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 SoundStorm
Waves and SoundStorm 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 11 years older than SoundStorm (2022). Waves is free; SoundStorm is paid (12.99 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 SoundStorm
Choose SoundStorm if you want an Early Access experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2022) and ships with the modern feature baseline. SoundStorm launched in 2022.
Both Waves and SoundStorm 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 |  SoundStorm | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2011 | 2022 |
| Genres | Action, Indie | Action, Indie, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | 12.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.6% positive (884 reviews) | 2 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Squid In A Box Ltd | Damian Hiltebrand, Franziska Renold, Nils Künzig |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Waves (2011) is 11 years older than SoundStorm (2022).
- Waves is free; SoundStorm is paid (12.99 USD).
- Waves is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; SoundStorm has no Deck rating yet.
Waves vs SoundStorm — FAQ
- Should I play Waves or SoundStorm first?
- If you want chronology, Waves (2011) came out before SoundStorm (2022). 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 SoundStorm 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. SoundStorm is paid (12.99 USD).
- Does Waves run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Waves is rated Deck Verified by Valve. SoundStorm doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.