Choose Breakwaters: Crystal Tides
Choose Breakwaters: Crystal Tides if you want a Simulation and Early Access experience. Breakwaters: Crystal Tides launched in 2021.
Breakwaters: Crystal Tides vs Salt 2: Shores of Gold
Breakwaters: Crystal Tides and Salt 2: Shores of Gold both land in Action, Indie, Adventure 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, Adventure on Steam. Breakwaters: Crystal Tides (2021) is 4 years older than Salt 2: Shores of Gold (2025). Salt 2: Shores of Gold scores higher on Steam reviews (85.7% positive) than Breakwaters: Crystal Tides (68.6% 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 Salt 2: Shores of Gold
Choose Salt 2: Shores of Gold if you want a RPG experience. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 85.7% positive across 1,345 reviews.
Both Breakwaters: Crystal Tides and Salt 2: Shores of Gold sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, and Co-op, 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
 Breakwaters: Crystal Tides |  Salt 2: Shores of Gold | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2025 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Early Access | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Verified |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 68.6% positive (542 reviews) | 85.7% positive (1,345 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Soaring Pixels Games | Lavaboots Studios |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Breakwaters: Crystal Tides (2021) is 4 years older than Salt 2: Shores of Gold (2025).
- Salt 2: Shores of Gold scores higher on Steam reviews (85.7% positive) than Breakwaters: Crystal Tides (68.6% positive).
- Salt 2: Shores of Gold is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Breakwaters: Crystal Tides (19.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: Breakwaters: Crystal Tides is Deck Unsupported, Salt 2: Shores of Gold is Deck Verified.
Breakwaters: Crystal Tides vs Salt 2: Shores of Gold — FAQ
- Which is better, Breakwaters: Crystal Tides or Salt 2: Shores of Gold?
- On Steam reviews Salt 2: Shores of Gold scores higher (85.7% positive) than Breakwaters: Crystal Tides (68.6% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Salt 2: Shores of Gold is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Breakwaters: Crystal Tides or Salt 2: Shores of Gold first?
- If you want chronology, Breakwaters: Crystal Tides (2021) came out before Salt 2: Shores of Gold (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 Breakwaters: Crystal Tides and Salt 2: Shores of Gold similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, Adventure 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.
- Do both Breakwaters: Crystal Tides and Salt 2: Shores of Gold have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Breakwaters: Crystal Tides ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Salt 2: Shores of Gold ships Online Co-op, Co-op.