Choose Nuclear Throne
Choose Nuclear Throne if you want the Steam Leaderboards, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, and Color Alternatives side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 96.5% positive across 9,705 reviews.
Nuclear Throne vs Risk of Rain (2013)
Nuclear Throne and Risk of Rain (2013) 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. Risk of Rain (2013) (2013) is 2 years older than Nuclear Throne (2015). Nuclear Throne scores higher on Steam reviews (96.5% positive) than Risk of Rain (2013) (93.2% 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 Risk of Rain (2013)
Choose Risk of Rain (2013) if you want the Adjustable Text Size and Keyboard Only Option side of the pairing. 14,874 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Nuclear Throne and Risk of Rain (2013) sit in Action, Indie, and RPG on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Custom Volume Controls, 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 |  Risk of Rain (2013) | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2013 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, RPG | Action, Indie, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 11.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.5% positive (9,705 reviews) | 93.2% positive (14,874 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Co-op |
| Developers | Vlambeer | Hopoo Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, RPG on Steam.
- Risk of Rain (2013) (2013) is 2 years older than Nuclear Throne (2015).
- Nuclear Throne scores higher on Steam reviews (96.5% positive) than Risk of Rain (2013) (93.2% positive).
- Risk of Rain (2013) is currently ~17% cheaper on Steam than Nuclear Throne (9.99 USD vs. 11.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: Nuclear Throne is Deck Verified, Risk of Rain (2013) is Deck Playable.
Nuclear Throne vs Risk of Rain (2013) — FAQ
- Which is better, Nuclear Throne or Risk of Rain (2013)?
- On Steam reviews Nuclear Throne scores higher (96.5% positive) than Risk of Rain (2013) (93.2% 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 Risk of Rain (2013) first?
- If you want chronology, Risk of Rain (2013) (2013) came out before Nuclear Throne (2015). 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 Risk of Rain (2013) 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 Risk of Rain (2013) have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Nuclear Throne ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op; Risk of Rain (2013) ships Co-op.