Choose GRID 2
Choose GRID 2 if you want the Steam Leaderboards and Valve Anti-Cheat enabled side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 76.1% positive across 2,828 reviews.
GRID 2 vs Dakar 18
GRID 2 and Dakar 18 both land in Sports, Racing 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 Sports, Racing on Steam. GRID 2 (2013) is 5 years older than Dakar 18 (2018). GRID 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (76.1% positive) than Dakar 18 (65.2% 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 Dakar 18
Choose Dakar 18 if you want an Adventure and Simulation game with Online PvP and PvP. On Steam, it's the newer release (2018) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Dakar 18 launched in 2018.
Both GRID 2 and Dakar 18 sit in Sports and Racing on Steam and both list Multi-player and Shared/Split Screen, 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
 GRID 2 |  Dakar 18 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2018 |
| Genres | Sports, Racing | Sports, Adventure, Simulation, Racing |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | Price unknown | 29.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 76.1% positive (2,828 reviews) | 65.2% positive (287 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player |
| Developers | Codemasters Racing | Bigmoon Entertainment |
Side by side
- Both share Sports, Racing on Steam.
- GRID 2 (2013) is 5 years older than Dakar 18 (2018).
- GRID 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (76.1% positive) than Dakar 18 (65.2% positive).
- Both are Deck Playable.
GRID 2 vs Dakar 18 — FAQ
- Which is better, GRID 2 or Dakar 18?
- On Steam reviews GRID 2 scores higher (76.1% positive) than Dakar 18 (65.2% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, GRID 2 is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play GRID 2 or Dakar 18 first?
- If you want chronology, GRID 2 (2013) came out before Dakar 18 (2018). 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 GRID 2 and Dakar 18 similar?
- They overlap on Sports, Racing 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.