Choose Nuclear Throne
Choose Nuclear Throne if you want the Shared/Split Screen, Steam Leaderboards, 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 Hyper Light Drifter
Nuclear Throne and Hyper Light Drifter 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 1 year older than Hyper Light Drifter (2016). Nuclear Throne scores higher on Steam reviews (96.5% positive) than Hyper Light Drifter (93.1% 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 Hyper Light Drifter
Choose Hyper Light Drifter if you want an Adventure game with Shared/Split Screen PvP and PvP. On Steam, it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. 10,351 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Nuclear Throne and Hyper Light Drifter sit in Action, Indie, and RPG on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, and Co-op, 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 |  Hyper Light Drifter | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2016 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, RPG | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 11.99 USD | 5.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.5% positive (9,705 reviews) | 93.1% positive (10,351 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Vlambeer | Heart Machine |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, RPG on Steam.
- Nuclear Throne (2015) is 1 year older than Hyper Light Drifter (2016).
- Nuclear Throne scores higher on Steam reviews (96.5% positive) than Hyper Light Drifter (93.1% positive).
- Hyper Light Drifter is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Nuclear Throne (5.99 USD vs. 11.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Verified.
Nuclear Throne vs Hyper Light Drifter — FAQ
- Which is better, Nuclear Throne or Hyper Light Drifter?
- On Steam reviews Nuclear Throne scores higher (96.5% positive) than Hyper Light Drifter (93.1% 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 Hyper Light Drifter first?
- If you want chronology, Nuclear Throne (2015) came out before Hyper Light Drifter (2016). 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 Hyper Light Drifter 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 Hyper Light Drifter have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Nuclear Throne ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op; Hyper Light Drifter ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op.
- Do Nuclear Throne and Hyper Light Drifter 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.