head to head
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.

Optimization · Pure Optimization
Maxis simulation where you guide a black ant colony to conquer a suburban yard.

Optimization · Systems & Chaos
Managing a survivor community's economy and risk under permadeath randomness.
SimAnt leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); State of Decay 2 leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos).
State of Decay 2 leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
SimAnt
Light direct ant control; spider dodging is mild dexterity.
State of Decay 2
Combat is forgiving; stealth and swings need modest timing
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
SimAnt
Red colony AI is scripted behaviour, never models you.
State of Decay 2
Zombies and hostile NPCs follow randomised scripts
State of Decay 2 leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
SimAnt
Spider, rain, lawnmower and yard events are random hazards.
State of Decay 2
Permadeath, infestations and survivor traits randomise each community
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
SimAnt
Caste ratios, pheromone trails and expansion order are solvable.
State of Decay 2
Base building, resource routing and survivor management drive survival
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.