Northgard: Definitive Edition vs The Battle of Polytopia
Northgard: Definitive Edition is a simulation strategy game from Shiro Games (2018) while The Battle of Polytopia is a simulation strategy game from Midjiwan AB (2020).
What each one is
Steam files Northgard: Definitive Edition under Simulation and Strategy. In contrast, it files The Battle of Polytopia under Simulation and Strategy.
Northgard: Definitive Edition is a critically acclaimed real-time strategy game based on Norse mythology. Lead your clan, uncover the secrets of a mysterious newfound continent and defeat your enemies to conquer the Throne!
Welcome to the unique, turn-based strategy game set in the strange, flat world of the Square. Lead one of 16 distinct civilizations to victory by expanding your empire, researching technologies, and ultimately become ruler of the world! Play in single-player or multiplayer mode for up to 16 players.
At a glance
| Northgard: Definitive Edition | The Battle of Polytopia | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.7/10 | 7.5/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (85%, 68,673) | Very Positive (94%, 5,988) |
| Critic aggregate | 81/100 | 72/100 |
| Price | $34.99 | $14.99 |
| Install size | 1 GB | 0.16 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | verified |
| Released | 2018 | 2020 |
| Developer | Shiro Games | Midjiwan AB |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Northgard: Definitive Edition vs The Battle of Polytopia, 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
Northgard: Definitive EditionSimulation strategy gameThe Battle of PolytopiaSimulation strategy gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Northgard: Definitive EditionStrategy, City Builder, SimulationThe Battle of PolytopiaStrategy, Turn-Based, Turn-Based StrategyThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Northgard: Definitive Edition ✓Score 7.7 · 85% on Steam · 81 criticThe Battle of PolytopiaScore 7.5 · 94% 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
Northgard: Definitive Edition68,673 reviews · 12 add-ons · 1 GBThe Battle of Polytopia5,988 reviews · 12 add-ons · 0.16 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Northgard: Definitive Edition$34.99The Battle of Polytopia ✓$14.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Northgard: Definitive EditionPlayableThe Battle of Polytopia ✓VerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
The Battle of Polytopia 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 catalogueNorthgard: Definitive Edition and The Battle of Polytopia 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: Northgard: Definitive Edition (GamingPickz Score 7.7)
- The cheaper right now: The Battle of Polytopia ($14.99)
- Better on a Steam Deck: The Battle of Polytopia (verified)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Northgard: Definitive Edition (68,673 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
StrategySimulationMultiplayerBuildingEconomyWar4XPvP
Where they differ
City BuilderRTSBase-BuildingColony SimTacticalManagement
Turn-BasedTurn-Based StrategyTurn-Based TacticsColorfulMinimalistIsometric
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Northgard: Definitive Edition is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. The Battle of Polytopia is family-friendly and approachable.
System requirements, side by side
| Northgard: Definitive Edition | The Battle of Polytopia | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | Nvidia 450 GTS / Radeon HD 5750 | 128mb Video |
| Minimum CPU | Intel 2.0ghz Core 2 Duo | Dual Core 2.0 Ghz |
| Minimum RAM | 1 GB | 1 GB |
| Install size | 1 GB | 0.16 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Northgard: Definitive Edition · The Battle of Polytopia.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Northgard: Definitive Edition and 1 for The Battle of Polytopia. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Northgard: Definitive Edition and The Battle of Polytopia in scope?
Northgard: Definitive Edition has drawn 68,673 Steam reviews, ships 12 add-ons and installs in 1 GB. The Battle of Polytopia has drawn 5,988 Steam reviews, ships 12 add-ons and installs in 0.16 GB.
Is Northgard: Definitive Edition or The Battle of Polytopia better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Northgard: Definitive Edition rates higher (7.7 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, Northgard: Definitive Edition or The Battle of Polytopia?
The Battle of Polytopia is cheaper right now at $14.99, against $34.99. 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.