Dead Island 2 vs Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition
Dead Island 2 is an action-adventure action-RPG game from Deep Silver Dambuster Studios (2023) while Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition is an FPS horror game from Techland (2016).
What each one is
Dead Island 2 is filed under Action-Adventure and Action-RPG. In contrast, Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition under FPS and Horror.
A deadly virus is spreading across Los Angeles, turning its inhabitants into zombies. Bitten, infected, but more than just immune, uncover the truth behind the outbreak and discover who - or what - you are. Survive, evolve and become the ultimate Zombie Slayer.
Welcome to the zombie apocalypse experience of a lifetime – more beautiful than ever. Caught in an epic zombie outbreak on the tropical island of Banoi, your only thought is: Survive!
Story, characters and reception
Plot
About 15 years after the events of Dead Island , the US military is forced to put Los Angeles under a full quarantine restricted zone due to a new and stronger zombie outbreak. As Los Angeles is being quarantined, six individuals (dubbed "Slayers") board one of the last evacuation flights out of the city, but an infected person ends up on board, and the military shoots the plane down. The Slayers narrowly survive the crash but are bitten trying to help… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Dead Island 2 received "generally favorable" reviews for the PC and Xbox Series X/S versions, while the PlayStation 5 version received "mixed or average reviews" from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic . The game was nominated for "Best Action Game" at The Game Awards 2023 and British Game at the 20th British Academy Games Awards . Several critics praised the game's focus and ability to provide mindless escapism to players… (Wikipedia)
Plot
Riptide takes place immediately after the ending of Dead Island , with the four immune survivors landing on a military ship after escaping from the prison island. They are immediately taken into custody by the Australian Defence Force Colonel Sam Hardy and Frank Serpo, a civilian VIP. Passing out from sedatives, the player's character wakes up to find the ship overrun with zombies. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Dead Island: Riptide received mixed reviews, with most critics praising the gameplay and new setting, but criticizing the many unfixed issues found in the original, as well as the lack of new content. Aggregating review website Metacritic gave the PlayStation 3 version 62/100, the PC version 61/100, and the Xbox 360 version 57/100. IGN s Greg Miller stated that although he found it to be 'great gory fun', it still contained bugs and glitches… (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Dead Island 2 | Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 6.5/10 | 6.3/10 |
| Steam rating | Mostly Positive (77%, 29,228) | Mostly Positive (71%, 13,002) |
| Critic aggregate | 75/100 | 61/100 |
| Price | $9.99 | $19.99 |
| Install size | 70 GB | 10 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | verified |
| Released | 2023 | 2016 |
| Developer | Deep Silver Dambuster Studios | Techland |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Dead Island 2 vs Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition, 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
Dead Island 2Action-adventure action-RPG gameDead Island: Riptide Definitive EditionFPS horror gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Dead Island 2Co-op, Zombies, First-PersonDead Island: Riptide Definitive EditionZombies, Co-op, Open WorldThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Dead Island 2 ✓Score 6.5 · 77% on Steam · 75 criticDead Island: Riptide Definitive EditionScore 6.3 · 71% on Steam · 61 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Dead Island 229,228 reviews · 14 add-ons · 70 GBDead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition13,002 reviews · 10 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Dead Island 2 ✓$9.99Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition$19.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Dead Island 2PlayableDead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition ✓VerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Dead Island 2 takes 2 of the marked rounds to 1. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueDead Island 2 and Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition 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.
- Multi-platform
- 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: Dead Island 2 (GamingPickz Score 6.5)
- The cheaper right now: Dead Island 2 ($9.99)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition (verified)
- Lighter on storage: Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition (10 GB)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Dead Island 2 (29,228 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
Co-opZombiesFirst-PersonGoreAdventureHorrorCraftingFPS
Where they differ
Action-AdventurePost-apocalypticDarkAction RPGControllerDark Humor
MultiplayerOpen WorldSurvivalOnline Co-OpSingleplayerOpen World Survival Craft
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Dead Island 2 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 7 accessibility features for Dead Island 2 and 1 for Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Dead Island 2 and Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition in scope?
Dead Island 2 has drawn 29,228 Steam reviews, ships 14 add-ons and installs in 70 GB. Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition has drawn 13,002 Steam reviews and installs in 10 GB.
Is Dead Island 2 or Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Dead Island 2 rates higher (6.5 to 6.3). 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, Dead Island 2 or Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition?
Dead Island 2 is cheaper right now at $9.99, 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.