Choose Crying Suns
Choose Crying Suns if you want a Strategy experience. 1,904 Steam reviews back the pick.
Crying Suns vs The Machine's Garden
Crying Suns and The Machine's Garden both land in Indie 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 Indie games on Steam. Crying Suns (2019) is 1 year older than The Machine's Garden (2020). The Machine's Garden scores higher on Steam reviews (92.3% positive) than Crying Suns (85.1% positive). 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 Machine's Garden
Choose The Machine's Garden if it's currently about 88% cheaper on the Steam Store. The Machine's Garden launched in 2020.
Both Crying Suns and The Machine's Garden sit in Indie 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
 Crying Suns |  The Machine's Garden | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2019 | 2020 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie | Indie |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 24.99 USD | 2.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 85.1% positive (1,904 reviews) | 92.3% positive (13 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Alt Shift | Jon Miller, Michael Mato |
Side by side
- Both are Indie games on Steam.
- Crying Suns (2019) is 1 year older than The Machine's Garden (2020).
- The Machine's Garden scores higher on Steam reviews (92.3% positive) than Crying Suns (85.1% positive).
- The Machine's Garden is currently ~88% cheaper on Steam than Crying Suns (2.99 USD vs. 24.99 USD).
- Crying Suns is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; The Machine's Garden has no Deck rating yet.
Crying Suns vs The Machine's Garden — FAQ
- Should I play Crying Suns or The Machine's Garden first?
- If you want chronology, Crying Suns (2019) came out before The Machine's Garden (2020). 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 Crying Suns and The Machine's Garden similar?
- They overlap on Indie 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 Crying Suns run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Crying Suns is rated Deck Playable by Valve. The Machine's Garden doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.