Choose Dwarf Fortress
Choose Dwarf Fortress if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it's currently about 20% cheaper on the Steam Store. 23,734 Steam reviews back the pick.
Dwarf Fortress vs Against the Storm
Dwarf Fortress and Against the Storm both land in Strategy, Simulation 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, Simulation on Steam. Dwarf Fortress (2022) is 1 year older than Against the Storm (2023). Both sit near 95% positive on Steam (Dwarf Fortress: 23,734 reviews, Against the Storm: 18,297). 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 Against the Storm
Choose Against the Storm if you want the Adjustable Text Size, Camera Comfort, and Custom Volume Controls side of the pairing. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 18,297 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Dwarf Fortress and Against the Storm sit in Strategy and Simulation on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (95% vs 95.2% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Dwarf Fortress |  Against the Storm | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2022 | 2023 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Simulation | Strategy, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | 23.99 USD | 29.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95% positive (23,734 reviews) | 95.2% positive (18,297 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Bay 12 Games | Eremite Games |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Simulation on Steam.
- Dwarf Fortress (2022) is 1 year older than Against the Storm (2023).
- Both sit near 95% positive on Steam (Dwarf Fortress: 23,734 reviews, Against the Storm: 18,297).
- Dwarf Fortress is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than Against the Storm (23.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Dwarf Fortress is Deck Playable, Against the Storm is Deck Verified.
Dwarf Fortress vs Against the Storm — FAQ
- Which is better, Dwarf Fortress or Against the Storm?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Dwarf Fortress sits at 95% positive (23,734 reviews), Against the Storm at 95.2% (18,297). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Dwarf Fortress or Against the Storm first?
- If you want chronology, Dwarf Fortress (2022) came out before Against the Storm (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 Dwarf Fortress and Against the Storm similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Simulation 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.