Alone in the Dark vs Call of Cthulhu
Alone in the Dark is a horror game (1992) while Call of Cthulhu is an FPS horror game from Cyanide Studio (2018).
What each one is
Steam files Alone in the Dark under Horror. In contrast, it files Call of Cthulhu under FPS and Horror.
Return to Derceto Manor in this reimagination of Alone in the Dark, a love letter to the 90’s cult classic horror game.
1924. Private Investigator Pierce is sent to look into the tragic death of the Hawkins family. Plunge into a world of creeping madness and cosmic horror. Cryptic clues, shadowy figures, and pure terror bar your way as you fight to retain your sanity and solve an otherworldly mystery.
At a glance
| Alone in the Dark | Call of Cthulhu | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 6.5/10 | 6.8/10 |
| Steam rating | Mostly Positive (78%, 4,885) | Mostly Positive (79%, 13,871) |
| Critic aggregate | No aggregate | No aggregate |
| Price | $39.99 | $19.99 |
| Install size | 50 GB | 13 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | verified |
| Released | 1992 | 2018 |
| Developer | — | Cyanide Studio |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Alone in the Dark vs Call of Cthulhu, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Alone in the DarkHorror gameCall of CthulhuFPS horror gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Alone in the DarkPsychological Horror, Lovecraftian, HorrorCall of CthulhuLovecraftian, Horror, Psychological HorrorThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Alone in the DarkScore 6.5 · 78% on SteamCall of Cthulhu ✓Score 6.8 · 79% on SteamThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Alone in the Dark4,885 reviews · 5 add-ons · 50 GBCall of Cthulhu13,871 reviews · 13 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Alone in the Dark$39.99Call of Cthulhu ✓$19.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Alone in the DarkPlayableCall of Cthulhu ✓VerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Call of Cthulhu takes 3 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueAlone in the Dark and Call of Cthulhu on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
- PlayStation
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Call of Cthulhu (GamingPickz Score 6.8)
- The cheaper right now: Call of Cthulhu ($19.99)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Call of Cthulhu (verified)
- Lighter on storage: Call of Cthulhu (13 GB)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Call of Cthulhu (13,871 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
Psychological HorrorLovecraftianHorrorAdventureDarkDetectiveMysterySurvival Horror
Where they differ
ActionNoirCinematicThird PersonRealisticFemale Protagonist
AtmosphericStory RichSingleplayerFirst-PersonRPGWalking Simulator
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Alone in the Dark is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Call of Cthulhu is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Alone in the Dark and 1 for Call of Cthulhu. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Alone in the Dark and Call of Cthulhu in scope?
Alone in the Dark has drawn 4,885 Steam reviews, ships 5 add-ons and installs in 50 GB. Call of Cthulhu has drawn 13,871 Steam reviews and installs in 13 GB.
Is Alone in the Dark or Call of Cthulhu better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Call of Cthulhu rates higher (6.8 to 6.5). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Alone in the Dark or Call of Cthulhu?
Call of Cthulhu is cheaper right now at $19.99, against $39.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.