Choose Pretend
Choose Pretend if you want a Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play, and Casual experience. 1,094 Steam reviews back the pick.
Pretend vs Strange Town
Pretend and Strange Town both land in Strategy, Indie, Early Access 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 Strategy, Indie, Early Access on Steam. Pretend (2021) is 2 years older than Strange Town (2023). Both support cooperative play. 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 Strange Town
Choose Strange Town if you want an Action, Adventure, and RPG experience. Strange Town launched in 2023.
Both Pretend and Strange Town sit in Strategy, Indie, and Early Access on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online Co-op, 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
 Pretend |  Strange Town | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2023 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play, Casual, Early Access | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, RPG, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | Price unknown | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 58% positive (1,094 reviews) | 5 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | whitesquare | Team & Target Game Studios |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, Early Access on Steam.
- Pretend (2021) is 2 years older than Strange Town (2023).
- Both support cooperative play.
Pretend vs Strange Town — FAQ
- Should I play Pretend or Strange Town first?
- If you want chronology, Pretend (2021) came out before Strange Town (2023). 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 Pretend and Strange Town similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie, Early Access 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.
- Do both Pretend and Strange Town have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Pretend ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Strange Town ships Online Co-op, Co-op.