Choose Nuclear Throne
Choose Nuclear Throne if you want an Indie and RPG game with Shared/Split Screen, Steam Leaderboards, and Shared/Split Screen Co-op. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 96.5% positive across 9,705 reviews.
Nuclear Throne vs Returnal™
Nuclear Throne and Returnal™ both land in Action 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 are Action games on Steam. Nuclear Throne (2015) is 8 years older than Returnal™ (2023). Nuclear Throne scores higher on Steam reviews (96.5% positive) than Returnal™ (81.1% 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 Returnal™
Choose Returnal™ if you want the Online Co-op, Adjustable Text Size, and Subtitle Options side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 4,484 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Nuclear Throne and Returnal™ sit in Action on Steam and both list Multi-player, Color Alternatives, and Camera Comfort, 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
 Nuclear Throne |  Returnal™ | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2023 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, RPG | Action |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 11.99 USD | 59.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.5% positive (9,705 reviews) | 81.1% positive (4,484 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Vlambeer | Housemarque, Climax Studios |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Nuclear Throne (2015) is 8 years older than Returnal™ (2023).
- Nuclear Throne scores higher on Steam reviews (96.5% positive) than Returnal™ (81.1% positive).
- Nuclear Throne is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than Returnal™ (11.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: Nuclear Throne is Deck Verified, Returnal™ is Deck Unsupported.
Nuclear Throne vs Returnal™ — FAQ
- Which is better, Nuclear Throne or Returnal™?
- On Steam reviews Nuclear Throne scores higher (96.5% positive) than Returnal™ (81.1% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Nuclear Throne is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Nuclear Throne or Returnal™ first?
- If you want chronology, Nuclear Throne (2015) came out before Returnal™ (2023). 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 Nuclear Throne and Returnal™ similar?
- They overlap on Action 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 Nuclear Throne and Returnal™ have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Nuclear Throne ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op; Returnal™ ships Online Co-op, Co-op.