Choose Oxygen Not Included
Choose Oxygen Not Included if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 96% positive across 48,352 reviews.
Oxygen Not Included vs Surviving Mars
Oxygen Not Included and Surviving Mars both land in 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 are Simulation games on Steam. Surviving Mars (2018) is 1 year older than Oxygen Not Included (2019). Oxygen Not Included scores higher on Steam reviews (96% positive) than Surviving Mars (79% 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 Surviving Mars
Choose Surviving Mars if you want a Strategy experience. 10,552 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Oxygen Not Included and Surviving Mars sit in Simulation on Steam, 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
 Oxygen Not Included |  Surviving Mars | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2019 | 2018 |
| Genres | Indie, Simulation | Strategy, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 24.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 96% positive (48,352 reviews) | 79% positive (10,552 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Klei Entertainment | Haemimont Games, Abstraction |
Side by side
- Both are Simulation games on Steam.
- Surviving Mars (2018) is 1 year older than Oxygen Not Included (2019).
- Oxygen Not Included scores higher on Steam reviews (96% positive) than Surviving Mars (79% positive).
- Steam Deck: Oxygen Not Included is Deck Verified, Surviving Mars is Deck Unsupported.
Oxygen Not Included vs Surviving Mars — FAQ
- Which is better, Oxygen Not Included or Surviving Mars?
- On Steam reviews Oxygen Not Included scores higher (96% positive) than Surviving Mars (79% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Oxygen Not Included is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Oxygen Not Included or Surviving Mars first?
- If you want chronology, Surviving Mars (2018) came out before Oxygen Not Included (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 Oxygen Not Included and Surviving Mars similar?
- They overlap on 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.