Choose BattleBlock Theater®
Choose BattleBlock Theater® if you want an Adventure and Casual game with Steam Leaderboards. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 97.2% positive across 23,467 reviews.
BattleBlock Theater® vs Shift Happens
BattleBlock Theater® and Shift Happens both land in Action, Indie 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 on Steam. BattleBlock Theater® (2014) is 3 years older than Shift Happens (2017). BattleBlock Theater® scores higher on Steam reviews (97.2% positive) than Shift Happens (77% 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 Shift Happens
Choose Shift Happens if it's the newer release (2017) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Shift Happens launched in 2017.
Both BattleBlock Theater® and Shift Happens sit in Action and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Online PvP, 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
 BattleBlock Theater® |  Shift Happens | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2014 | 2017 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Casual | Action, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 15.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 97.2% positive (23,467 reviews) | 77% positive (670 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op |
| Developers | The Behemoth | Klonk Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- BattleBlock Theater® (2014) is 3 years older than Shift Happens (2017).
- BattleBlock Theater® scores higher on Steam reviews (97.2% positive) than Shift Happens (77% positive).
- BattleBlock Theater® is currently ~6% cheaper on Steam than Shift Happens (14.99 USD vs. 15.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Verified.
BattleBlock Theater® vs Shift Happens — FAQ
- Which is better, BattleBlock Theater® or Shift Happens?
- On Steam reviews BattleBlock Theater® scores higher (97.2% positive) than Shift Happens (77% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, BattleBlock Theater® is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play BattleBlock Theater® or Shift Happens first?
- If you want chronology, BattleBlock Theater® (2014) came out before Shift Happens (2017). 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 BattleBlock Theater® and Shift Happens similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie 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 BattleBlock Theater® and Shift Happens have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: BattleBlock Theater® ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op; Shift Happens ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op.
- Do BattleBlock Theater® and Shift Happens both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.