Choose Natural Selection 2
Choose Natural Selection 2 if you want an Indie game with Valve Anti-Cheat enabled. On Steam, it's the newer release (2012) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 5,398 Steam reviews back the pick.
Natural Selection 2 vs Empires Mod
Natural Selection 2 and Empires Mod both land in Action, 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 share Action, Strategy on Steam. Empires Mod (2008) is 4 years older than Natural Selection 2 (2012). Empires Mod scores higher on Steam reviews (88.7% positive) than Natural Selection 2 (84.9% 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 Empires Mod
Choose Empires Mod if you want a Free To Play game with Includes Source SDK and LAN PvP. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 88.7% positive across 710 reviews.
Both Natural Selection 2 and Empires Mod sit in Action and Strategy on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP, 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
 Natural Selection 2 |  Empires Mod | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2008 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie | Action, Strategy, Free To Play |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 4.99 USD | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 84.9% positive (5,398 reviews) | 88.7% positive (710 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer |
| Developers | Unknown Worlds Entertainment | Empires |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Strategy on Steam.
- Empires Mod (2008) is 4 years older than Natural Selection 2 (2012).
- Empires Mod scores higher on Steam reviews (88.7% positive) than Natural Selection 2 (84.9% positive).
- Empires Mod is free; Natural Selection 2 is paid (4.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Playable.
Natural Selection 2 vs Empires Mod — FAQ
- Which is better, Natural Selection 2 or Empires Mod?
- On Steam reviews Empires Mod scores higher (88.7% positive) than Natural Selection 2 (84.9% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Empires Mod is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Natural Selection 2 or Empires Mod first?
- If you want chronology, Empires Mod (2008) came out before Natural Selection 2 (2012). 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 Natural Selection 2 and Empires Mod similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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.
- Is Empires Mod free?
- Yes — Empires Mod is a free-to-play Steam title. Natural Selection 2 is paid (4.99 USD).