Choose Heaven's Vault
Choose Heaven's Vault if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 1,626 Steam reviews back the pick.
Heaven's Vault vs The Polar Darkness
Heaven's Vault and The Polar Darkness both land in 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 Indie, Adventure on Steam. Heaven's Vault (2019) is 8 years older than The Polar Darkness (2027). Heaven's Vault is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; The Polar Darkness has no Deck rating yet. 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 Polar Darkness
Choose The Polar Darkness if it's the newer release (2027) and ships with the modern feature baseline. The Polar Darkness launched in 2027.
Both Heaven's Vault and The Polar Darkness sit in Indie and 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
 Heaven's Vault |  The Polar Darkness | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2019 | 2027 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 24.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 85.9% positive (1,626 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | inkle Ltd | Horsefly Games |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Heaven's Vault (2019) is 8 years older than The Polar Darkness (2027).
- Heaven's Vault is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; The Polar Darkness has no Deck rating yet.
Heaven's Vault vs The Polar Darkness — FAQ
- Should I play Heaven's Vault or The Polar Darkness first?
- If you want chronology, Heaven's Vault (2019) came out before The Polar Darkness (2027). 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 Heaven's Vault and The Polar Darkness similar?
- They overlap on 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.
- Does Heaven's Vault run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Heaven's Vault is rated Deck Verified by Valve. The Polar Darkness doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.