Choose Nuclear Throne
Choose Nuclear Throne if you want the Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 9,705 Steam reviews back the pick.
Nuclear Throne vs DESERT KILL
Nuclear Throne and DESERT KILL 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 4 years older than DESERT KILL (2019). DESERT KILL is currently ~58% cheaper on Steam than Nuclear Throne (4.99 USD vs. 11.99 USD). 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 DESERT KILL
Choose DESERT KILL if you want an Early Access experience. On Steam, it's currently about 58% cheaper on the Steam Store. DESERT KILL launched in 2019.
Both Nuclear Throne and DESERT KILL sit in Action, Indie, and RPG on Steam, 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 |  DESERT KILL | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2019 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, RPG | Action, Indie, RPG, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 11.99 USD | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.5% positive (9,705 reviews) | 1 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Vlambeer | Megame LLC |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, RPG on Steam.
- Nuclear Throne (2015) is 4 years older than DESERT KILL (2019).
- DESERT KILL is currently ~58% cheaper on Steam than Nuclear Throne (4.99 USD vs. 11.99 USD).
- Nuclear Throne has co-op; DESERT KILL does not.
- Nuclear Throne is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; DESERT KILL has no Deck rating yet.
Nuclear Throne vs DESERT KILL — FAQ
- Should I play Nuclear Throne or DESERT KILL first?
- If you want chronology, Nuclear Throne (2015) came out before DESERT KILL (2019). 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 DESERT KILL 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.
- Does DESERT KILL have multiplayer like Nuclear Throne?
- No. Nuclear Throne supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op), while DESERT KILL is listed as single-player only.
- Does Nuclear Throne run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Nuclear Throne is rated Deck Verified by Valve. DESERT KILL doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.