Dark Deception vs Ultimate Custom Night
Dark Deception is a horror RPG game from Glowstick Entertainment (2018) while Ultimate Custom Night is a horror simulation game from Scott Cawthon (2018).
What each one is
Steam files Dark Deception under Horror and RPG. In contrast, it files Ultimate Custom Night under Horror and Simulation.
Death awaits you in Dark Deception, a story-driven first-person horror maze game. There's nowhere to hide & nowhere to catch your breath. Run or die - it's your choice. Trapped in a realm of nightmarish mazes with a mysterious woman, your only hope of survival is to find a way to escape.
Welcome to the ultimate FNAF mashup, featuring 50 selectable characters and custom difficulties!
At a glance
| Dark Deception | Ultimate Custom Night | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.6/10 | 8.3/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (88%, 24,220) | Overwhelmingly Positive (95%, 62,777) |
| Critic aggregate | No aggregate | No aggregate |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Install size | 1 GB | 0.49 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | unsupported |
| Released | 2018 | 2018 |
| Developer | Glowstick Entertainment | Scott Cawthon |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Dark Deception vs Ultimate Custom Night, 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
Dark DeceptionHorror RPG gameUltimate Custom NightHorror simulation gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Dark DeceptionHorror, Free to Play, First-PersonUltimate Custom NightFree to Play, Horror, Survival HorrorThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Dark DeceptionScore 7.6 · 88% on SteamUltimate Custom Night ✓Score 8.3 · 95% on SteamThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Dark Deception24,220 reviews · 5 add-ons · 1 GBUltimate Custom Night62,777 reviews · 0.49 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Dark DeceptionFreeUltimate Custom NightFreeRead live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Dark Deception ✓PlayableUltimate Custom NightUnsupportedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 1 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueDark Deception and Ultimate Custom Night 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: Ultimate Custom Night (GamingPickz Score 8.3)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Dark Deception (playable)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Ultimate Custom Night (62,777 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
HorrorFree to PlaySingleplayerFirst-PersonPsychological HorrorSurvival HorrorIndieAction
Where they differ
MultiplayerRunnerDark HumorAdventureArcadeRPG
RobotsStrategyPoint & ClickAtmosphericMemesFunny
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Dark Deception is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Ultimate Custom Night is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Dark Deception and 0 for Ultimate Custom Night. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Dark Deception and Ultimate Custom Night in scope?
Dark Deception has drawn 24,220 Steam reviews, ships 5 add-ons and installs in 1 GB. Ultimate Custom Night has drawn 62,777 Steam reviews and installs in 0.49 GB.
Is Dark Deception or Ultimate Custom Night better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Ultimate Custom Night rates higher (8.3 to 7.6). 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, Dark Deception or Ultimate Custom Night?
Dark Deception 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.