Choose Beholder
Choose Beholder if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 82% positive across 3,028 reviews.
Beholder vs Beholder 3
Beholder and Beholder 3 both land in Strategy, Indie, Adventure 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, Adventure on Steam. Beholder (2016) is 6 years older than Beholder 3 (2022). Beholder scores higher on Steam reviews (82% positive) than Beholder 3 (68.6% 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 Beholder 3
Choose Beholder 3 if you want a Simulation experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2022) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Beholder 3 launched in 2022.
Both Beholder and Beholder 3 sit in Strategy, Indie, and Adventure 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
 Beholder |  Beholder 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2022 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Adventure | Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 13.99 USD | 17.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 82% positive (3,028 reviews) | 68.6% positive (408 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Alawar Stargaze (Warm Lamp Games) | Paintbucket Games |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Beholder (2016) is 6 years older than Beholder 3 (2022).
- Beholder scores higher on Steam reviews (82% positive) than Beholder 3 (68.6% positive).
- Beholder is currently ~22% cheaper on Steam than Beholder 3 (13.99 USD vs. 17.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Verified.
Beholder vs Beholder 3 — FAQ
- Which is better, Beholder or Beholder 3?
- On Steam reviews Beholder scores higher (82% positive) than Beholder 3 (68.6% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Beholder is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Beholder or Beholder 3 first?
- If you want chronology, Beholder (2016) came out before Beholder 3 (2022). 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 Beholder and Beholder 3 similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie, Adventure 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 Beholder and Beholder 3 both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.