IMHO.

Crypt of the NecroDancer vs Rift of the NecroDancer

Crypt of the NecroDancer and Rift of the NecroDancer 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. Crypt of the NecroDancer (2015) is 10 years older than Rift of the NecroDancer (2025). Both sit near 95% positive on Steam (Crypt of the NecroDancer: 12,463 reviews, Rift of the NecroDancer: 2,813). 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 Crypt of the NecroDancer

Choose Crypt of the NecroDancer if you want the Multi-player, Steam Leaderboards, and Shared/Split Screen Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 85% cheaper on the Steam Store. 12,463 Steam reviews back the pick.

Choose Rift of the NecroDancer

Choose Rift of the NecroDancer if it's the newer release (2025) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 2,813 Steam reviews back the pick.

Both Crypt of the NecroDancer and Rift of the NecroDancer sit in Action, Indie, and RPG on Steam and both list Color Alternatives, Camera Comfort, and Custom Volume Controls, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (95.5% vs 94.7% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.

Side-by-side comparison

Crypt of the NecroDancer vs Rift of the NecroDancer — Steam metadata comparison
Crypt of the NecroDancer — Steam game coverCrypt of the NecroDancerRift of the NecroDancer — Steam game coverRift of the NecroDancer
Released20152025
GenresAction, Indie, RPGAction, Indie, RPG
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxWindows
Steam DeckDeck VerifiedDeck Verified
Price2.99 USD19.99 USD
Steam reviews95.5% positive (12,463 reviews)94.7% positive (2,813 reviews)
MultiplayerMulti-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-opSingle-player only
DevelopersBrace Yourself GamesBrace Yourself Games, Tic Toc Games

Side by side

Crypt of the NecroDancer vs Rift of the NecroDancer — FAQ

Which is better, Crypt of the NecroDancer or Rift of the NecroDancer?
On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Crypt of the NecroDancer sits at 95.5% positive (12,463 reviews), Rift of the NecroDancer at 94.7% (2,813). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
Should I play Crypt of the NecroDancer or Rift of the NecroDancer first?
If you want chronology, Crypt of the NecroDancer (2015) came out before Rift of the NecroDancer (2025). 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 Crypt of the NecroDancer and Rift of the NecroDancer 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 Rift of the NecroDancer have multiplayer like Crypt of the NecroDancer?
No. Crypt of the NecroDancer supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op), while Rift of the NecroDancer is listed as single-player only.
Do Crypt of the NecroDancer and Rift of the NecroDancer 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.
Crypt of the NecroDancer vs Rift of the NecroDancer · imho.run