Choose NERTS! Online
Choose NERTS! Online if you want a Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. 1,467 Steam reviews back the pick.
NERTS! Online vs Jack's, 2's & 8's
NERTS! Online and Jack's, 2's & 8's both land in Action, Indie, Casual 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, Casual on Steam. NERTS! Online (2021) is 5 years older than Jack's, 2's & 8's (2026). NERTS! Online is free; Jack's, 2's & 8's is paid (Price unknown). 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 Jack's, 2's & 8's
Choose Jack's, 2's & 8's if you want the DualShock Controller Support side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Jack's, 2's & 8's launched in 2026.
Both NERTS! Online and Jack's, 2's & 8's sit in Action, Indie, and Casual on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP, 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
 NERTS! Online |  Jack's, 2's & 8's | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Free To Play, Casual | Action, Indie, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 95.6% positive (1,467 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player |
| Developers | Zachtronics | What To Do!? Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Casual on Steam.
- NERTS! Online (2021) is 5 years older than Jack's, 2's & 8's (2026).
- NERTS! Online is free; Jack's, 2's & 8's is paid (Price unknown).
NERTS! Online vs Jack's, 2's & 8's — FAQ
- Should I play NERTS! Online or Jack's, 2's & 8's first?
- If you want chronology, NERTS! Online (2021) came out before Jack's, 2's & 8's (2026). 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 NERTS! Online and Jack's, 2's & 8's similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, Casual 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 NERTS! Online free?
- Yes — NERTS! Online is a free-to-play Steam title. Jack's, 2's & 8's is paid (Price unknown).