Should I play Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop or Portable Ops first?

If you want chronology, Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop (2017) came out before Portable Ops (2023). 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 Swarm: Reactive Drop and Portable Ops similar?

They overlap on Action 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.

Do both Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop and Portable Ops have co-op?

Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op; Portable Ops ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op.

Is Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop free?

Yes — Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop is a free-to-play Steam title. Portable Ops is paid (14.99 USD).

Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop vs Portable Ops

Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop and Portable Ops both land in Action 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 are Action games on Steam. Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop (2017) is 6 years older than Portable Ops (2023). Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop is free; Portable Ops is paid (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 Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop

Choose Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop if you want a Free To Play game with Includes Source SDK, Steam Leaderboards, and Subtitle Options. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. 6,652 Steam reviews back the pick.

Choose Portable Ops

Choose Portable Ops if you want an Indie and Simulation experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Portable Ops launched in 2023.

Both Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop and Portable Ops sit in Action on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online Co-op, 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.

Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop vs Portable Ops — Steam metadata comparison
	Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop	Portable Ops
Released	2017	2023
Genres	Action, Free To Play	Action, Indie, Simulation
Platforms	Windows	Windows
Steam Deck	Deck Unsupported	Unrated
Price	Free to play	14.99 USD
Steam reviews	94.1% positive (6,652 reviews)	4 reviews
Multiplayer	Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op	Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op
Developers	Reactive Drop Team	Sean Smith, Outlaw Games

Side by side

Both are Action games on Steam.
Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop (2017) is 6 years older than Portable Ops (2023).
Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop is free; Portable Ops is paid (14.99 USD).
Both support cooperative play.
Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop is Deck Unsupported on Steam Deck; Portable Ops has no Deck rating yet.