Choose TRF - The Race Factory
Choose TRF - The Race Factory if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. TRF - The Race Factory launched in 2020.
TRF - The Race Factory vs Barely Racing
TRF - The Race Factory and Barely Racing both land in Action, Racing 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, Racing on Steam. TRF - The Race Factory (2020) is 3 years older than Barely Racing (2023). Barely Racing scores higher on Steam reviews (86.7% positive) than TRF - The Race Factory (84.2% 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 Barely Racing
Choose Barely Racing if you want a Casual game with Online PvP. On Steam, it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Barely Racing launched in 2023.
Both TRF - The Race Factory and Barely Racing sit in Action and Racing on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and 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
 TRF - The Race Factory |  Barely Racing | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2023 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Racing | Action, Casual, Racing |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Verified |
| Price | Free to play | 8.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 84.2% positive (19 reviews) | 86.7% positive (15 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player |
| Developers | O.Stogden | Fragile Software |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Racing on Steam.
- TRF - The Race Factory (2020) is 3 years older than Barely Racing (2023).
- Barely Racing scores higher on Steam reviews (86.7% positive) than TRF - The Race Factory (84.2% positive).
- TRF - The Race Factory is free; Barely Racing is paid (8.99 USD).
- Barely Racing is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; TRF - The Race Factory has no Deck rating yet.
TRF - The Race Factory vs Barely Racing — FAQ
- Should I play TRF - The Race Factory or Barely Racing first?
- If you want chronology, TRF - The Race Factory (2020) came out before Barely Racing (2023). 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 TRF - The Race Factory and Barely Racing similar?
- They overlap on Action, Racing 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 TRF - The Race Factory free?
- Yes — TRF - The Race Factory is a free-to-play Steam title. Barely Racing is paid (8.99 USD).