Artifact vs Dota Underlords
Artifact is a strategy game from Valve (2018) while Dota Underlords is a strategy game from Valve (2019).
What each one is
Steam files Artifact under Strategy. In contrast, it files Dota Underlords under Strategy.
Artifact now features two games: Artifact Classic, the original Dota 2 trading card game, and Artifact Foundry, a special edition with streamlined gameplay, new cards, new single-player content, and an improved new player experience.
Hire a crew and destroy your rivals in this new strategy battler set in the world of Dota. Introducing Season One: Explore White Spire and earn rewards on the Battle Pass. Pick from several different game modes, play on your own or with friends, and take advantage of crossplay on PC and mobile.
At a glance
| Artifact | Dota Underlords | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 5.5/10 | 7.5/10 |
| Steam rating | Mixed (47%, 24,768) | Very Positive (82%, 90,947) |
| Critic aggregate | 76/100 | No aggregate |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Install size | 7 GB | 7 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | verified |
| Released | 2018 | 2019 |
| Developer | Valve | Valve |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Artifact vs Dota Underlords, 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
ArtifactStrategy gameDota UnderlordsStrategy gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
ArtifactCard Battler, Deckbuilding, Card GameDota UnderlordsFree to Play, Strategy, Auto BattlerThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
ArtifactScore 5.5 · 47% on Steam · 76 criticDota Underlords ✓Score 7.5 · 82% on SteamThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Artifact24,768 reviews · 7 GBDota Underlords90,947 reviews · 7 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
ArtifactFreeDota UnderlordsFreeRead live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
ArtifactPlayableDota Underlords ✓VerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Dota Underlords takes 2 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 catalogueArtifact and Dota Underlords 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
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: Dota Underlords (GamingPickz Score 7.5)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Dota Underlords (verified)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Dota Underlords (90,947 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
DeckbuildingCard GameStrategyMultiplayerTacticalCompetitiveFantasySingleplayer
Where they differ
Card BattlerTrading Card Gamee-sportsTurn-Based StrategyDifficultAtmospheric
Free to PlayAuto BattlerChessTurn-Based TacticsMatureBoard Game
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Artifact is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Dota Underlords is relaxed, easy to pick up.
System requirements, side by side
| Artifact | Dota Underlords | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | Integrated HD Graphics 520 w/128 MB |
| Minimum CPU | — | Intel i5, 2.4 Ghz |
| Minimum RAM | — | 4 GB |
| Install size | 7 GB | 7 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Artifact · Dota Underlords.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Artifact and 9 for Dota Underlords. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Artifact and Dota Underlords in scope?
Artifact has drawn 24,768 Steam reviews and installs in 7 GB. Dota Underlords has drawn 90,947 Steam reviews and installs in 7 GB.
Is Artifact or Dota Underlords better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Dota Underlords rates higher (7.5 to 5.5). 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, Artifact or Dota Underlords?
Artifact is cheaper right now at Free, against Free. 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.