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 Ecstatic
Waves and Ecstatic 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 Ecstatic (2023). Both sit near 96% positive on Steam (Waves: 884 reviews, Ecstatic: 23). 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 Ecstatic
Choose Ecstatic if it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Ecstatic launched in 2023.
Both Waves and Ecstatic sit in Action and Indie on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (95.6% vs 95.7% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Waves |  Ecstatic | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2011 | 2023 |
| Genres | Action, Indie | Action, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | 4.49 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.6% positive (884 reviews) | 95.7% positive (23 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Squid In A Box Ltd | PUNKCAKE Delicieux |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Waves (2011) is 12 years older than Ecstatic (2023).
- Both sit near 96% positive on Steam (Waves: 884 reviews, Ecstatic: 23).
- Waves is free; Ecstatic is paid (4.49 USD).
- Waves is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Ecstatic has no Deck rating yet.
Waves vs Ecstatic — FAQ
- Should I play Waves or Ecstatic first?
- If you want chronology, Waves (2011) came out before Ecstatic (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 Ecstatic 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. Ecstatic is paid (4.49 USD).
- Does Waves run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Waves is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Ecstatic doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.