Choose Nuclear Throne
Choose Nuclear Throne if you want a RPG game with Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Steam Leaderboards. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 96.5% positive across 9,705 reviews.
Nuclear Throne vs Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate
Nuclear Throne and Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate 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. Nuclear Throne (2015) is 7 years older than Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate (2022). Nuclear Throne scores higher on Steam reviews (96.5% positive) than Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate (93.7% 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 Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate
Choose Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate if you want a Strategy game with Mouse Only Option. On Steam, it's the newer release (2022) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 3,713 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Nuclear Throne and Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate sit in Action and Indie on Steam and both list Custom Volume Controls and Playable without Timed Input, 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 |  Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2022 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, RPG | Action, Strategy, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 11.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.5% positive (9,705 reviews) | 93.7% positive (3,713 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Vlambeer | PUNKCAKE Delicieux |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Nuclear Throne (2015) is 7 years older than Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate (2022).
- Nuclear Throne scores higher on Steam reviews (96.5% positive) than Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate (93.7% positive).
- Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate is currently ~17% cheaper on Steam than Nuclear Throne (9.99 USD vs. 11.99 USD).
- Nuclear Throne has co-op; Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate does not.
- Both are Deck Verified.
Nuclear Throne vs Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate — FAQ
- Which is better, Nuclear Throne or Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate?
- On Steam reviews Nuclear Throne scores higher (96.5% positive) than Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate (93.7% 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 Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate first?
- If you want chronology, Nuclear Throne (2015) came out before Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate (2022). 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 Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate 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.
- Does Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate have multiplayer like Nuclear Throne?
- No. Nuclear Throne supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op), while Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate is listed as single-player only.
- Do Nuclear Throne and Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate 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.