Hand of Fate vs Realm of the Mad God Exalt
Hand of Fate is an action-RPG roguelike game from Defiant Development (2015) while Realm of the Mad God Exalt is an action-RPG mmorpg game from Wild Shadow Studios (2012).
What each one is
Steam files Hand of Fate under Action-RPG and Roguelike. In contrast, it files Realm of the Mad God Exalt under Action-RPG and Mmorpg.
Deckbuilding comes to life in Hand of Fate! An infinitely replayable series of quests - earn new cards, build your deck, then try to defeat it! In a cabin at the end of the world, the game of life and death is played. Draw your cards, play your hand, and discover your fate.
Embark on an exhilarating journey into the pixelated Realm of the Mad God! Join, an action-packed, free-to-play MMO bullet hell game. Discover a world with danger, challenges, and hidden treasures as you battle through waves of enemies. Team up with players and conquer dungeons to become a legend!
At a glance
| Hand of Fate | Realm of the Mad God Exalt | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.5/10 | 7.6/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (89%, 10,682) | Very Positive (83%, 47,698) |
| Critic aggregate | 78/100 | 82/100 |
| Price | $19.99 | Free |
| Install size | 5 GB | — |
| Steam Deck | playable | playable |
| Released | 2015 | 2012 |
| Developer | Defiant Development | Wild Shadow Studios |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Hand of Fate vs Realm of the Mad God Exalt, 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
Hand of FateAction-RPG roguelike gameRealm of the Mad God ExaltAction-RPG mmorpg gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Hand of FateRoguelike Deckbuilder, Rogue-like, DeckbuildingRealm of the Mad God ExaltPixel Graphics, MMORPG, Free to PlayThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Hand of FateScore 7.5 · 89% on Steam · 78 criticRealm of the Mad God Exalt ✓Score 7.6 · 83% on Steam · 82 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Hand of Fate10,682 reviews · 2 add-ons · 5 GBRealm of the Mad God Exalt47,698 reviews · 6 add-onsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Hand of Fate$19.99Realm of the Mad God Exalt ✓FreeRead live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Hand of FatePlayableRealm of the Mad God ExaltPlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Realm of the Mad God Exalt 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 catalogueHand of Fate and Realm of the Mad God Exalt 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 cheaper right now: Realm of the Mad God Exalt (Free)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Realm of the Mad God Exalt (47,698 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
Rogue-likeAction RoguelikeRPGActionFantasyIndieAdventureRogue-lite
Where they differ
Roguelike DeckbuilderDeckbuildingCard GameSingleplayerChoose Your Own AdventureThird Person
Pixel GraphicsMMORPGFree to PlayPerma DeathBullet Hell2D
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Hand of Fate is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Realm of the Mad God Exalt is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
System requirements, side by side
| Hand of Fate | Realm of the Mad God Exalt | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | — |
| Minimum CPU | — | Intel Core i5-3330 |
| Minimum RAM | — | 8 GB |
| Install size | 5 GB | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Hand of Fate · Realm of the Mad God Exalt.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Hand of Fate and 0 for Realm of the Mad God Exalt. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Hand of Fate and Realm of the Mad God Exalt in scope?
Hand of Fate has drawn 10,682 Steam reviews, ships 2 add-ons and installs in 5 GB. Realm of the Mad God Exalt has drawn 47,698 Steam reviews and ships 6 add-ons.
Is Hand of Fate or Realm of the Mad God Exalt better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Realm of the Mad God Exalt rates higher (7.6 to 7.5). 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, Hand of Fate or Realm of the Mad God Exalt?
Realm of the Mad God Exalt is cheaper right now at Free, 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.