Choose Nuclear Throne
Choose Nuclear Throne if you want the Color Alternatives, Camera Comfort, and Custom Volume Controls side of the pairing. 9,705 Steam reviews back the pick.
Nuclear Throne vs Survivor Mercs
Nuclear Throne and Survivor Mercs both land in Action, Indie, RPG 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, RPG on Steam. Nuclear Throne (2015) is 11 years older than Survivor Mercs (2026). Nuclear Throne scores higher on Steam reviews (96.5% positive) than Survivor Mercs (75.8% 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 Survivor Mercs
Choose Survivor Mercs if you want a Casual experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Survivor Mercs launched in 2026.
Both Nuclear Throne and Survivor Mercs sit in Action, Indie, and RPG on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Steam Leaderboards, 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 |  Survivor Mercs | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, RPG | Action, Indie, RPG, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 11.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.5% positive (9,705 reviews) | 75.8% positive (95 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Vlambeer | Wolpertinger Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, RPG on Steam.
- Nuclear Throne (2015) is 11 years older than Survivor Mercs (2026).
- Nuclear Throne scores higher on Steam reviews (96.5% positive) than Survivor Mercs (75.8% positive).
- Survivor Mercs is currently ~17% cheaper on Steam than Nuclear Throne (9.99 USD vs. 11.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Verified.
Nuclear Throne vs Survivor Mercs — FAQ
- Should I play Nuclear Throne or Survivor Mercs first?
- If you want chronology, Nuclear Throne (2015) came out before Survivor Mercs (2026). 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 Survivor Mercs similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, RPG 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 Survivor Mercs have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Nuclear Throne ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op; Survivor Mercs ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op.
- Do Nuclear Throne and Survivor Mercs 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.