Choose V Rising
Choose V Rising if you want the Subtitle Options, Camera Comfort, and Custom Volume Controls side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 89.9% positive across 53,797 reviews.
V Rising vs Plains of Pain
V Rising and Plains of Pain both land in Action, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer 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, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer on Steam. Plains of Pain (2023) is 1 year older than V Rising (2024). V Rising scores higher on Steam reviews (89.9% positive) than Plains of Pain (84.4% 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 Plains of Pain
Choose Plains of Pain if you want an Indie, Simulation, and RPG experience. On Steam, it's currently about 43% cheaper on the Steam Store. Plains of Pain launched in 2023.
Both V Rising and Plains of Pain sit in Action, Adventure, and Massively Multiplayer on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online Co-op, 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
 V Rising |  Plains of Pain | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024 | 2023 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 34.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 89.9% positive (53,797 reviews) | 84.4% positive (423 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op |
| Developers | Stunlock Studios | Cobra Byte Digital |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer on Steam.
- Plains of Pain (2023) is 1 year older than V Rising (2024).
- V Rising scores higher on Steam reviews (89.9% positive) than Plains of Pain (84.4% positive).
- Plains of Pain is currently ~43% cheaper on Steam than V Rising (19.99 USD vs. 34.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: V Rising is Deck Verified, Plains of Pain is Deck Playable.
V Rising vs Plains of Pain — FAQ
- Which is better, V Rising or Plains of Pain?
- On Steam reviews V Rising scores higher (89.9% positive) than Plains of Pain (84.4% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, V Rising is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play V Rising or Plains of Pain first?
- If you want chronology, Plains of Pain (2023) came out before V Rising (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 V Rising and Plains of Pain similar?
- They overlap on Action, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer 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 V Rising and Plains of Pain have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: V Rising ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op; Plains of Pain ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op.