Choose Blackwake
Choose Blackwake if you want a Casual experience. 13,263 Steam reviews back the pick.
Blackwake vs Maelstrom
Blackwake and Maelstrom both land in Action, Strategy, 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, Strategy, Indie on Steam. Maelstrom (2019) is 1 year older than Blackwake (2020). Both sit near 83% positive on Steam (Blackwake: 13,263 reviews, Maelstrom: 1,821). 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 Maelstrom
Choose Maelstrom if you want an Adventure, Simulation, and Massively Multiplayer experience. 1,821 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Blackwake and Maelstrom sit in Action, Strategy, 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 (82.5% vs 82.9% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Blackwake |  Maelstrom | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2019 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie, Free To Play, Casual | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | Free to play | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 82.5% positive (13,263 reviews) | 82.9% positive (1,821 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Mastfire Studios Pty Ltd | Gunpowder Games, Inc., Tideturners |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- Maelstrom (2019) is 1 year older than Blackwake (2020).
- Both sit near 83% positive on Steam (Blackwake: 13,263 reviews, Maelstrom: 1,821).
- Both are free to play.
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Playable.
Blackwake vs Maelstrom — FAQ
- Which is better, Blackwake or Maelstrom?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Blackwake sits at 82.5% positive (13,263 reviews), Maelstrom at 82.9% (1,821). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Blackwake or Maelstrom first?
- If you want chronology, Maelstrom (2019) came out before Blackwake (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 Blackwake and Maelstrom similar?
- They overlap on Action, Strategy, 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 Blackwake and Maelstrom have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Blackwake ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Maelstrom ships Online Co-op, Co-op.