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 Cycle Chaser H-5
Waves and Cycle Chaser H-5 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 12 years older than Cycle Chaser H-5 (2023). Both sit near 95% positive on Steam (Waves: 884 reviews, Cycle Chaser H-5: 21). 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 Cycle Chaser H-5
Choose Cycle Chaser H-5 if it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Cycle Chaser H-5 launched in 2023.
Both Waves and Cycle Chaser H-5 sit in Action and Indie on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (95.6% vs 95.2% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Waves |  Cycle Chaser H-5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2011 | 2023 |
| Genres | Action, Indie | Action, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | 5.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.6% positive (884 reviews) | 95.2% positive (21 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Squid In A Box Ltd | PD_CGT |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Waves (2011) is 12 years older than Cycle Chaser H-5 (2023).
- Both sit near 95% positive on Steam (Waves: 884 reviews, Cycle Chaser H-5: 21).
- Waves is free; Cycle Chaser H-5 is paid (5.99 USD).
- Waves is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Cycle Chaser H-5 has no Deck rating yet.
Waves vs Cycle Chaser H-5 — FAQ
- Should I play Waves or Cycle Chaser H-5 first?
- If you want chronology, Waves (2011) came out before Cycle Chaser H-5 (2023). 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 Cycle Chaser H-5 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. Cycle Chaser H-5 is paid (5.99 USD).
- Does Waves run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Waves is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Cycle Chaser H-5 doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.