Choose Venus: Improbable Dream
Choose Venus: Improbable Dream if you want a Casual experience. Venus: Improbable Dream launched in 2021.
Venus: Improbable Dream vs Short Sad Stories
Venus: Improbable Dream and Short Sad Stories both land in 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 are Indie games on Steam. Venus: Improbable Dream (2021) is 2 years older than Short Sad Stories (2023). Both sit near 100% positive on Steam (Venus: Improbable Dream: 14 reviews, Short Sad Stories: 11). 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 Short Sad Stories
Choose Short Sad Stories if you want an Adventure experience. On Steam, it's currently about 77% cheaper on the Steam Store. Short Sad Stories launched in 2023.
Both Venus: Improbable Dream and Short Sad Stories sit in Indie on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (100% vs 100% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Venus: Improbable Dream |  Short Sad Stories | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2023 |
| Genres | Indie, Casual | Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 12.99 USD | 2.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 100% positive (14 reviews) | 100% positive (11 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Borealis | Pent Panda |
Side by side
- Both are Indie games on Steam.
- Venus: Improbable Dream (2021) is 2 years older than Short Sad Stories (2023).
- Both sit near 100% positive on Steam (Venus: Improbable Dream: 14 reviews, Short Sad Stories: 11).
- Short Sad Stories is currently ~77% cheaper on Steam than Venus: Improbable Dream (2.99 USD vs. 12.99 USD).
Venus: Improbable Dream vs Short Sad Stories — FAQ
- Should I play Venus: Improbable Dream or Short Sad Stories first?
- If you want chronology, Venus: Improbable Dream (2021) came out before Short Sad Stories (2023). 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 Venus: Improbable Dream and Short Sad Stories similar?
- They overlap on 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.