Choose Within the Backrooms
Choose Within the Backrooms if you want a Casual experience. Within the Backrooms launched in 2023.
Within the Backrooms vs Eternal Afternoon
Within the Backrooms and Eternal Afternoon 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. Within the Backrooms (2023) is 3 years older than Eternal Afternoon (2026). Eternal Afternoon scores higher on Steam reviews (98.1% positive) than Within the Backrooms (96.3% 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 Eternal Afternoon
Choose Eternal Afternoon if you want the Custom Volume Controls, Stereo Sound, and Surround Sound side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Eternal Afternoon launched in 2026.
Both Within the Backrooms and Eternal Afternoon sit in Indie and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (96.3% vs 98.1% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Within the Backrooms |  Eternal Afternoon | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2023 | 2026 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Casual | Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Playable |
| Price | 7.99 USD | 8.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.3% positive (134 reviews) | 98.1% positive (267 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Shattered Display | Alex Klexber |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Within the Backrooms (2023) is 3 years older than Eternal Afternoon (2026).
- Eternal Afternoon scores higher on Steam reviews (98.1% positive) than Within the Backrooms (96.3% positive).
- Within the Backrooms is currently ~11% cheaper on Steam than Eternal Afternoon (7.99 USD vs. 8.99 USD).
- Eternal Afternoon is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Within the Backrooms has no Deck rating yet.
Within the Backrooms vs Eternal Afternoon — FAQ
- Which is better, Within the Backrooms or Eternal Afternoon?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Within the Backrooms sits at 96.3% positive (134 reviews), Eternal Afternoon at 98.1% (267). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Within the Backrooms or Eternal Afternoon first?
- If you want chronology, Within the Backrooms (2023) came out before Eternal Afternoon (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 Within the Backrooms and Eternal Afternoon 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.