Choose Serious Sam 3: BFE
Choose Serious Sam 3: BFE if you want an Indie game with Steam Leaderboards and Shared/Split Screen PvP. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 86% positive across 5,833 reviews.
Serious Sam 3: BFE vs EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN
Serious Sam 3: BFE 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. Serious Sam 3: BFE (2011) is 8 years older than EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN (2019). Serious Sam 3: BFE scores higher on Steam reviews (86% 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 it's the newer release (2019) and ships with the modern feature baseline. EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN launched in 2019.
Both Serious Sam 3: BFE and EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN sit in Action on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Online PvP, 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 3: BFE |  EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2011 | 2019 |
| Genres | Action, Indie | Action |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 29.99 USD | 59.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 86% positive (5,833 reviews) | 61.2% positive (650 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op |
| Developers | Croteam | YUKE'S |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Serious Sam 3: BFE (2011) is 8 years older than EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN (2019).
- Serious Sam 3: BFE scores higher on Steam reviews (86% positive) than EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN (61.2% positive).
- Serious Sam 3: BFE is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN (29.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Playable.
Serious Sam 3: BFE vs EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN — FAQ
- Which is better, Serious Sam 3: BFE or EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN?
- On Steam reviews Serious Sam 3: BFE scores higher (86% positive) than EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN (61.2% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Serious Sam 3: BFE 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 3: BFE or EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN first?
- If you want chronology, Serious Sam 3: BFE (2011) 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 Serious Sam 3: BFE 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 Serious Sam 3: BFE and EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Serious Sam 3: BFE ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op; EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op.