Choose Alien Hostage
Choose Alien Hostage if you want a Strategy and Simulation experience. On Steam, it's currently about 65% cheaper on the Steam Store. Alien Hostage launched in 2018.
Alien Hostage vs Permute
Alien Hostage and Permute both land in Indie, 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 Indie, Casual on Steam. Permute (2017) is 1 year older than Alien Hostage (2018). Permute scores higher on Steam reviews (54.5% positive) than Alien Hostage (51.5% 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 Permute
Choose Permute if it matches what drew you to this matchup. Permute launched in 2017.
Both Alien Hostage and Permute sit in Indie 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
 Alien Hostage |  Permute | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2017 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Casual | Indie, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 0.69 USD | 1.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 51.5% positive (101 reviews) | 54.5% positive (11 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Four Winged Studio | Cleverweek |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Casual on Steam.
- Permute (2017) is 1 year older than Alien Hostage (2018).
- Permute scores higher on Steam reviews (54.5% positive) than Alien Hostage (51.5% positive).
- Alien Hostage is currently ~65% cheaper on Steam than Permute (0.69 USD vs. 1.99 USD).
- Alien Hostage is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Permute has no Deck rating yet.
Alien Hostage vs Permute — FAQ
- Should I play Alien Hostage or Permute first?
- If you want chronology, Permute (2017) came out before Alien Hostage (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 Alien Hostage and Permute similar?
- They overlap on Indie, 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.
- Does Alien Hostage run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Alien Hostage is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Permute doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.