Choose XERA: Survival
Choose XERA: Survival if you want the Online Co-op and Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it has co-op, so you can bring a friend. 2,413 Steam reviews back the pick.
XERA: Survival vs SmallZ
XERA: Survival and SmallZ both land in Action, Strategy, Indie 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, Strategy, Indie on Steam. XERA: Survival (2021) is 2 years older than SmallZ (2023). XERA: Survival scores higher on Steam reviews (64.3% positive) than SmallZ (52.9% 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 SmallZ
Choose SmallZ if you want a RPG and Early Access game with LAN PvP. SmallZ launched in 2023.
Both XERA: Survival and SmallZ sit in Action, Strategy, and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, MMO, and Online 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
 XERA: Survival |  SmallZ | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2023 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Free To Play, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 64.3% positive (2,413 reviews) | 52.9% positive (51 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player |
| Developers | Spotted Kiwi Interactive | skins.dog |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- XERA: Survival (2021) is 2 years older than SmallZ (2023).
- XERA: Survival scores higher on Steam reviews (64.3% positive) than SmallZ (52.9% positive).
- Both are free to play.
- XERA: Survival has co-op; SmallZ does not.
- XERA: Survival is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; SmallZ has no Deck rating yet.
XERA: Survival vs SmallZ — FAQ
- Should I play XERA: Survival or SmallZ first?
- If you want chronology, XERA: Survival (2021) came out before SmallZ (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 XERA: Survival and SmallZ similar?
- They overlap on Action, Strategy, Indie 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 XERA: Survival run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — XERA: Survival is rated Deck Playable by Valve. SmallZ doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.