Choose Below The Ocean
Choose Below The Ocean if you want an Action experience. On Steam, it's currently about 25% cheaper on the Steam Store. Below The Ocean launched in 2021.
Below The Ocean vs Upstream
Below The Ocean and Upstream both land in Indie, Adventure, 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 Indie, Adventure, Casual on Steam. Below The Ocean (2021) is 4 years older than Upstream (2025). Upstream scores higher on Steam reviews (100% positive) than Below The Ocean (98.1% 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 Upstream
Choose Upstream if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2025) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Upstream launched in 2025.
Both Below The Ocean and Upstream sit in Indie, Adventure, and Casual on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (98.1% vs 100% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Below The Ocean |  Upstream | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2025 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Casual | Indie, Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 5.99 USD | 7.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 98.1% positive (103 reviews) | 100% positive (13 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Ismael Rodriguez | Gllama Games |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure, Casual on Steam.
- Below The Ocean (2021) is 4 years older than Upstream (2025).
- Upstream scores higher on Steam reviews (100% positive) than Below The Ocean (98.1% positive).
- Below The Ocean is currently ~25% cheaper on Steam than Upstream (5.99 USD vs. 7.99 USD).
Below The Ocean vs Upstream — FAQ
- Should I play Below The Ocean or Upstream first?
- If you want chronology, Below The Ocean (2021) came out before Upstream (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 Below The Ocean and Upstream similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure, 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.