Which is better, Ancient Cities or Ostriv?

On Steam reviews Ostriv scores higher (92.8% positive) than Ancient Cities (63.3% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Ostriv is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.

Should I play Ancient Cities or Ostriv first?

If you want chronology, Ostriv (2020) came out before Ancient Cities (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 Ancient Cities and Ostriv similar?

They overlap on Strategy, Indie, Simulation 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.

Ancient Cities vs Ostriv

Ancient Cities and Ostriv both land in Strategy, Indie, Simulation 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, Indie, Simulation on Steam. Ostriv (2020) is 3 years older than Ancient Cities (2023). Ostriv scores higher on Steam reviews (92.8% positive) than Ancient Cities (63.3% 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 Ancient Cities

Choose Ancient Cities if you want the Custom Volume Controls, Stereo Sound, and Surround Sound side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 1,025 Steam reviews back the pick.

Choose Ostriv

Choose Ostriv if you want an Early Access experience. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 92.8% positive across 2,755 reviews.

Both Ancient Cities and Ostriv sit in Strategy, Indie, and Simulation on Steam, 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.

Ancient Cities vs Ostriv — Steam metadata comparison
	Ancient Cities	Ostriv
Released	2023	2020
Genres	Strategy, Indie, Simulation	Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Early Access
Platforms	Windows	Windows
Steam Deck	Deck Unsupported	Deck Playable
Price	29.99 USD	24.99 USD
Steam reviews	63.3% positive (1,025 reviews)	92.8% positive (2,755 reviews)
Multiplayer	Single-player only	Single-player only
Developers	Uncasual Games	yevhen8

Side by side

Both share Strategy, Indie, Simulation on Steam.
Ostriv (2020) is 3 years older than Ancient Cities (2023).
Ostriv scores higher on Steam reviews (92.8% positive) than Ancient Cities (63.3% positive).
Ostriv is currently ~17% cheaper on Steam than Ancient Cities (24.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
Steam Deck: Ancient Cities is Deck Unsupported, Ostriv is Deck Playable.