Life Is Strange vs Before the Storm: Which Is Better?

Life Is Strange, because it builds Arcadia Bay and Before the Storm borrows it. Both games are set in the same small Oregon town, and the prequel's stored player praise includes well-designed environments and a nostalgic return to Arcadia Bay. That word nostalgic is the tell: the return lands hardest on players who already know the place. The first game spends five episodes on the school, the junkyard and the people in them, and a Steam player answering whether to start with the prequel put it simply: the original did a better job at setting up the universe, because it is longer and more detailed. Another singles out the junkyard hideout as a place that means more in the prequel once you have seen it through Max's eyes. Before the Storm decorates a town the first game made.

Life Is Strange, on the strength of the rewind. Max can turn back time, so every conversation is something you can rehearse before committing, and our catalogue logs puzzle-solving and quick-time events beside the dialogue. Chloe has no power in Before the Storm. Her verb is Backtalk, which the store describes as a risk and reward conversation mode where she provokes people to get her way, plus graffiti tags and outfit choices. Our catalogue logs mini-games and a linear structure for the prequel, and its stored player complaints open with gameplay that lacks depth compared to the original. Backtalk suits who Chloe is, and losing the safety net makes a bad answer stick. It is still a smaller thing to do with your hands than bending time.

Life Is Strange, narrowly, because it gets to write its own ending. Both games lead their stored player praise with emotional storytelling and strong characters, Max and Chloe for the first, Chloe and Rachel for the prequel, and I would not argue with either. The difference is what the prequel cannot do. Its stored complaints include choices that feel less impactful because players already know the outcome, and a Steam player who came to it after the first game describes the friendship as sadder with every scene for exactly that reason. That is a real effect and the prequel uses it well. The first game's weak point is a finale whose last choice can undercut earlier agency, which is a flaw in an ending. The prequel's is that its ending was decided before it started.

Life is Strange: Before the Storm, as the newer game. It arrived in August 2017, two and a half years after the first episode of the original, and its stored player praise singles out well-designed environments. The first game's hand-painted look is loved, stunning visuals and a unique art style sit in its praise, but its stored complaint list opens with texture glitches and performance issues, a 2015 production showing its age on a PS4. The prequel is not spotless either, a few technical issues and bugs are among its complaints, so this is a margin rather than a gap. Both are set in the same Arcadia Bay, and the soundtrack is praised for both. If what you notice first is how a scene looks, the prequel holds up a little better.

Life Is Strange, on both price and size. Our catalogue lists its first episode as free on the PlayStation Store, which makes it the cheapest test in the series, and on Steam in October 2026 the full five-episode season is 19.99 EUR against 16.99 EUR for Before the Storm's three episodes. The prequel's bonus episode, Farewell, is sold through its Deluxe Edition rather than in the base game. Read the Length row above with care: it puts an IGDB main story estimate of about 16 hours for the first game beside a RAWG median recorded playtime of about 11 hours for the prequel, two different measures. Five episodes against three is the steadier guide, and for three euros more the first game is the longer story.

Life Is Strange, because more of its story is open. Both games log multiple endings and branching narrative in our catalogue, and meaningful choices that affect the outcome is stored praise for the first game. The prequel's branches are real, but they run toward an endpoint the first game already fixed, which is why knowing the outcome turns up in its complaints. The more interesting second run here is not a replay of either game on its own. One Steam player who recommends release order for newcomers adds that, once you know both, a repeat run that starts with Farewell, then Before the Storm, then the original makes a lot of sense. That is an argument for owning the prequel, and for playing the original twice.