Choose Hard Time
Choose Hard Time if you want a Simulation and RPG experience. Hard Time launched in 2017.
Hard Time vs Extra Lives
Hard Time and Extra Lives both land in Action, Indie, Adventure 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, Indie, Adventure on Steam. Hard Time (2017) is 6 years older than Extra Lives (2023). Hard Time scores higher on Steam reviews (91.6% positive) than Extra Lives (89.3% 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 Extra Lives
Choose Extra Lives if it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Extra Lives launched in 2023.
Both Hard Time and Extra Lives sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen 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
 Hard Time |  Extra Lives | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2023 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, RPG | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 91.6% positive (226 reviews) | 89.3% positive (56 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | MDickie | MDickie |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Hard Time (2017) is 6 years older than Extra Lives (2023).
- Hard Time scores higher on Steam reviews (91.6% positive) than Extra Lives (89.3% positive).
- Extra Lives is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Hard Time (4.99 USD vs. 4.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Playable.
Hard Time vs Extra Lives — FAQ
- Should I play Hard Time or Extra Lives first?
- If you want chronology, Hard Time (2017) came out before Extra Lives (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 Hard Time and Extra Lives similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, Adventure 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 both Hard Time and Extra Lives have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Hard Time ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op; Extra Lives ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op.