair scores higher on Steam reviews (96.4% positive) than EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN (61.2% 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 EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN
Choose EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN if you want the Online PvP, Online Co-op, and Shared/Split Screen Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2019) and ships with the modern feature baseline. EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN launched in 2019.
Both EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair and EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN sit in Action on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, 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
 EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair |  EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2019 |
| Genres | Action | Action |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 59.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.4% positive (5,855 reviews) | 61.2% positive (650 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op |
| Developers | SANDLOT | YUKE'S |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair (2016) is 3 years older than EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN (2019).
- EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair scores higher on Steam reviews (96.4% positive) than EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN (61.2% positive).
- EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair is currently ~67% cheaper on Steam than EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN (19.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Playable.
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair vs EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN — FAQ
- Which is better, EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair or EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN?
- On Steam reviews EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair scores higher (96.4% positive) than EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN (61.2% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair or EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN first?
- If you want chronology, EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair (2016) came out before EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN (2019). 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 EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair and EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN 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.
- Do both EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair and EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair ships Co-op; EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op.