Choose Surviving Mars
Choose Surviving Mars if you want a Strategy experience. 10,552 Steam reviews back the pick.
Surviving Mars vs Mars Base Alley
Surviving Mars and Mars Base Alley 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 8 years older than Mars Base Alley (2026). Surviving Mars is Deck Unsupported on Steam Deck; Mars Base Alley has no Deck rating yet. 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 Mars Base Alley
Choose Mars Base Alley if you want an Indie, Casual, and Early Access game with DualSense Controller Support, Gamepad Recommended, and Custom Volume Controls. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Mars Base Alley launched in 2026.
Both Surviving Mars and Mars Base Alley 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
 Surviving Mars |  Mars Base Alley | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2026 |
| Genres | Strategy, Simulation | Indie, Simulation, Casual, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Unrated |
| Price | Price unknown | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 79% positive (10,552 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Haemimont Games, Abstraction | KZ Games |
Side by side
- Both are Simulation games on Steam.
- Surviving Mars (2018) is 8 years older than Mars Base Alley (2026).
- Surviving Mars is Deck Unsupported on Steam Deck; Mars Base Alley has no Deck rating yet.
Surviving Mars vs Mars Base Alley — FAQ
- Should I play Surviving Mars or Mars Base Alley first?
- If you want chronology, Surviving Mars (2018) came out before Mars Base Alley (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 Surviving Mars and Mars Base Alley 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.