Choose Return the Backrooms
Choose Return the Backrooms if you want an Early Access game with Multi-player, Online Co-op, and Co-op. On Steam, it's currently about 20% cheaper on the Steam Store. Return the Backrooms launched in 2022.
Return the Backrooms vs Escape from Castle Porcrest
Return the Backrooms and Escape from Castle Porcrest both land in Indie, Adventure 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 on Steam. Return the Backrooms (2022) is 4 years older than Escape from Castle Porcrest (2026). Return the Backrooms is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than Escape from Castle Porcrest (3.99 USD vs. 4.99 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 Escape from Castle Porcrest
Choose Escape from Castle Porcrest if you want an Action experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Escape from Castle Porcrest launched in 2026.
Both Return the Backrooms and Escape from Castle Porcrest sit in Indie and Adventure 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
 Return the Backrooms |  Escape from Castle Porcrest | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2022 | 2026 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Early Access | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 3.99 USD | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 22.2% positive (18 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Skmaestro | SDK STUDIO |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Return the Backrooms (2022) is 4 years older than Escape from Castle Porcrest (2026).
- Return the Backrooms is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than Escape from Castle Porcrest (3.99 USD vs. 4.99 USD).
- Return the Backrooms has co-op; Escape from Castle Porcrest does not.
Return the Backrooms vs Escape from Castle Porcrest — FAQ
- Should I play Return the Backrooms or Escape from Castle Porcrest first?
- If you want chronology, Return the Backrooms (2022) came out before Escape from Castle Porcrest (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 Return the Backrooms and Escape from Castle Porcrest similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure 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 Escape from Castle Porcrest have multiplayer like Return the Backrooms?
- No. Return the Backrooms supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op), while Escape from Castle Porcrest is listed as single-player only.