Choose FTL: Faster Than Light
Choose FTL: Faster Than Light if you want a Strategy experience. 46,262 Steam reviews back the pick.
FTL: Faster Than Light vs Space Launch Engineer
FTL: Faster Than Light and Space Launch Engineer both land in Indie, Simulation 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, Simulation on Steam. FTL: Faster Than Light (2012) is 6 years older than Space Launch Engineer (2018). FTL: Faster Than Light scores higher on Steam reviews (95.5% positive) than Space Launch Engineer (0% 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 Space Launch Engineer
Choose Space Launch Engineer if it's the newer release (2018) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Space Launch Engineer launched in 2018.
Both FTL: Faster Than Light and Space Launch Engineer sit in Indie and Simulation 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
 FTL: Faster Than Light |  Space Launch Engineer | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2018 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Simulation | Indie, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 9.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 95.5% positive (46,262 reviews) | 0% positive (11 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Subset Games | Simulators Live |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Simulation on Steam.
- FTL: Faster Than Light (2012) is 6 years older than Space Launch Engineer (2018).
- FTL: Faster Than Light scores higher on Steam reviews (95.5% positive) than Space Launch Engineer (0% positive).
- FTL: Faster Than Light is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Space Launch Engineer has no Deck rating yet.
FTL: Faster Than Light vs Space Launch Engineer — FAQ
- Should I play FTL: Faster Than Light or Space Launch Engineer first?
- If you want chronology, FTL: Faster Than Light (2012) came out before Space Launch Engineer (2018). 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 FTL: Faster Than Light and Space Launch Engineer similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Simulation 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 FTL: Faster Than Light run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — FTL: Faster Than Light is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Space Launch Engineer doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.