Choose MapleStory
Choose MapleStory if you want a Free To Play and Casual experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. 12,891 Steam reviews back the pick.
MapleStory vs The Tau Experiment
MapleStory and The Tau Experiment both land in Action, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer 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, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer on Steam. MapleStory is free; The Tau Experiment is paid (Price unknown). Both support cooperative play. 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 The Tau Experiment
Choose The Tau Experiment if you want an Indie game with Online Co-op.
Both MapleStory and The Tau Experiment sit in Action, Adventure, and Massively Multiplayer on Steam and both list Multi-player, MMO, and Co-op, 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
 MapleStory |  The Tau Experiment | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | — |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Free To Play, Casual | Action, Indie, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 61.6% positive (12,891 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | NEXON Korea Corporation | Mistflux Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer on Steam.
- MapleStory is free; The Tau Experiment is paid (Price unknown).
- Both support cooperative play.
- MapleStory is Deck Unsupported on Steam Deck; The Tau Experiment has no Deck rating yet.
MapleStory vs The Tau Experiment — FAQ
- Are MapleStory and The Tau Experiment similar?
- They overlap on Action, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer 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.
- Do both MapleStory and The Tau Experiment have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: MapleStory ships Co-op; The Tau Experiment ships Online Co-op, Co-op.
- Is MapleStory free?
- Yes — MapleStory is a free-to-play Steam title. The Tau Experiment is paid (Price unknown).