Choose In The Backrooms
Choose In The Backrooms if you want a Simulation experience. On Steam, it's currently about 80% cheaper on the Steam Store. In The Backrooms launched in 2022.
In The Backrooms vs While Sleeping
In The Backrooms and While Sleeping both land in Action, 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 Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam. In The Backrooms (2022) is 2 years older than While Sleeping (2024). While Sleeping scores higher on Steam reviews (83.3% positive) than In The Backrooms (54% 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 While Sleeping
Choose While Sleeping if it matches what drew you to this matchup. While Sleeping launched in 2024.
Both In The Backrooms and While Sleeping sit in Action, 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
 In The Backrooms |  While Sleeping | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2022 | 2024 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 0.99 USD | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 54% positive (50 reviews) | 83.3% positive (30 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | BLOCK 211 | Sangwoon Jin |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- In The Backrooms (2022) is 2 years older than While Sleeping (2024).
- While Sleeping scores higher on Steam reviews (83.3% positive) than In The Backrooms (54% positive).
- In The Backrooms is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than While Sleeping (0.99 USD vs. 4.99 USD).
In The Backrooms vs While Sleeping — FAQ
- Should I play In The Backrooms or While Sleeping first?
- If you want chronology, In The Backrooms (2022) came out before While Sleeping (2024). 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 In The Backrooms and While Sleeping similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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.