Choose Operation: New Earth
Choose Operation: New Earth if you want a Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Operation: New Earth launched in 2016.
Operation: New Earth vs Space Castle
Operation: New Earth and Space Castle both land in Strategy, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer 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 Strategy, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer on Steam. Operation: New Earth (2016) is 4 years older than Space Castle (2020). Operation: New Earth is free; Space Castle is paid (2.99 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 Space Castle
Choose Space Castle if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Space Castle launched in 2020.
Both Operation: New Earth and Space Castle sit in Strategy, Simulation, and Massively Multiplayer on Steam and both list Multi-player, MMO, and Online 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
 Operation: New Earth |  Space Castle | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2020 |
| Genres | Strategy, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play | Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | 2.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 58.3% positive (499 reviews) | 2 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer |
| Developers | Hunted Cow Games | PR games |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer on Steam.
- Operation: New Earth (2016) is 4 years older than Space Castle (2020).
- Operation: New Earth is free; Space Castle is paid (2.99 USD).
- Operation: New Earth is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Space Castle has no Deck rating yet.
Operation: New Earth vs Space Castle — FAQ
- Should I play Operation: New Earth or Space Castle first?
- If you want chronology, Operation: New Earth (2016) came out before Space Castle (2020). 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 Operation: New Earth and Space Castle similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer 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 Operation: New Earth free?
- Yes — Operation: New Earth is a free-to-play Steam title. Space Castle is paid (2.99 USD).
- Does Operation: New Earth run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Operation: New Earth is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Space Castle doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.