IMHO.

Rival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop Edition vs Umamusume: Pretty Derby

Rival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop Edition and Umamusume: Pretty Derby both land in Sports, Simulation 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 Sports, Simulation on Steam. Rival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop Edition (2020) is 5 years older than Umamusume: Pretty Derby (2025). Both sit near 93% positive on Steam (Rival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop Edition: 3,438 reviews, Umamusume: Pretty Derby: 39,251). 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 Rival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop Edition

Choose Rival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop Edition if you want a Strategy and Racing experience. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 3,438 Steam reviews back the pick.

Choose Umamusume: Pretty Derby

Choose Umamusume: Pretty Derby if you want a Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. 39,251 Steam reviews back the pick.

Both Rival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop Edition and Umamusume: Pretty Derby sit in Sports and Simulation on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (93.3% vs 93.5% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.

Side-by-side comparison

Rival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop Edition vs Umamusume: Pretty Derby — Steam metadata comparison
Rival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop Edition — Steam game coverRival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop EditionUmamusume: Pretty Derby — Steam game coverUmamusume: Pretty Derby
Released20202025
GenresSports, Strategy, Simulation, RacingSports, Simulation, Free To Play
PlatformsWindows, macOSWindows
Steam DeckDeck VerifiedDeck Playable
Price29.99 USDFree to play
Steam reviews93.3% positive (3,438 reviews)93.5% positive (39,251 reviews)
MultiplayerMulti-playerMulti-player
DevelopersPikPokCygames, Inc.

Side by side

Rival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop Edition vs Umamusume: Pretty Derby — FAQ

Which is better, Rival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop Edition or Umamusume: Pretty Derby?
On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Rival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop Edition sits at 93.3% positive (3,438 reviews), Umamusume: Pretty Derby at 93.5% (39,251). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
Should I play Rival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop Edition or Umamusume: Pretty Derby first?
If you want chronology, Rival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop Edition (2020) came out before Umamusume: Pretty Derby (2025). 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 Rival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop Edition and Umamusume: Pretty Derby similar?
They overlap on Sports, Simulation 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 Umamusume: Pretty Derby free?
Yes — Umamusume: Pretty Derby is a free-to-play Steam title. Rival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop Edition is paid (29.99 USD).
Rival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop Edition vs Umamusume: Pretty Derby · imho.run