Choose Nuclear Throne
Choose Nuclear Throne if you want a RPG game with Steam Leaderboards, Color Alternatives, and Camera Comfort. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 96.5% positive across 9,705 reviews.
Nuclear Throne vs Apocalypse Express
Nuclear Throne and Apocalypse Express 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 11 years older than Apocalypse Express (2026). Nuclear Throne scores higher on Steam reviews (96.5% positive) than Apocalypse Express (82.4% 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 Apocalypse Express
Choose Apocalypse Express if you want a Strategy experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Apocalypse Express launched in 2026.
Both Nuclear Throne and Apocalypse Express sit in Action and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen 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 |  Apocalypse Express | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, RPG | Action, Strategy, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 11.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.5% positive (9,705 reviews) | 82.4% positive (245 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Vlambeer | Llamaware Studios |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Nuclear Throne (2015) is 11 years older than Apocalypse Express (2026).
- Nuclear Throne scores higher on Steam reviews (96.5% positive) than Apocalypse Express (82.4% positive).
- Apocalypse Express 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, Apocalypse Express is Deck Playable.
Nuclear Throne vs Apocalypse Express — FAQ
- Which is better, Nuclear Throne or Apocalypse Express?
- On Steam reviews Nuclear Throne scores higher (96.5% positive) than Apocalypse Express (82.4% 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 Apocalypse Express first?
- If you want chronology, Nuclear Throne (2015) came out before Apocalypse Express (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 Apocalypse Express 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.
- Do both Nuclear Throne and Apocalypse Express have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Nuclear Throne ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op; Apocalypse Express ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op.