Choose Hate Wave
Choose Hate Wave if you want a Strategy and Indie experience. Hate Wave launched in 2020.
Hate Wave vs Sandrotten: Ekera
Hate Wave and Sandrotten: Ekera both land in Action, 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, Casual on Steam. Hate Wave (2020) is 5 years older than Sandrotten: Ekera (2025). Sandrotten: Ekera is free; Hate Wave is paid (6.99 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 Sandrotten: Ekera
Choose Sandrotten: Ekera if you want a Free To Play game with Stereo Sound and Playable without Timed Input. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Sandrotten: Ekera launched in 2025.
Both Hate Wave and Sandrotten: Ekera sit in Action and Casual on Steam, 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
 Hate Wave |  Sandrotten: Ekera | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2025 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie, Casual | Action, Free To Play, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 6.99 USD | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 2 reviews | 6 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Fiction Fundation | Sandrotten Studios |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Casual on Steam.
- Hate Wave (2020) is 5 years older than Sandrotten: Ekera (2025).
- Sandrotten: Ekera is free; Hate Wave is paid (6.99 USD).
Hate Wave vs Sandrotten: Ekera — FAQ
- Should I play Hate Wave or Sandrotten: Ekera first?
- If you want chronology, Hate Wave (2020) came out before Sandrotten: Ekera (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 Hate Wave and Sandrotten: Ekera similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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 Sandrotten: Ekera free?
- Yes — Sandrotten: Ekera is a free-to-play Steam title. Hate Wave is paid (6.99 USD).