Choose Interstate Drifter 1999
Choose Interstate Drifter 1999 if you want a Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Interstate Drifter 1999 launched in 2020.
Interstate Drifter 1999 vs Retro Wave
Interstate Drifter 1999 and Retro Wave both land in Action, Indie, Casual 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, Casual on Steam. Interstate Drifter 1999 (2020) is 4 years older than Retro Wave (2024). Interstate Drifter 1999 is free; Retro Wave is paid (4.99 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 Retro Wave
Choose Retro Wave if it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Retro Wave launched in 2024.
Both Interstate Drifter 1999 and Retro Wave sit in Action, Indie, and Casual 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
 Interstate Drifter 1999 |  Retro Wave | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2024 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Free To Play, Casual, Racing | Action, Indie, Casual, Racing |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.3% positive (193 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Ultimo Games | QrowTech |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Casual on Steam.
- Interstate Drifter 1999 (2020) is 4 years older than Retro Wave (2024).
- Interstate Drifter 1999 is free; Retro Wave is paid (4.99 USD).
Interstate Drifter 1999 vs Retro Wave — FAQ
- Should I play Interstate Drifter 1999 or Retro Wave first?
- If you want chronology, Interstate Drifter 1999 (2020) came out before Retro Wave (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 Interstate Drifter 1999 and Retro Wave similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, Casual 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 Interstate Drifter 1999 free?
- Yes — Interstate Drifter 1999 is a free-to-play Steam title. Retro Wave is paid (4.99 USD).