Choose Retrowave
Choose Retrowave if you want the Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 95% positive across 4,594 reviews.
Retrowave vs Retrowave 2
Retrowave and Retrowave 2 both land in Action, Indie, 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 Action, Indie, Simulation on Steam. Retrowave (2022) is 2 years older than Retrowave 2 (2024). Retrowave scores higher on Steam reviews (95% positive) than Retrowave 2 (89.8% 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 Retrowave 2
Choose Retrowave 2 if you want an Early Access experience. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. Retrowave 2 launched in 2024.
Both Retrowave and Retrowave 2 sit in Action, Indie, and Simulation 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
 Retrowave |  Retrowave 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2022 | 2024 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Simulation, Casual, Racing | Action, Indie, Simulation, Casual, Early Access, Racing |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Verified |
| Price | 2.99 USD | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95% positive (4,594 reviews) | 89.8% positive (128 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Single-player only |
| Developers | RewindApp | RewindApp |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Simulation on Steam.
- Retrowave (2022) is 2 years older than Retrowave 2 (2024).
- Retrowave scores higher on Steam reviews (95% positive) than Retrowave 2 (89.8% positive).
- Retrowave is currently ~40% cheaper on Steam than Retrowave 2 (2.99 USD vs. 4.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Retrowave is Deck Unsupported, Retrowave 2 is Deck Verified.
Retrowave vs Retrowave 2 — FAQ
- Which is better, Retrowave or Retrowave 2?
- On Steam reviews Retrowave scores higher (95% positive) than Retrowave 2 (89.8% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Retrowave is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Retrowave or Retrowave 2 first?
- If you want chronology, Retrowave (2022) came out before Retrowave 2 (2024). 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 Retrowave and Retrowave 2 similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, 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.
- Does Retrowave 2 have multiplayer like Retrowave?
- No. Retrowave supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player), while Retrowave 2 is listed as single-player only.