Choose Waves
Choose Waves if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Waves launched in 2011.
Waves vs Breakpoint
Waves and Breakpoint both land in Action, Indie 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 on Steam. Waves (2011) is 9 years older than Breakpoint (2020). Waves scores higher on Steam reviews (95.6% positive) than Breakpoint (93.3% 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 Breakpoint
Choose Breakpoint if you want a Casual experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Breakpoint launched in 2020.
Both Waves and Breakpoint sit in Action and Indie 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
 Waves |  Breakpoint | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2011 | 2020 |
| Genres | Action, Indie | Action, Indie, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | Free to play | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.6% positive (884 reviews) | 93.3% positive (89 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Squid In A Box Ltd | Studio Aesthesia |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Waves (2011) is 9 years older than Breakpoint (2020).
- Waves scores higher on Steam reviews (95.6% positive) than Breakpoint (93.3% positive).
- Waves is free; Breakpoint is paid (4.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Verified.
Waves vs Breakpoint — FAQ
- Should I play Waves or Breakpoint first?
- If you want chronology, Waves (2011) came out before Breakpoint (2020). 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 Waves and Breakpoint similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie 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.
- Is Waves free?
- Yes — Waves is a free-to-play Steam title. Breakpoint is paid (4.99 USD).
- Do Waves and Breakpoint both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.