Choose Into the Waves
Choose Into the Waves if you want an Indie and Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Into the Waves launched in 2021.
Into the Waves vs Touhou: Beyond Gensokyo
Into the Waves and Touhou: Beyond Gensokyo both land in 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 Adventure, Casual on Steam. Into the Waves (2021) is 5 years older than Touhou: Beyond Gensokyo (2026). Touhou: Beyond Gensokyo scores higher on Steam reviews (84.2% positive) than Into the Waves (81.5% 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 Touhou: Beyond Gensokyo
Choose Touhou: Beyond Gensokyo if you want the DualShock Controller Support, Color Alternatives, and Custom Volume Controls side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Touhou: Beyond Gensokyo launched in 2026.
Both Into the Waves and Touhou: Beyond Gensokyo sit in Adventure 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
 Into the Waves |  Touhou: Beyond Gensokyo | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2026 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Free To Play, Casual | Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | 8.49 USD |
| Steam reviews | 81.5% positive (27 reviews) | 84.2% positive (19 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Flying Whale | FUF Games |
Side by side
- Both share Adventure, Casual on Steam.
- Into the Waves (2021) is 5 years older than Touhou: Beyond Gensokyo (2026).
- Touhou: Beyond Gensokyo scores higher on Steam reviews (84.2% positive) than Into the Waves (81.5% positive).
- Into the Waves is free; Touhou: Beyond Gensokyo is paid (8.49 USD).
- Into the Waves is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Touhou: Beyond Gensokyo has no Deck rating yet.
Into the Waves vs Touhou: Beyond Gensokyo — FAQ
- Should I play Into the Waves or Touhou: Beyond Gensokyo first?
- If you want chronology, Into the Waves (2021) came out before Touhou: Beyond Gensokyo (2026). 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 Into the Waves and Touhou: Beyond Gensokyo similar?
- They overlap on 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.
- Is Into the Waves free?
- Yes — Into the Waves is a free-to-play Steam title. Touhou: Beyond Gensokyo is paid (8.49 USD).
- Does Into the Waves run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Into the Waves is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Touhou: Beyond Gensokyo doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.