Choose March of Empires
Choose March of Empires if you want a RPG and Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. March of Empires launched in 2017.
March of Empires vs Paper Battlefield
March of Empires and Paper Battlefield both land in Strategy, Massively Multiplayer 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, Massively Multiplayer on Steam. March of Empires (2017) is 8 years older than Paper Battlefield (2025). March of Empires is free; Paper Battlefield is paid (6.99 USD). 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 Paper Battlefield
Choose Paper Battlefield if you want an Action and Indie experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2025) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Paper Battlefield launched in 2025.
Both March of Empires and Paper Battlefield sit in Strategy and Massively Multiplayer on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and 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
 March of Empires |  Paper Battlefield | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2025 |
| Genres | Strategy, Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Free To Play | Action, Strategy, Indie, Massively Multiplayer |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | 6.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 60.1% positive (679 reviews) | 9 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player |
| Developers | Gameloft | Bros Ogon's |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Massively Multiplayer on Steam.
- March of Empires (2017) is 8 years older than Paper Battlefield (2025).
- March of Empires is free; Paper Battlefield is paid (6.99 USD).
- March of Empires is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Paper Battlefield has no Deck rating yet.
March of Empires vs Paper Battlefield — FAQ
- Should I play March of Empires or Paper Battlefield first?
- If you want chronology, March of Empires (2017) came out before Paper Battlefield (2025). 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 March of Empires and Paper Battlefield similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Massively Multiplayer 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 March of Empires free?
- Yes — March of Empires is a free-to-play Steam title. Paper Battlefield is paid (6.99 USD).
- Does March of Empires run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — March of Empires is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Paper Battlefield doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.