Choose Doki Doki Literature Club!
Choose Doki Doki Literature Club! 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. 126,568 Steam reviews back the pick.
Doki Doki Literature Club! vs What Is Love? Anime Visual Novel Vol. 1
Doki Doki Literature Club! and What Is Love? Anime Visual Novel Vol. 1 both land in Casual 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 Casual games on Steam. Doki Doki Literature Club! (2017) is 5 years older than What Is Love? Anime Visual Novel Vol. 1 (2022). Doki Doki Literature Club! scores higher on Steam reviews (96.6% positive) than What Is Love? Anime Visual Novel Vol. 1 (71.4% 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 What Is Love? Anime Visual Novel Vol. 1
Choose What Is Love? Anime Visual Novel Vol. 1 if you want an Adventure and Simulation experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2022) and ships with the modern feature baseline. What Is Love? Anime Visual Novel Vol. 1 launched in 2022.
Both Doki Doki Literature Club! and What Is Love? Anime Visual Novel Vol. 1 sit in Casual 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.
Side-by-side comparison
 Doki Doki Literature Club! |  What Is Love? Anime Visual Novel Vol. 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2022 |
| Genres | Indie, Free To Play, Casual | Adventure, Simulation, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | 18.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.6% positive (126,568 reviews) | 71.4% positive (14 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Team Salvato | Baka Dog |
Side by side
- Both are Casual games on Steam.
- Doki Doki Literature Club! (2017) is 5 years older than What Is Love? Anime Visual Novel Vol. 1 (2022).
- Doki Doki Literature Club! scores higher on Steam reviews (96.6% positive) than What Is Love? Anime Visual Novel Vol. 1 (71.4% positive).
- Doki Doki Literature Club! is free; What Is Love? Anime Visual Novel Vol. 1 is paid (18.99 USD).
- Doki Doki Literature Club! is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; What Is Love? Anime Visual Novel Vol. 1 has no Deck rating yet.
Doki Doki Literature Club! vs What Is Love? Anime Visual Novel Vol. 1 — FAQ
- Should I play Doki Doki Literature Club! or What Is Love? Anime Visual Novel Vol. 1 first?
- If you want chronology, Doki Doki Literature Club! (2017) came out before What Is Love? Anime Visual Novel Vol. 1 (2022). 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 Doki Doki Literature Club! and What Is Love? Anime Visual Novel Vol. 1 similar?
- They overlap on Casual 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 Doki Doki Literature Club! free?
- Yes — Doki Doki Literature Club! is a free-to-play Steam title. What Is Love? Anime Visual Novel Vol. 1 is paid (18.99 USD).
- Does Doki Doki Literature Club! run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Doki Doki Literature Club! is rated Deck Playable by Valve. What Is Love? Anime Visual Novel Vol. 1 doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.