Search “SteamWorld games ranked” and you get lists that put one title first and imply a clear hierarchy. The actual review data does not support a hierarchy.
Seven games. Six with critic scores. The whole series spans 77 to 90 — thirteen points, on a 100-point scale. That is narrower than the spread inside most individual franchises, and it means ranking them is closer to ranking flavours than ranking quality.
| # | Game | Year | Critic | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SteamWorld Dig 2 | 2017 | 90 | Metroidvania platformer |
| 2 | SteamWorld Heist | 2015 | 85 | Turn-based tactics |
| 3 | SteamWorld Dig | 2013 | 84 | Platformer / mining |
| 4 | SteamWorld Heist II | 2024 | 82 | Turn-based tactics RPG |
| 5 | SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech | 2019 | 79 | Deck-building RPG |
| 6 | SteamWorld Build | 2023 | 77 | City builder + dungeon management |
| — | SteamWorld Tower Defense | 2010 | unrated | Tower defence (DSiWare / 3DS only) |
Series average: 83, across 120 reviews.
The ranking changes depending on who you ask
Critic scores and popularity do not agree, and the difference is instructive:
- By critic score: Dig 2 → Heist → Dig → Heist II → Quest → Build.
- By tracked popularity: Dig 2 → Heist → Heist II → Dig moves down two places → Quest → Build.
The stable part is the ends: Dig 2 is first and Build is last on both lists, which is the one ranking claim that survives scrutiny. Everything in the middle reshuffles.
The other thing worth noticing: Build has the most reviews of any game in the series (33) and the lowest score. That is not a contradiction. It is the most mainstream genre in the set, so more outlets covered it, and it is the least like the rest of the franchise, so the people reviewing it were often reviewing something they did not want.
What each score actually means
Dig 2 (90) is the series’ high point by a margin that is real rather than statistical. It is the only entry where the review consensus is unqualified — the sequel improves on the first game in nearly every respect, with more options, more varied environments and a longer campaign. Start here.
Heist (85) is a tactics game where you aim ricochet shots at a side-scrolling angle. Reviewers consistently note it works as an entry point for people who avoid strategy games. Its known weakness is thin character customisation and combat that can feel repetitive.
Dig (84) is short, cheap and the origin of the whole thing. Its own reviews say a bit more gameplay variety would have made it perfect — which is precisely what Dig 2 delivered.
Heist II (82) is the most ambitious entry and the one with the most divided reception. It adds a weapon-based class system that fixes the first game’s customisation problem, but the recurring criticism is that it is too expansive for its own good — more systems, more pacing problems.
Quest (79) is a deck-building RPG dressed in pseudo-medieval fantasy. The consensus is that it is a decent take on its genre that nails the franchise’s charm without excelling anywhere, and that it does not fully use its setting.
Build (77) is the outlier. It is a competent city builder crossed with dungeon management, and its specific complaint is structural rather than aesthetic: the resource chains are so interconnected that even simple tasks become complicated. If you like that, you will like it a lot. If you do not, it is the one game in the series you should skip.
Which one to actually play
You want the best game in the series: Dig 2. Nothing else is close.
You want to play in order: Dig (about 6 hours) → Dig 2. Heist and Quest are separate stories in the same universe and can be played any time.
You want turn-based tactics: Heist first, Heist II second. Playing them in order matters more here than anywhere else, because Heist II’s class system builds on systems you learn in the first game.
You want a card game: Quest — but go in knowing it sits in the middle of its genre, not at the top of it.
You want a builder: Build, and read the resource-chain complaints first. The Mechanized DLC then shifts the balance hard toward the mine.
You have a Switch and want all of it: the SteamWorld Essentials Collection contains six of the seven games (everything except Tower Defense) for around $70 against roughly $135 separately, and it has been sold for $20.
The short version
- Dig 2 (90) is the best; Build (77) is the weakest — the only ranking claim the data supports firmly.
- The middle four are within seven points of each other. Pick by genre, not by position.
- Popularity puts Heist II above Dig; critics put Dig above Heist II. Both are defensible.
- Build’s low score is a genre mismatch, not a quality verdict — it is also the most-reviewed game in the series.
- Tower Defense is the only game with no critic score, and it never left Nintendo’s DSiWare and 3DS storefronts.
Related guides
- Series order guide — release order and what connects to what
- Beginner guide — where to start and why
- SteamWorld Dig guide — the first game, start to Vectron
- Dig 2 walkthrough — the series’ best game in full
- SteamWorld Build guide — the outlier, explained
- SteamWorld Quest guide — the card game