Choose Waves
Choose Waves if it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Waves launched in 2011.
Waves vs Razerwire:Nanowars
Waves and Razerwire:Nanowars 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 7 years older than Razerwire:Nanowars (2018). Waves scores higher on Steam reviews (95.6% positive) than Razerwire:Nanowars (90.1% 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 Razerwire:Nanowars
Choose Razerwire:Nanowars if you want a Casual experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2018) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Razerwire:Nanowars launched in 2018.
Both Waves and Razerwire:Nanowars sit in Action and Indie 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 |  Razerwire:Nanowars | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2011 | 2018 |
| Genres | Action, Indie | Action, Indie, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | 1.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.6% positive (884 reviews) | 90.1% positive (81 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Squid In A Box Ltd | Hammer & Ravens |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Waves (2011) is 7 years older than Razerwire:Nanowars (2018).
- Waves scores higher on Steam reviews (95.6% positive) than Razerwire:Nanowars (90.1% positive).
- Waves is free; Razerwire:Nanowars is paid (1.99 USD).
- Waves is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Razerwire:Nanowars has no Deck rating yet.
Waves vs Razerwire:Nanowars — FAQ
- Should I play Waves or Razerwire:Nanowars first?
- If you want chronology, Waves (2011) came out before Razerwire:Nanowars (2018). 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 Razerwire:Nanowars 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. Razerwire:Nanowars is paid (1.99 USD).
- Does Waves run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Waves is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Razerwire:Nanowars doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.