IMHO.

Locked In VR vs Diary of Defender

Locked In VR and Diary of Defender both land in Indie, Adventure, Violent 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 Indie, Adventure, Violent on Steam. Locked In VR (2016) is 2 years older than Diary of Defender (2018). Locked In VR is currently ~60% cheaper on Steam than Diary of Defender (5.99 USD vs. 14.99 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 Locked In VR

Choose Locked In VR if it's currently about 60% cheaper on the Steam Store. Locked In VR launched in 2016.

Choose Diary of Defender

Choose Diary of Defender if you want an Action, Simulation, and Early Access experience. Diary of Defender launched in 2018.

Both Locked In VR and Diary of Defender sit in Indie, Adventure, and Violent on Steam and both list Tracked Controller Support and VR Only, 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

Locked In VR vs Diary of Defender — Steam metadata comparison
Locked In VR — Steam game coverLocked In VRDiary of Defender — Steam game coverDiary of Defender
Released20162018
GenresIndie, Adventure, Violent, GoreAction, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Early Access, Violent, Gore
PlatformsWindowsWindows
Steam DeckUnratedUnrated
Price5.99 USD14.99 USD
Steam reviews75% positive (32 reviews)
MultiplayerSingle-player onlySingle-player only
DevelopersImmersion5th VR

Side by side

Locked In VR vs Diary of Defender — FAQ

Should I play Locked In VR or Diary of Defender first?
If you want chronology, Locked In VR (2016) came out before Diary of Defender (2018). 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 Locked In VR and Diary of Defender similar?
They overlap on Indie, Adventure, Violent 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.
Locked In VR vs Diary of Defender — Verdict (2026) · imho.run