Choose Sanctum
Choose Sanctum if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. 1,335 Steam reviews back the pick.
Sanctum vs Defenders: Survival and Tower Defense
Sanctum and Defenders: Survival and Tower Defense both land in Action, Strategy, 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 share Action, Strategy, Indie on Steam. Sanctum (2011) is 9 years older than Defenders: Survival and Tower Defense (2020). Defenders: Survival and Tower Defense is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Sanctum (4.99 USD vs. 9.99 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 Defenders: Survival and Tower Defense
Choose Defenders: Survival and Tower Defense if you want an Adventure game with Online Co-op. On Steam, it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. Defenders: Survival and Tower Defense launched in 2020.
Both Sanctum and Defenders: Survival and Tower Defense sit in Action, Strategy, and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player and 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
 Sanctum |  Defenders: Survival and Tower Defense | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2011 | 2020 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie, Casual | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 91.2% positive (1,335 reviews) | 4 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | Coffee Stain Studios | Yuboy Studios |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- Sanctum (2011) is 9 years older than Defenders: Survival and Tower Defense (2020).
- Defenders: Survival and Tower Defense is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Sanctum (4.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Sanctum is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Defenders: Survival and Tower Defense has no Deck rating yet.
Sanctum vs Defenders: Survival and Tower Defense — FAQ
- Should I play Sanctum or Defenders: Survival and Tower Defense first?
- If you want chronology, Sanctum (2011) came out before Defenders: Survival and Tower Defense (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 Sanctum and Defenders: Survival and Tower Defense similar?
- They overlap on Action, Strategy, 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.
- Do both Sanctum and Defenders: Survival and Tower Defense have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Sanctum ships Co-op; Defenders: Survival and Tower Defense ships Online Co-op, Co-op.
- Does Sanctum run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Sanctum is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Defenders: Survival and Tower Defense doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.