Choose Onward
Choose Onward if you want a Strategy game with Online Co-op, SteamVR Collectibles, and Co-op. On Steam, it's the newer release (2025) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 7,203 Steam reviews back the pick.
Onward vs Contractors
Onward and Contractors both land in Action, Indie, Simulation 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, Indie, Simulation on Steam. Contractors (2018) is 7 years older than Onward (2025). Contractors scores higher on Steam reviews (83.4% positive) than Onward (68% 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 Contractors
Choose Contractors if you want a Casual experience. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 83.4% positive across 2,985 reviews.
Both Onward and Contractors sit in Action, Indie, and Simulation 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
 Onward |  Contractors | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025 | 2018 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie, Simulation | Action, Indie, Simulation, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 24.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 68% positive (7,203 reviews) | 83.4% positive (2,985 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer |
| Developers | Downpour Interactive | Caveman Studio |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Simulation on Steam.
- Contractors (2018) is 7 years older than Onward (2025).
- Contractors scores higher on Steam reviews (83.4% positive) than Onward (68% positive).
- Contractors is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than Onward (19.99 USD vs. 24.99 USD).
- Onward has co-op; Contractors does not.
- Both are Deck Unsupported.
Onward vs Contractors — FAQ
- Which is better, Onward or Contractors?
- On Steam reviews Contractors scores higher (83.4% positive) than Onward (68% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Contractors is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Onward or Contractors first?
- If you want chronology, Contractors (2018) came out before Onward (2025). 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 Onward and Contractors similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, Simulation 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.