Which is better, Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition or SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris?

On Steam reviews Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition scores higher (73.1% positive) than SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris (68.5% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.

Should I play Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition or SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris first?

If you want chronology, Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition (2017) came out before SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris (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.

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition vs SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition and SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris both land in Action, Adventure, RPG 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 Action, Adventure, RPG on Steam. Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition (2017) is 3 years older than SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris (2020). Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition scores higher on Steam reviews (73.1% positive) than SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris (68.5% 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 Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition

Choose Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition if you want a Casual game with Online PvP and PvP. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 73.1% positive across 1,440 reviews.

Choose SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris

Choose SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. 1,706 Steam reviews back the pick.

Both Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition and SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris sit in Action, Adventure, and RPG on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, and 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.

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition vs SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris — Steam metadata comparison
	Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition	SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris
Released	2017	2020
Genres	Action, Adventure, RPG, Casual	Action, Adventure, RPG
Platforms	Windows	Windows
Steam Deck	Deck Verified	Deck Unsupported
Price	39.99 USD	19.99 USD
Steam reviews	73.1% positive (1,440 reviews)	68.5% positive (1,706 reviews)
Multiplayer	Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op	Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op
Developers	AQURIA	AQURIA Co., Ltd.

Side by side

Both share Action, Adventure, RPG on Steam.
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition (2017) is 3 years older than SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris (2020).
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition scores higher on Steam reviews (73.1% positive) than SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris (68.5% positive).
SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition (19.99 USD vs. 39.99 USD).
Both support cooperative play.
Steam Deck: Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition is Deck Verified, SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris is Deck Unsupported.