Choose XCOM®: Chimera Squad
Choose XCOM®: Chimera Squad if it matches what drew you to this matchup. 12,842 Steam reviews back the pick.
XCOM®: Chimera Squad vs Frontier: Path of Shadows
XCOM®: Chimera Squad and Frontier: Path of Shadows both land in Strategy 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 Strategy games on Steam. XCOM®: Chimera Squad (2020) is 6 years older than Frontier: Path of Shadows (2026). XCOM®: Chimera Squad is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Frontier: Path of Shadows 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 Frontier: Path of Shadows
Choose Frontier: Path of Shadows if you want an Indie and RPG experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Frontier: Path of Shadows launched in 2026.
Both XCOM®: Chimera Squad and Frontier: Path of Shadows sit in Strategy 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
 XCOM®: Chimera Squad |  Frontier: Path of Shadows | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2026 |
| Genres | Strategy | Strategy, Indie, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 2.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 74% positive (12,842 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Firaxis Games | Oduvan Games |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- XCOM®: Chimera Squad (2020) is 6 years older than Frontier: Path of Shadows (2026).
- XCOM®: Chimera Squad is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Frontier: Path of Shadows has no Deck rating yet.
XCOM®: Chimera Squad vs Frontier: Path of Shadows — FAQ
- Should I play XCOM®: Chimera Squad or Frontier: Path of Shadows first?
- If you want chronology, XCOM®: Chimera Squad (2020) came out before Frontier: Path of Shadows (2026). 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 XCOM®: Chimera Squad and Frontier: Path of Shadows similar?
- They overlap on Strategy 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 XCOM®: Chimera Squad run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — XCOM®: Chimera Squad is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Frontier: Path of Shadows doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.