IMHO.

Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 vs Magic Duels

Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 and Magic Duels 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. Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 (2011) is 4 years older than Magic Duels (2015). Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 scores higher on Steam reviews (87.9% positive) than Magic Duels (79.3% 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 Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012

Choose Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 87.9% positive across 654 reviews.

Choose Magic Duels

Choose Magic Duels if you want a Free To Play game with Shared/Split Screen. On Steam, it's the newer release (2015) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Magic Duels launched in 2015.

Both Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 and Magic Duels sit in Strategy on Steam and both list Multi-player and Co-op, 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

Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 vs Magic Duels — Steam metadata comparison
Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 — Steam game coverMagic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012Magic Duels — Steam game coverMagic Duels
Released20112015
GenresStrategyStrategy, Free To Play
PlatformsWindowsWindows
Steam DeckDeck UnsupportedDeck Unsupported
PricePrice unknownPrice unknown
Steam reviews87.9% positive (654 reviews)79.3% positive (651 reviews)
MultiplayerMulti-player, Co-opMulti-player, Co-op
DevelopersStainless Games LtdStainless Games Ltd.

Side by side

Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 vs Magic Duels — FAQ

Which is better, Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 or Magic Duels?
On Steam reviews Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 scores higher (87.9% positive) than Magic Duels (79.3% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
Should I play Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 or Magic Duels first?
If you want chronology, Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 (2011) came out before Magic Duels (2015). 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 Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 and Magic Duels 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.
Do both Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 and Magic Duels have co-op?
Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 ships Co-op; Magic Duels ships Co-op.
Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 vs Magic Duels · imho.run