Choose Velocity®Ultra
Choose Velocity®Ultra if you want the Mouse Only Option side of the pairing. Velocity®Ultra launched in 2013.
Velocity®Ultra vs Shmup!
Velocity®Ultra and Shmup! 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. Velocity®Ultra (2013) is 13 years older than Shmup! (2026). Velocity®Ultra is Deck Unsupported on Steam Deck; Shmup! has no Deck rating yet. 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 Shmup!
Choose Shmup! if you want the Color Alternatives, Playable without Timed Input, and Adjustable Difficulty side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Shmup! launched in 2026.
Both Velocity®Ultra and Shmup! sit in Action and Indie on Steam and both list Steam Leaderboards, Custom Volume Controls, and Keyboard Only Option, 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
 Velocity®Ultra |  Shmup! | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Indie | Action, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Unrated |
| Price | 1.39 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 87.7% positive (65 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Curve Studios, FuturLab | Conti Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Velocity®Ultra (2013) is 13 years older than Shmup! (2026).
- Velocity®Ultra is Deck Unsupported on Steam Deck; Shmup! has no Deck rating yet.
Velocity®Ultra vs Shmup! — FAQ
- Should I play Velocity®Ultra or Shmup! first?
- If you want chronology, Velocity®Ultra (2013) came out before Shmup! (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 Velocity®Ultra and Shmup! 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.