Choose Inklings
Choose Inklings if you want an Indie and Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Inklings launched in 2016.
Inklings vs Population Goals!
Inklings and Population Goals! both land in Action, Strategy, Casual 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, Casual on Steam. Inklings (2016) is 8 years older than Population Goals! (2024). Inklings is free; Population Goals! is paid (3.99 USD). 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 Population Goals!
Choose Population Goals! if you want an Adventure experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Population Goals! launched in 2024.
Both Inklings and Population Goals! sit in Action, Strategy, and Casual on Steam, 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
 Inklings |  Population Goals! | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2024 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie, Free To Play, Casual | Action, Strategy, Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | 3.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 81.8% positive (11 reviews) | 1 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Applepine Games | Thirty55 Design |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Strategy, Casual on Steam.
- Inklings (2016) is 8 years older than Population Goals! (2024).
- Inklings is free; Population Goals! is paid (3.99 USD).
Inklings vs Population Goals! — FAQ
- Should I play Inklings or Population Goals! first?
- If you want chronology, Inklings (2016) came out before Population Goals! (2024). 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 Inklings and Population Goals! similar?
- They overlap on Action, Strategy, Casual 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 Inklings free?
- Yes — Inklings is a free-to-play Steam title. Population Goals! is paid (3.99 USD).