Choose Nuclear Throne
Choose Nuclear Throne if you want a RPG game with Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, 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 EMPTY SHELL
Nuclear Throne and EMPTY SHELL 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 8 years older than EMPTY SHELL (2023). Nuclear Throne scores higher on Steam reviews (96.5% positive) than EMPTY SHELL (92.4% 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 EMPTY SHELL
Choose EMPTY SHELL if you want an Adventure experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. EMPTY SHELL launched in 2023.
Both Nuclear Throne and EMPTY SHELL sit in Action and Indie on Steam and both list 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 |  EMPTY SHELL | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2023 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, RPG | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 11.99 USD | 11.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.5% positive (9,705 reviews) | 92.4% positive (406 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Vlambeer | CC ARTS |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Nuclear Throne (2015) is 8 years older than EMPTY SHELL (2023).
- Nuclear Throne scores higher on Steam reviews (96.5% positive) than EMPTY SHELL (92.4% positive).
- EMPTY SHELL is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Nuclear Throne (11.99 USD vs. 11.99 USD).
- Nuclear Throne has co-op; EMPTY SHELL does not.
- Both are Deck Verified.
Nuclear Throne vs EMPTY SHELL — FAQ
- Which is better, Nuclear Throne or EMPTY SHELL?
- On Steam reviews Nuclear Throne scores higher (96.5% positive) than EMPTY SHELL (92.4% 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 EMPTY SHELL first?
- If you want chronology, Nuclear Throne (2015) came out before EMPTY SHELL (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 EMPTY SHELL 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 EMPTY SHELL have multiplayer like Nuclear Throne?
- No. Nuclear Throne supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op), while EMPTY SHELL is listed as single-player only.
- Do Nuclear Throne and EMPTY SHELL 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.