Choose Waves
Choose Waves if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Waves launched in 2011.
Waves vs SynthEscape
Waves and SynthEscape both land in Action 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 are Action games on Steam. Waves is free; SynthEscape is paid (Price unknown). SynthEscape has co-op; Waves does not. 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 SynthEscape
Choose SynthEscape if you want the Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it has co-op, so you can bring a friend.
Both Waves and SynthEscape sit in Action on Steam and both list Steam Leaderboards, 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 |  SynthEscape | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2011 | — |
| Genres | Action, Indie | Action |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 95.6% positive (884 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Squid In A Box Ltd | RabidTomato Games |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Waves is free; SynthEscape is paid (Price unknown).
- SynthEscape has co-op; Waves does not.
- Waves is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; SynthEscape has no Deck rating yet.
Waves vs SynthEscape — FAQ
- Are Waves and SynthEscape similar?
- They overlap on Action 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 SynthEscape?
- No. SynthEscape 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. SynthEscape is paid (Price unknown).
- Does Waves run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Waves is rated Deck Verified by Valve. SynthEscape doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.