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The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold SteelVSThe Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV

Which is the smarter buy right now? We crunched all the metrics.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel

Quality
89Popularity
30Value
91
KinguinBetter Deal· Kinguin
Historical Low!
Ends in≈23h
-61% $15.50
Buy Now
VS
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV

Quality
74Popularity
27Value
43
KinguinBetter Deal· Kinguin
-32% $40.53
Buy Now

Winner

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel wins the comparison based on the metrics. Takes 9 of 14 head-to-head metrics.

The stars are aligning for this one. At this moment, the game is delivering well and the price feels right.

9
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
9 of 14 metrics
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV
5 of 14 metrics
5

Head-to-Head Metrics

Direct metric-by-metric breakdown · no weights applied

Value
Pricing & Deals
Current Best Price (USD)
$15.50 Wins
$40.53 -
Historical Low Price (USD)
$33.95 -
$24.22 Wins
Best Current Discount
-61% Wins
-32% -
Sales Frequency
11 price changes -
23 price changes Wins
Quality
Critical & User Reception
Metacritic
80/100 Wins
N/A -
Steam Review Score
94.5% positive Wins
91.7% positive -
Total Steam Reviews
5.1K Wins
2.2K -
Positive Steam Reviews
4.8K Wins
2.0K -
Negative Steam Reviews
280 -
184 Wins
Popularity
Community & Activity
Average Concurrent Players (14 days)
93 Wins
73 -
Steam Recommendations
5.1K Wins
2.2K -
Features
Features & Content
Achievements
51 -
53 Wins
Supported Languages
2 languages
2 languages
Release Date
Aug 2017 -
Apr 2021 Wins
GameValio Recommendation
Worth ItThe Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel

The stars are aligning for this one. At this moment, the game is delivering well and the price feels right.

Wait for SaleThe Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV

Not the best time to jump in. Prices tend to drop, and this one hasn't hit its sweet spot yet.

Statistics Over Time

Synchronized historical data for both games

Time Range:
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV

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

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel

2 Stores
Kinguin
Kinguin -61% $15.50Buy Now
Steam
Steam +158% $39.99View
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV

3 Stores
Kinguin
Kinguin -32% $40.53Buy Now
Green Man Gaming
Green Man Gaming +48% $59.99View
Steam
Steam +48% $59.99View

Score Breakdown

Side-by-side value analysis for each game

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel

Quality

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

94% positive (5,064 reviews) — very positive reception
Metacritic 80/100 — high marks from professional reviewers
5,064 reviews — solid data foundation

Value

Great timing to buy — competitive price for the content offered.

$15.50 — reasonable price
61% off — solid discount
All-time low price — rare opportunity

Popularity

Lost much of its active player base — community is quiet.

-24% minor player decrease
93 concurrent players — niche audience

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV

Quality

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

92% positive (2,217 reviews) — very positive reception
2,217 reviews — solid data foundation

Value

Seen it cheaper before — consider wishlisting and waiting.

$40.53 — premium price
32% off — modest discount

Popularity

Lost much of its active player base — community is quiet.

-16% minor player decrease
66 concurrent players — niche audience

Game Details

Release information and metadata

Game DetailsThe Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold SteelThe Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV
Release Date
August 2, 2017
April 9, 2021
Developers
Nihon Falcom
Nihon Falcom, PH3 GmbH, Engine Software BV
Publishers
XSEED Games, Marvelous USA, Inc.
NIS America, Inc.
Platforms
Windows
Windows
Achievements
51
53

System Requirements

PC minimum and recommended specs

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel

Recommended

Recommended:
  • OS *: Windows 7 or later
  • Processor: Intel i3 3 GHz
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Geforce GTX 770 / Radeon R9 280X
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 17 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: 1920x1080 / 60 FPS with high settings

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV

Recommended

Recommended:
  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS *: Windows 10/8.1/7 64-bit
  • Processor: AMD FX-8320 8-Core
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Radeon R7 370
  • Storage: 25 GB available space
  • Sound Card: Onboard

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better: The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel or The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV?

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel won the comparison against The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV 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 The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel worth buying over The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV?

Based on the metrics, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 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 Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel currently scores better on value relative to its quality and price.

Analysis updated: Jun 4, 2026, 05:03 AM UTC

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Disclaimer

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

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