Updated daily · 20 Oct 2026
Player reception, side by side
Graveyard Keeper 2 vs Graveyard Keeper
The sequel fixes many of the chores that wore players down in the first game, then adds limits of its own.
In short
As of 20 October, 75% of 9,483 player reviews recommend Graveyard Keeper 2, and 86% of 40,164 recommend Graveyard Keeper. Players who know the first game find Graveyard Keeper 2’s opening far smoother, and its later grind comes from new places. The original is still the better-loved game, cheaper and full of the dark humour players love, if you’re fine tracking quests in a wiki.
Graveyard Keeper 2: recommend it
75%of 9,483 reviews, as of 20 October13
Graveyard Keeper: recommend it
86%of 40,164 reviews, as of 20 October161
Side by side
The two games at a glance.
- Game
- Graveyard Keeper 2
- Graveyard Keeper
- Price at launch
- $24.99
- $19.99
- Developer
- Lazy Bear Games
- Lazy Bear Games
- Publisher
- tinyBuild
- tinyBuild
- Players recommend it
- 75% of 9,483 reviews
- 86% of 40,164 reviews
- Our reading
- launch-week reviews, read 25 September
- 80 most helpful and 40 latest reviews, read 20 October
What players praise
What players like most.
Graveyard Keeper 2
It fixes the first game’s worst chores, at first.
Most players who compare the two say the sequel removes the chores that wore them down the first time.
Graveyard Keeper
Pixel art and music set a cozy mood.
Players single out rainy evenings, foggy mornings and a soundtrack they can play to for hours.
The dark humour lands.
Players enjoy the morbid jokes and the odd cast, from a talking skull to a donkey that keeps delivering bodies.
Automation rewards patience.
Zombie workers take over chores later, and a deep tech tree keeps players unlocking things for dozens of hours.
What players criticise
What players complain about.
Graveyard Keeper 2
New friction arrives later.
Furnaces stop after every small batch until you collect by hand, and a weekly faith currency gates skills and fast travel.
Buildings stay where you put them.
They can’t be moved once placed, and storage only works within one zone.
Players want any AI use disclosed.
Players who suspect AI point to still images in the cutscenes, and most object that the store page doesn’t say. The studio’s co-founder has said the game uses no AI.
Graveyard Keeper
Progression drags.
Long crafting chains ask for more materials at every step, while money comes in slowly.
Recipes and quests are hard to track.
There’s no quest log, so many players keep a wiki open or take notes.
Days go to walking.
The character walks slowly, the energy bar empties fast, and sprinting and teleports arrive late.
Key characters keep office hours.
Story characters appear once a week, so one missed item can cost a whole in-game week.
Which to pick
Which one is for you.
Graveyard Keeper 2
Pick Graveyard Keeper 2 if you loved the first game’s dark humour and want a smoother start, and you can live with new limits later on.
More on Graveyard Keeper 2Graveyard Keeper
Pick Graveyard Keeper if you want the original’s humour and deep crafting at a lower price, and don’t mind keeping a wiki open.
Questions
Graveyard Keeper 2 vs Graveyard Keeper, in short.
Is Graveyard Keeper 2 better than the first game?
Do you need to play Graveyard Keeper before 2?
Players don’t say it’s needed. Those who played the first game notice the changes most, both the fixed chores and the new limits.13
How long is Graveyard Keeper?
Players who reached 100 percent report about 68 to 111 hours.161
Does Graveyard Keeper 2 use AI art?
Some players suspect it in the cutscenes’ still images and want it disclosed. Before launch, a Lazy Bear Games co-founder said the game uses no AI.13
Each game’s figure is the share of all its player reviews that recommend it, counted daily. Praise and complaints come from our own reading of its reviews, each judged from what the player wrote.
Sources
- 13Steam: Graveyard Keeper 2, user reviews and review history (opens in a new tab) Accessed 25 Sept 2026
- 14Lazy Bear Games on Steam: Graveyard Keeper 2 launches 22 September (opens in a new tab) Accessed 25 Sept 2026
- 161Steam: Graveyard Keeper, store page and user reviews (opens in a new tab) Accessed 20 Oct 2026