Choose Thug Life
Choose Thug Life if it's currently about 40% cheaper on the Steam Store. Thug Life launched in 2017.
Thug Life vs Diary of Defender
Thug Life and Diary of Defender 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. Thug Life (2017) is 1 year older than Diary of Defender (2018). Thug Life is currently ~40% cheaper on Steam than Diary of Defender (8.99 USD vs. 14.99 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 Diary of Defender
Choose Diary of Defender if you want a Simulation, Early Access, and Gore experience. Diary of Defender launched in 2018.
Both Thug Life and Diary of Defender sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam and both list Tracked Controller Support and VR Only, 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
 Thug Life |  Diary of Defender | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2018 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Violent | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Early Access, Violent, Gore |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 8.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 1 reviews | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | U24 Solutions | 5th VR |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Thug Life (2017) is 1 year older than Diary of Defender (2018).
- Thug Life is currently ~40% cheaper on Steam than Diary of Defender (8.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
Thug Life vs Diary of Defender — FAQ
- Should I play Thug Life or Diary of Defender first?
- If you want chronology, Thug Life (2017) came out before Diary of Defender (2018). 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 Thug Life and Diary of Defender 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.