Which is better, Astral Ascent or Orb Tower?

On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Astral Ascent sits at 95.5% positive (1,699 reviews), Orb Tower at 95.6% (136). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.

Should I play Astral Ascent or Orb Tower first?

If you want chronology, Astral Ascent (2023) came out before Orb Tower (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 Astral Ascent and Orb Tower similar?

They overlap on Action, Indie 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 Orb Tower have multiplayer like Astral Ascent?

No. Astral Ascent supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op), while Orb Tower is listed as single-player only.

Does Astral Ascent run on Steam Deck?

Yes — Astral Ascent is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Orb Tower doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.

Astral Ascent vs Orb Tower

Astral Ascent and Orb Tower both land in Action, Indie 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 on Steam. Astral Ascent (2023) is 2 years older than Orb Tower (2025). Both sit near 96% positive on Steam (Astral Ascent: 1,699 reviews, Orb Tower: 136). 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 Astral Ascent

Choose Astral Ascent if you want an Adventure game with Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen Co-op. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 1,699 Steam reviews back the pick.

Choose Orb Tower

Choose Orb Tower if it's currently about 92% cheaper on the Steam Store. Orb Tower launched in 2025.

Both Astral Ascent and Orb Tower sit in Action and Indie on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (95.5% vs 95.6% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.

Astral Ascent vs Orb Tower — Steam metadata comparison
	Astral Ascent	Orb Tower
Released	2023	2025
Genres	Action, Indie, Adventure	Action, Indie
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, Linux
Steam Deck	Deck Verified	Unrated
Price	24.99 USD	1.99 USD
Steam reviews	95.5% positive (1,699 reviews)	95.6% positive (136 reviews)
Multiplayer	Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op	Single-player only
Developers	Hibernian Workshop	Pierre Vandermaesen

Side by side

Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
Astral Ascent (2023) is 2 years older than Orb Tower (2025).
Both sit near 96% positive on Steam (Astral Ascent: 1,699 reviews, Orb Tower: 136).
Orb Tower is currently ~92% cheaper on Steam than Astral Ascent (1.99 USD vs. 24.99 USD).
Astral Ascent has co-op; Orb Tower does not.
Astral Ascent is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Orb Tower has no Deck rating yet.