IMHO.

Malicious Payload vs Celestial Contact

Malicious Payload and Celestial Contact both land in Action, 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 Action, Indie, Casual on Steam. Malicious Payload (2021) is 3 years older than Celestial Contact (2024). Malicious Payload is currently ~51% cheaper on Steam than Celestial Contact (0.49 USD vs. 0.99 USD). 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 Malicious Payload

Choose Malicious Payload if you want an Adventure game with Steam Leaderboards, Tracked Controller Support, and VR Only. On Steam, it's currently about 51% cheaper on the Steam Store. Malicious Payload launched in 2021.

Choose Celestial Contact

Choose Celestial Contact if it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Celestial Contact launched in 2024.

Both Malicious Payload and Celestial Contact sit in Action, Indie, and Casual on Steam, 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.

Side-by-side comparison

Malicious Payload vs Celestial Contact — Steam metadata comparison
Malicious Payload — Steam game coverMalicious PayloadCelestial Contact — Steam game coverCelestial Contact
Released20212024
GenresAction, Indie, Adventure, CasualAction, Indie, Casual
PlatformsWindowsWindows
Steam DeckUnratedUnrated
Price0.49 USD0.99 USD
Steam reviews6 reviews4 reviews
MultiplayerSingle-player onlySingle-player only
DevelopersLast HowlANDGames Ltd

Side by side

Malicious Payload vs Celestial Contact — FAQ

Should I play Malicious Payload or Celestial Contact first?
If you want chronology, Malicious Payload (2021) came out before Celestial Contact (2024). 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 Malicious Payload and Celestial Contact similar?
They overlap on Action, 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.
Malicious Payload vs Celestial Contact — Verdict (2026) · imho.run