Back to browse

Don't StarveVSThe Long Dark

Which game gives you more value right now? Every metric, head to head.

Don't Starve

Don't Starve

IndieSimulationAdventure
Quality
90Popularity
40Value
38
KinguinBetter Deal· Kinguin
−42% $5.77
Buy Now
VS
The Long Dark

The Long Dark

StrategyIndieSimulationAdventure
Quality
72Popularity
41Value
64
KinguinBetter Deal· Kinguin
in 1 day
−53% $9.43
Buy Now

Winner

The Long Dark wins 9 of 14 head-to-head metrics.

Not urgent, but worth watching — it's in a reasonable spot without being an obvious must-buy.

5
Don't Starve
5 of 14 metrics
The Long Dark
9 of 14 metrics
9

Head-to-Head Metrics

Direct metric-by-metric comparison: winner determined by count, no weighting

Value
Pricing & Deals
Current Best Price (USD)
$5.82 Wins
$9.43 -
Historical Low Price (USD)
$2.49 Wins
$8.95 -
Best Current Discount
-42% -
-53% Wins
Sales Frequency
55 price changes -
157 price changes Wins
Quality
Critical & User Reception
Metacritic
79/100 Wins
N/A -
Steam Review Score
96.5% positive Wins
89.1% positive -
Total Steam Reviews
96.7K -
109.4K Wins
Positive Steam Reviews
93.3K -
97.5K Wins
Negative Steam Reviews
3.4K Wins
11.9K -
Popularity
Community & Activity
Average Concurrent Players (14 days)
1.4K -
1.9K Wins
Steam Recommendations
95.8K -
110.0K Wins
Features
Features & Content
Achievements
0 -
87 Wins
Supported Languages
2 languages -
19 languages Wins
Release Date
Apr 2013 -
Aug 2017 Wins
GameValio Recommendation
MaybeDon't Starve

Not urgent, but worth watching — it's in a reasonable spot without being an obvious must-buy.

MaybeThe Long Dark

Not urgent, but worth watching — it's in a reasonable spot without being an obvious must-buy.

Statistics Over Time

Side-by-side historical trends: same time range, same scale

Time Range:
Don't Starve
The Long Dark

Player Count Trends

· Concurrent players over time

Review Score Trends

· Positive review ratio over time

Review Volume Trends

— Total reviews accumulated over time

Price Comparison

Current deals and best prices side by side

Don't Starve

Don't Starve

3 Stores
Kinguin
Kinguin −42% $5.77Buy Now
Steam
Steam +73% $9.99View
GAMIVO
GAMIVO +169% $15.52View
The Long Dark

The Long Dark

3 Stores
Kinguin
Kinguin −53% $9.43Buy Now
GAMIVO
GAMIVO +51% $14.28View
Steam
Steam +112% $19.99View

Score Breakdown

How each game scores across quality, popularity, and affordability

Don't Starve

Quality

Excellent community reception — players and critics agree on the quality.

97% positive (96,707 reviews) — overwhelmingly positive
Metacritic 79/100 — generally favorable from critics
96,707 reviews — extremely reliable sample

Value

Not the right time to buy — wait for at least 50% off.

$5.77 — very accessible price
42% off — decent discount

Popularity

Smaller but still existing player base — longer wait times for multiplayer.

Player count surging +68%
1,625 concurrent players — solid base
96,707 total reviews — major title

The Long Dark

Quality

Solid title that pleased most of its audience — general consensus is positive.

89% positive (109,373 reviews) — very positive reception
109,373 reviews — extremely reliable sample

Value

Acceptable value right now — fair price for the content.

$9.43 — very accessible price
53% off — solid discount

Popularity

Smaller but still existing player base — longer wait times for multiplayer.

-37% player decline
1,557 concurrent players — solid base
109,373 total reviews — gaming phenomenon

Game Details

Release information and metadata

Game DetailsDon't StarveThe Long Dark
Release Date
April 23, 2013
August 1, 2017
Developers
Klei Entertainment
Hinterland Studio Inc.
Publishers
Klei Entertainment
Hinterland Studio Inc.
Platforms
Linux, Windows, MacOs
Linux, Windows, MacOs
Achievements
87

System Requirements

PC minimum and recommended specs

Don't Starve

No PC requirements data available

The Long Dark

Recommended

Recommended:
  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel i7 CPU @ 2.6GHz or higher
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: nVidia GTX 555 w/ 1GB VRAM or better
  • Storage: 7 GB available space
  • Sound Card: Ideally, something with Surround capabilities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better: Don't Starve or The Long Dark?

The Long Dark won the comparison against Don't Starve based on the head-to-head metric breakdown. Check the metrics table above for a full side-by-side analysis.

How is the comparison calculated?

The comparison winner is determined objectively by counting which game wins more individual metrics in the head-to-head table. No weighting is applied. The GameValio Recommendation shown separately is our own suggestion for each game, based on a weighted score that combines quality (reviews), popularity (player counts), and affordability (price vs value) into a score out of 100. These are two different things: the comparison is objective, the recommendation is GameValio's opinion.

Is Don't Starve worth buying over The Long Dark?

Based on the metrics, The Long Dark won the direct comparison. However, also check the GameValio Recommendation for each game and the price comparison table to make the most informed purchase decision.

Which game has better player reviews?

Review score trends and volume over time are shown in the charts section above. The game with consistently higher positive ratios has stronger community reception.

Which game offers better value for money?

The affordability score and price comparison table above highlight the best deals. The Long Dark currently scores better on value relative to its quality and price.

Analysis updated: Jul 21, 2026, 07:26 PM UTC

GameValio - Buy now or wait? PC game purchase timing advisorGameValio© 2026

Data sourced from Steam, Metacritic, and various stores. Not affiliated with Valve Corporation. Scores updated daily to keep recommendations fresh.

Some store links are affiliate links - we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Your purchase helps keep GameValio free, and our recommendations stay 100% independent.