Choose Need for Speed™ Payback
Choose Need for Speed™ Payback if you want an Action, Adventure, and Racing game with Online Co-op and Co-op. On Steam, it has co-op, so you can bring a friend. 7,361 Steam reviews back the pick.
Need for Speed™ Payback vs Cricket Captain 2026
Need for Speed™ Payback and Cricket Captain 2026 both land in Sports, Strategy 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, Strategy on Steam. Need for Speed™ Payback (2020) is 6 years older than Cricket Captain 2026 (2026). Cricket Captain 2026 is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Need for Speed™ Payback (29.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD). 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 Cricket Captain 2026
Choose Cricket Captain 2026 if you want a Simulation experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Cricket Captain 2026 launched in 2026.
Both Need for Speed™ Payback and Cricket Captain 2026 sit in Sports and Strategy 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
 Need for Speed™ Payback |  Cricket Captain 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Sports, Strategy, Adventure, Racing | Sports, Strategy, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Playable |
| Price | 29.99 USD | 29.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 85.2% positive (7,361 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player |
| Developers | Ghost Games | Childish Things Ltd |
Side by side
- Both share Sports, Strategy on Steam.
- Need for Speed™ Payback (2020) is 6 years older than Cricket Captain 2026 (2026).
- Cricket Captain 2026 is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Need for Speed™ Payback (29.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
- Need for Speed™ Payback has co-op; Cricket Captain 2026 does not.
- Steam Deck: Need for Speed™ Payback is Deck Unsupported, Cricket Captain 2026 is Deck Playable.
Need for Speed™ Payback vs Cricket Captain 2026 — FAQ
- Should I play Need for Speed™ Payback or Cricket Captain 2026 first?
- If you want chronology, Need for Speed™ Payback (2020) came out before Cricket Captain 2026 (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 Need for Speed™ Payback and Cricket Captain 2026 similar?
- They overlap on Sports, Strategy 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.