Choose Waves
Choose Waves if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 95.6% positive across 884 reviews.
Waves vs Nex Machina
Waves and Nex Machina 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 6 years older than Nex Machina (2017). Waves scores higher on Steam reviews (95.6% positive) than Nex Machina (90.7% 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 Nex Machina
Choose Nex Machina if you want the Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2017) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Nex Machina launched in 2017.
Both Waves and Nex Machina 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 |  Nex Machina | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2011 | 2017 |
| Genres | Action, Indie | Action, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | Free to play | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.6% positive (884 reviews) | 90.7% positive (885 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Squid In A Box Ltd | Housemarque |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Waves (2011) is 6 years older than Nex Machina (2017).
- Waves scores higher on Steam reviews (95.6% positive) than Nex Machina (90.7% positive).
- Waves is free; Nex Machina is paid (19.99 USD).
- Nex Machina has co-op; Waves does not.
- Steam Deck: Waves is Deck Verified, Nex Machina is Deck Unsupported.
Waves vs Nex Machina — FAQ
- Which is better, Waves or Nex Machina?
- On Steam reviews Waves scores higher (95.6% positive) than Nex Machina (90.7% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Waves is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Waves or Nex Machina first?
- If you want chronology, Waves (2011) came out before Nex Machina (2017). 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 Nex Machina 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.
- Does Waves have multiplayer like Nex Machina?
- No. Nex Machina supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op), while Waves is listed as single-player only.
- Is Waves free?
- Yes — Waves is a free-to-play Steam title. Nex Machina is paid (19.99 USD).