Choose Palace of the Azure Dragon
Choose Palace of the Azure Dragon if you want an Indie and Casual experience. On Steam, it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. Palace of the Azure Dragon launched in 2018.
Palace of the Azure Dragon vs The Toymaker's Apprentice
Palace of the Azure Dragon and The Toymaker's Apprentice both land in Action, Strategy, Adventure 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, Adventure on Steam. Palace of the Azure Dragon (2018) is 1 year older than The Toymaker's Apprentice (2019). Palace of the Azure Dragon is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than The Toymaker's Apprentice (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 The Toymaker's Apprentice
Choose The Toymaker's Apprentice if it matches what drew you to this matchup. The Toymaker's Apprentice launched in 2019.
Both Palace of the Azure Dragon and The Toymaker's Apprentice sit in Action, Strategy, and Adventure on Steam and both list Tracked Controller Support and VR Only, 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
 Palace of the Azure Dragon |  The Toymaker's Apprentice | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2019 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Casual, Early Access | Action, Strategy, Adventure, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 1 reviews | 1 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | GeneGames | Cross-Media Productions LLC |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Strategy, Adventure on Steam.
- Palace of the Azure Dragon (2018) is 1 year older than The Toymaker's Apprentice (2019).
- Palace of the Azure Dragon is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than The Toymaker's Apprentice (4.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
Palace of the Azure Dragon vs The Toymaker's Apprentice — FAQ
- Should I play Palace of the Azure Dragon or The Toymaker's Apprentice first?
- If you want chronology, Palace of the Azure Dragon (2018) came out before The Toymaker's Apprentice (2019). 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 Palace of the Azure Dragon and The Toymaker's Apprentice similar?
- They overlap on Action, Strategy, Adventure 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.