Choose The Backrooms
Choose The Backrooms if you want an Adventure experience. The Backrooms launched in 2022.
The Backrooms vs Risk the Dark
The Backrooms and Risk the Dark both land in Action, Indie, Early Access 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, Early Access on Steam. The Backrooms (2022) is 3 years older than Risk the Dark (2025). The Backrooms is currently ~9% cheaper on Steam than Risk the Dark (9.99 USD vs. 10.99 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 Risk the Dark
Choose Risk the Dark if it's the newer release (2025) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Risk the Dark launched in 2025.
Both The Backrooms and Risk the Dark sit in Action, Indie, and Early Access 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
 The Backrooms |  Risk the Dark | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2022 | 2025 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Early Access | Action, Indie, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 10.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 59.2% positive (71 reviews) | 1 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Ionized Games | CafPain |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Early Access on Steam.
- The Backrooms (2022) is 3 years older than Risk the Dark (2025).
- The Backrooms is currently ~9% cheaper on Steam than Risk the Dark (9.99 USD vs. 10.99 USD).
- The Backrooms is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Risk the Dark has no Deck rating yet.
The Backrooms vs Risk the Dark — FAQ
- Should I play The Backrooms or Risk the Dark first?
- If you want chronology, The Backrooms (2022) came out before Risk the Dark (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 The Backrooms and Risk the Dark similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, Early Access 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.
- Does The Backrooms run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — The Backrooms is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Risk the Dark doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.