Choose Serious Sam 3: BFE
Choose Serious Sam 3: BFE if you want the Shared/Split Screen, Steam Leaderboards, and Shared/Split Screen PvP side of the pairing. 5,833 Steam reviews back the pick.
Serious Sam 3: BFE vs Serious Sam II
Serious Sam 3: BFE and Serious Sam II 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 3: BFE (2011) is 1 year older than Serious Sam II (2012). Serious Sam II scores higher on Steam reviews (87.8% positive) than Serious Sam 3: BFE (86% 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 II
Choose Serious Sam II if it's currently about 67% cheaper on the Steam Store. 3,329 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Serious Sam 3: BFE and Serious Sam II sit in Action and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (86% vs 87.8% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Serious Sam 3: BFE |  Serious Sam II | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2011 | 2012 |
| Genres | Action, Indie | Action, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | 29.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 86% positive (5,833 reviews) | 87.8% positive (3,329 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Croteam | Croteam |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Serious Sam 3: BFE (2011) is 1 year older than Serious Sam II (2012).
- Serious Sam II scores higher on Steam reviews (87.8% positive) than Serious Sam 3: BFE (86% positive).
- Serious Sam II is currently ~67% cheaper on Steam than Serious Sam 3: BFE (9.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: Serious Sam 3: BFE is Deck Playable, Serious Sam II is Deck Verified.
Serious Sam 3: BFE vs Serious Sam II — FAQ
- Which is better, Serious Sam 3: BFE or Serious Sam II?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Serious Sam 3: BFE sits at 86% positive (5,833 reviews), Serious Sam II at 87.8% (3,329). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Serious Sam 3: BFE or Serious Sam II first?
- If you want chronology, Serious Sam 3: BFE (2011) came out before Serious Sam II (2012). 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 Serious Sam II 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 3: BFE and Serious Sam II 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; Serious Sam II ships Online Co-op, Co-op.