Which is better, Risk of Rain Returns or Returnal™?

On Steam reviews Risk of Rain Returns scores higher (94.7% positive) than Returnal™ (81.1% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Risk of Rain Returns is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.

Are Risk of Rain Returns and Returnal™ similar?

They overlap on Action 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 Risk of Rain Returns and Returnal™ have co-op?

Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Risk of Rain Returns ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op; Returnal™ ships Online Co-op, Co-op.

Risk of Rain Returns vs Returnal™

Risk of Rain Returns and Returnal™ both land in Action 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 are Action games on Steam. Both released in 2023. Risk of Rain Returns scores higher on Steam reviews (94.7% positive) than Returnal™ (81.1% 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 Risk of Rain Returns

Choose Risk of Rain Returns if you want the Shared/Split Screen, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, and Playable without Timed Input side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 94.7% positive across 16,644 reviews.

Choose Returnal™

Choose Returnal™ if you want the Surround Sound and Save Anytime side of the pairing. 4,484 Steam reviews back the pick.

Both Risk of Rain Returns and Returnal™ sit in Action on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, and Adjustable Text Size, 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.

Risk of Rain Returns vs Returnal™ — Steam metadata comparison
	Risk of Rain Returns	Returnal™
Released	2023	2023
Genres	Action	Action
Platforms	Windows	Windows
Steam Deck	Deck Verified	Deck Unsupported
Price	14.99 USD	59.99 USD
Steam reviews	94.7% positive (16,644 reviews)	81.1% positive (4,484 reviews)
Multiplayer	Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op	Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op
Developers	Hopoo Games	Housemarque, Climax Studios

Side by side

Both are Action games on Steam.
Both released in 2023.
Risk of Rain Returns scores higher on Steam reviews (94.7% positive) than Returnal™ (81.1% positive).
Risk of Rain Returns is currently ~75% cheaper on Steam than Returnal™ (14.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD).
Both support cooperative play.
Steam Deck: Risk of Rain Returns is Deck Verified, Returnal™ is Deck Unsupported.