Choose Sanctum
Choose Sanctum if you want a Casual experience. On Steam, it's currently about 33% cheaper on the Steam Store. 1,335 Steam reviews back the pick.
Sanctum vs Sanctum 2
Sanctum and Sanctum 2 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 2 years older than Sanctum 2 (2013). Sanctum 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (92.3% positive) than Sanctum (91.2% 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 Sanctum 2
Choose Sanctum 2 if you want the Online Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 4,330 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Sanctum and Sanctum 2 sit in Action, Strategy, and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Steam Leaderboards, and Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (91.2% vs 92.3% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Sanctum |  Sanctum 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2011 | 2013 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie, Casual | Action, Strategy, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 91.2% positive (1,335 reviews) | 92.3% positive (4,330 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Coffee Stain Studios | Coffee Stain Studios |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- Sanctum (2011) is 2 years older than Sanctum 2 (2013).
- Sanctum 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (92.3% positive) than Sanctum (91.2% positive).
- Sanctum is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than Sanctum 2 (9.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: Sanctum is Deck Playable, Sanctum 2 is Deck Verified.
Sanctum vs Sanctum 2 — FAQ
- Which is better, Sanctum or Sanctum 2?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Sanctum sits at 91.2% positive (1,335 reviews), Sanctum 2 at 92.3% (4,330). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Sanctum or Sanctum 2 first?
- If you want chronology, Sanctum (2011) came out before Sanctum 2 (2013). 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 Sanctum 2 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 Sanctum 2 have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Sanctum ships Co-op; Sanctum 2 ships Online Co-op, Co-op.