Choose Swarmlake
Choose Swarmlake if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. Swarmlake launched in 2018.
Swarmlake vs Gates of Hell
Swarmlake and Gates of Hell both land in Action, Indie, 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 share Action, Indie, Casual on Steam. Swarmlake (2018) is 1 year older than Gates of Hell (2019). Gates of Hell is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than Swarmlake (0.99 USD vs. 4.99 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 Gates of Hell
Choose Gates of Hell if it's currently about 80% cheaper on the Steam Store. Gates of Hell launched in 2019.
Both Swarmlake and Gates of Hell sit in Action, Indie, and Casual on Steam and both list Steam Leaderboards, 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
 Swarmlake |  Gates of Hell | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2019 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Casual | Action, Indie, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 0.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 92.9% positive (928 reviews) | 4 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Dominique Grieshofer | Integer Overflow |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Casual on Steam.
- Swarmlake (2018) is 1 year older than Gates of Hell (2019).
- Gates of Hell is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than Swarmlake (0.99 USD vs. 4.99 USD).
- Swarmlake is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Gates of Hell has no Deck rating yet.
Swarmlake vs Gates of Hell — FAQ
- Should I play Swarmlake or Gates of Hell first?
- If you want chronology, Swarmlake (2018) came out before Gates of Hell (2019). 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 Swarmlake and Gates of Hell similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, 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.
- Does Swarmlake run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Swarmlake is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Gates of Hell doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.