Cube World vs Portal Knights
Cube World is an action-RPG open-world game from Picroma (2019) while Portal Knights is an RPG sandbox game from Keen Games GmbH (2017).
What each one is
Steam files Cube World under Action-RPG and Open-World. In contrast, it files Portal Knights under RPG and Sandbox.
Cube World is a voxel-based action RPG with a focus on exploration. It takes place in a procedurally generated fantasy world made up entirely of cubes.
The world of Elysia needs YOU! Join this cooperative, 3D sandbox action RPG to level up your character, craft epic weapons, conquer enemies in real-time, and build almost anything! Craft your adventure. Forge your hero. Become the ultimate Portal Knight!
At a glance
| Cube World | Portal Knights | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 4.1/10 | 7.2/10 |
| Steam rating | Mostly Negative (36%, 18,732) | Very Positive (83%, 22,351) |
| Critic aggregate | No aggregate | 72/100 |
| Price | $19.99 | $19.99 |
| Install size | 0.49 GB | 8 GB |
| Steam Deck | unsupported | playable |
| Released | 2019 | 2017 |
| Developer | Picroma | Keen Games GmbH |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Cube World vs Portal Knights, 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
Cube WorldAction-RPG open-world gamePortal KnightsRPG sandbox gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Cube WorldOpen World, Adventure, RPGPortal KnightsAdventure, Sandbox, RPGThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Cube WorldScore 4.1 · 36% on SteamPortal Knights ✓Score 7.2 · 83% on Steam · 72 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Cube World18,732 reviews · 0.49 GBPortal Knights22,351 reviews · 12 add-ons · 8 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Cube World$19.99Portal Knights$19.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Cube WorldUnsupportedPortal Knights ✓PlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Portal Knights 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 catalogueCube World and Portal Knights 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: Portal Knights (GamingPickz Score 7.2)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Portal Knights (playable)
- Lighter on storage: Cube World (0.49 GB)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
AdventureMultiplayerRPGVoxelExplorationFantasyCo-opThird Person
Where they differ
Open WorldIndieOnline Co-OpPixel GraphicsProcedural GenerationAction RPG
BuildingActionCasualDungeon CrawlerCuteEarly Access
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Cube World is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Portal Knights is relaxed, easy to pick up.
System requirements, side by side
| Cube World | Portal Knights | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | AMD Radeon R9 285 | — |
| Minimum CPU | AMD FX 6300 @ 3.8 GHz, Ryzen 3 - 1200, Intel Core i5 2400 @ 3.1 GHz | — |
| Minimum RAM | 2 GB | — |
| Install size | 0.49 GB | 8 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Cube World · Portal Knights.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Cube World and 1 for Portal Knights. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Cube World and Portal Knights in scope?
Cube World has drawn 18,732 Steam reviews and installs in 0.49 GB. Portal Knights has drawn 22,351 Steam reviews, ships 12 add-ons and installs in 8 GB.
Is Cube World or Portal Knights better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Portal Knights rates higher (7.2 to 4.1). 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, Cube World or Portal Knights?
Cube World is cheaper right now at $19.99, against $19.99. 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.