Choose Cossacks II: Battle for Europe
Choose Cossacks II: Battle for Europe if you want the Shared/Split Screen PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 75% cheaper on the Steam Store. Cossacks II: Battle for Europe launched in 2011.
Cossacks II: Battle for Europe vs Cossacks 3
Cossacks II: Battle for Europe and Cossacks 3 both land in Strategy 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 Strategy games on Steam. Cossacks II: Battle for Europe (2011) is 5 years older than Cossacks 3 (2016). Both sit near 78% positive on Steam (Cossacks II: Battle for Europe: 303 reviews, Cossacks 3: 3,273). 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 Cossacks 3
Choose Cossacks 3 if you want an Action and Adventure game with Online Co-op and Co-op. On Steam, it's the newer release (2016) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 3,273 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Cossacks II: Battle for Europe and Cossacks 3 sit in Strategy on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (78.5% vs 78.2% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Cossacks II: Battle for Europe |  Cossacks 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2011 | 2016 |
| Genres | Strategy | Action, Strategy, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 78.5% positive (303 reviews) | 78.2% positive (3,273 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | GSC Game World | GSC Game World |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- Cossacks II: Battle for Europe (2011) is 5 years older than Cossacks 3 (2016).
- Both sit near 78% positive on Steam (Cossacks II: Battle for Europe: 303 reviews, Cossacks 3: 3,273).
- Cossacks II: Battle for Europe is currently ~75% cheaper on Steam than Cossacks 3 (4.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Cossacks 3 has co-op; Cossacks II: Battle for Europe does not.
- Cossacks 3 is Deck Unsupported on Steam Deck; Cossacks II: Battle for Europe has no Deck rating yet.
Cossacks II: Battle for Europe vs Cossacks 3 — FAQ
- Which is better, Cossacks II: Battle for Europe or Cossacks 3?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Cossacks II: Battle for Europe sits at 78.5% positive (303 reviews), Cossacks 3 at 78.2% (3,273). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Cossacks II: Battle for Europe or Cossacks 3 first?
- If you want chronology, Cossacks II: Battle for Europe (2011) came out before Cossacks 3 (2016). 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 Cossacks II: Battle for Europe and Cossacks 3 similar?
- They overlap on Strategy 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.