Choose Soldat
Choose Soldat if you want an Indie and Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Soldat launched in 2020.
Soldat vs SOR.OP: Dark Shades
Soldat and SOR.OP: Dark Shades 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. Soldat (2020) is 6 years older than SOR.OP: Dark Shades (2026). Soldat is free; SOR.OP: Dark Shades is paid (Price unknown). 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 SOR.OP: Dark Shades
Choose SOR.OP: Dark Shades if you want an Early Access game with HDR available. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. SOR.OP: Dark Shades launched in 2026.
Both Soldat and SOR.OP: Dark Shades sit in Action on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and LAN 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
 Soldat |  SOR.OP: Dark Shades | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Free To Play | Action, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 92.8% positive (778 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player |
| Developers | Transhuman Design, Soldat Team | SNRCStudios |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Soldat (2020) is 6 years older than SOR.OP: Dark Shades (2026).
- Soldat is free; SOR.OP: Dark Shades is paid (Price unknown).
Soldat vs SOR.OP: Dark Shades — FAQ
- Should I play Soldat or SOR.OP: Dark Shades first?
- If you want chronology, Soldat (2020) came out before SOR.OP: Dark Shades (2026). 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 Soldat and SOR.OP: Dark Shades 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.
- Is Soldat free?
- Yes — Soldat is a free-to-play Steam title. SOR.OP: Dark Shades is paid (Price unknown).