Choose Special Tactics
Choose Special Tactics if you want an Action and Free To Play game with Steam Leaderboards. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Special Tactics launched in 2016.
Special Tactics vs Holo-Strike!
Special Tactics and Holo-Strike! both land in Strategy, Indie, Simulation 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 Strategy, Indie, Simulation on Steam. Special Tactics (2016) is 10 years older than Holo-Strike! (2026). Special Tactics is free; Holo-Strike! is paid (Price unknown). 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 Holo-Strike!
Choose Holo-Strike! if you want a Casual game with Camera Comfort and Custom Volume Controls. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Holo-Strike! launched in 2026.
Both Special Tactics and Holo-Strike! sit in Strategy, Indie, and Simulation on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online 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
 Special Tactics |  Holo-Strike! | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Free To Play | Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 79.5% positive (78 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Beast Mode Games | ごらんのすぽんさー |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, Simulation on Steam.
- Special Tactics (2016) is 10 years older than Holo-Strike! (2026).
- Special Tactics is free; Holo-Strike! is paid (Price unknown).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Special Tactics is Deck Unsupported on Steam Deck; Holo-Strike! has no Deck rating yet.
Special Tactics vs Holo-Strike! — FAQ
- Should I play Special Tactics or Holo-Strike! first?
- If you want chronology, Special Tactics (2016) came out before Holo-Strike! (2026). 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 Special Tactics and Holo-Strike! similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie, Simulation 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 Special Tactics and Holo-Strike! have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Special Tactics ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Holo-Strike! ships Online Co-op, Co-op.
- Is Special Tactics free?
- Yes — Special Tactics is a free-to-play Steam title. Holo-Strike! is paid (Price unknown).