IMHO.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links vs Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links and Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel both land in Strategy, Free To Play 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, Free To Play on Steam. Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links (2017) is 5 years older than Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel (2022). Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links scores higher on Steam reviews (81.9% positive) than Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel (73.3% 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 Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links

Choose Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 81.9% positive across 20,282 reviews.

Choose Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

Choose Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel if you want a Simulation experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2022) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 47,804 Steam reviews back the pick.

Both Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links and Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel sit in Strategy and Free To Play on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and 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

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links vs Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel — Steam metadata comparison
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links — Steam game coverYu-Gi-Oh! Duel LinksYu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel — Steam game coverYu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
Released20172022
GenresStrategy, Free To PlayStrategy, Simulation, Free To Play
PlatformsWindowsWindows
Steam DeckDeck VerifiedDeck Verified
PriceFree to playFree to play
Steam reviews81.9% positive (20,282 reviews)73.3% positive (47,804 reviews)
MultiplayerMulti-player, Cross-Platform MultiplayerMulti-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer
DevelopersKONAMIKONAMI

Side by side

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links vs Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel — FAQ

Which is better, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links or Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel?
On Steam reviews Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links scores higher (81.9% positive) than Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel (73.3% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
Should I play Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links or Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel first?
If you want chronology, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links (2017) came out before Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel (2022). 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 Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links and Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel similar?
They overlap on Strategy, Free To Play 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 Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links and Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel both run on Steam Deck?
Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.