Choose Natural Selection 2
Choose Natural Selection 2 if you want the Valve Anti-Cheat enabled side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 29% cheaper on the Steam Store. 5,398 Steam reviews back the pick.
Natural Selection 2 vs Dark Prospect
Natural Selection 2 and Dark Prospect both land in Action, Strategy, Indie 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, Indie on Steam. Natural Selection 2 (2012) is 11 years older than Dark Prospect (2023). Natural Selection 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (84.9% positive) than Dark Prospect (74.2% 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 Dark Prospect
Choose Dark Prospect if you want the Online Co-op and Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Dark Prospect launched in 2023.
Both Natural Selection 2 and Dark Prospect sit in Action, Strategy, and Indie 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 |  Dark Prospect | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2023 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie | Action, Strategy, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 6.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 84.9% positive (5,398 reviews) | 74.2% positive (62 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Unknown Worlds Entertainment | CashcowGames |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- Natural Selection 2 (2012) is 11 years older than Dark Prospect (2023).
- Natural Selection 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (84.9% positive) than Dark Prospect (74.2% positive).
- Natural Selection 2 is currently ~29% cheaper on Steam than Dark Prospect (4.99 USD vs. 6.99 USD).
- Dark Prospect has co-op; Natural Selection 2 does not.
- Both are Deck Playable.
Natural Selection 2 vs Dark Prospect — FAQ
- Should I play Natural Selection 2 or Dark Prospect first?
- If you want chronology, Natural Selection 2 (2012) came out before Dark Prospect (2023). 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 Dark Prospect similar?
- They overlap on Action, Strategy, Indie 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.