Choose In The Backrooms
Choose In The Backrooms if you want an Action experience. On Steam, it's currently about 78% cheaper on the Steam Store. In The Backrooms launched in 2022.
In The Backrooms vs Room 404
In The Backrooms and Room 404 both land in Indie, Adventure, 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, Adventure, Simulation on Steam. In The Backrooms (2022) is 3 years older than Room 404 (2025). Room 404 scores higher on Steam reviews (84.6% 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 Room 404
Choose Room 404 if it's the newer release (2025) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Room 404 launched in 2025.
Both In The Backrooms and Room 404 sit in Indie, Adventure, 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
 In The Backrooms |  Room 404 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2022 | 2025 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation | Indie, Adventure, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Playable |
| Price | 0.99 USD | 4.49 USD |
| Steam reviews | 54% positive (50 reviews) | 84.6% positive (13 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | BLOCK 211 | Multimedium |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure, Simulation on Steam.
- In The Backrooms (2022) is 3 years older than Room 404 (2025).
- Room 404 scores higher on Steam reviews (84.6% positive) than In The Backrooms (54% positive).
- In The Backrooms is currently ~78% cheaper on Steam than Room 404 (0.99 USD vs. 4.49 USD).
- Room 404 is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; In The Backrooms has no Deck rating yet.
In The Backrooms vs Room 404 — FAQ
- Should I play In The Backrooms or Room 404 first?
- If you want chronology, In The Backrooms (2022) came out before Room 404 (2025). 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 Room 404 similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure, 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.