Should I play Tetris® Effect: Connected or Border Force first?

If you want chronology, Border Force (2019) came out before Tetris® Effect: Connected (2021). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.

Are Tetris® Effect: Connected and Border Force similar?

They overlap on Indie, Casual on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.

Do both Tetris® Effect: Connected and Border Force have co-op?

Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Tetris® Effect: Connected ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op; Border Force ships Online Co-op, Co-op.

Does Tetris® Effect: Connected run on Steam Deck?

Yes — Tetris® Effect: Connected is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Border Force doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.

Tetris® Effect: Connected vs Border Force

Tetris® Effect: Connected and Border Force both land in Indie, Casual on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Indie, Casual on Steam. Border Force (2019) is 2 years older than Tetris® Effect: Connected (2021). Tetris® Effect: Connected scores higher on Steam reviews (94.4% positive) than Border Force (60.9% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.

Which should you pick?

Choose Tetris® Effect: Connected

Choose Tetris® Effect: Connected if you want the Shared/Split Screen, Steam Leaderboards, and Shared/Split Screen PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 5,472 Steam reviews back the pick.

Choose Border Force

Choose Border Force if it's currently about 75% cheaper on the Steam Store. Border Force launched in 2019.

Both Tetris® Effect: Connected and Border Force sit in Indie and Casual on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.

Tetris® Effect: Connected vs Border Force — Steam metadata comparison
	Tetris® Effect: Connected	Border Force
Released	2021	2019
Genres	Indie, Casual	Indie, Casual
Platforms	Windows	Windows
Steam Deck	Deck Verified	Unrated
Price	39.99 USD	9.99 USD
Steam reviews	94.4% positive (5,472 reviews)	60.9% positive (23 reviews)
Multiplayer	Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op	Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op
Developers	Monstars Inc., Resonair, Stage Games	Spire Interactive

Side by side

Both share Indie, Casual on Steam.
Border Force (2019) is 2 years older than Tetris® Effect: Connected (2021).
Tetris® Effect: Connected scores higher on Steam reviews (94.4% positive) than Border Force (60.9% positive).
Border Force is currently ~75% cheaper on Steam than Tetris® Effect: Connected (9.99 USD vs. 39.99 USD).
Both support cooperative play.
Tetris® Effect: Connected is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Border Force has no Deck rating yet.