Choose Outer Wilds
Choose Outer Wilds if you want an Action experience. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 50,025 Steam reviews back the pick.
Outer Wilds vs The Lighthouse
Outer Wilds and The Lighthouse both land in 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 are Adventure games on Steam. Outer Wilds (2020) is 4 years older than The Lighthouse (2024). The Lighthouse is currently ~92% cheaper on Steam than Outer Wilds (0.99 USD vs. 12.49 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 The Lighthouse
Choose The Lighthouse if you want an Early Access experience. On Steam, it's currently about 92% cheaper on the Steam Store. The Lighthouse launched in 2024.
Both Outer Wilds and The Lighthouse sit in Adventure 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
 Outer Wilds |  The Lighthouse | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2024 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure | Adventure, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 12.49 USD | 0.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.1% positive (50,025 reviews) | 1 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Mobius Digital | InPlainSight |
Side by side
- Both are Adventure games on Steam.
- Outer Wilds (2020) is 4 years older than The Lighthouse (2024).
- The Lighthouse is currently ~92% cheaper on Steam than Outer Wilds (0.99 USD vs. 12.49 USD).
- Outer Wilds is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; The Lighthouse has no Deck rating yet.
Outer Wilds vs The Lighthouse — FAQ
- Should I play Outer Wilds or The Lighthouse first?
- If you want chronology, Outer Wilds (2020) came out before The Lighthouse (2024). 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 Outer Wilds and The Lighthouse similar?
- They overlap on 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.
- Does Outer Wilds run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Outer Wilds is rated Deck Verified by Valve. The Lighthouse doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.