Which is better, Risk of Rain (2013) or Risk of Rain 2?

On Steam reviews Risk of Rain 2 scores higher (95.3% positive) than Risk of Rain (2013) (93.2% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Risk of Rain 2 is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.

Should I play Risk of Rain (2013) or Risk of Rain 2 first?

If you want chronology, Risk of Rain (2013) (2013) came out before Risk of Rain 2 (2020). 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 Risk of Rain (2013) and Risk of Rain 2 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 Risk of Rain (2013) and Risk of Rain 2 have co-op?

Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Risk of Rain (2013) ships Co-op; Risk of Rain 2 ships Online Co-op, Co-op.

Risk of Rain (2013) vs Risk of Rain 2

Risk of Rain (2013) and Risk of Rain 2 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. Risk of Rain (2013) (2013) is 7 years older than Risk of Rain 2 (2020). Risk of Rain 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (95.3% positive) than Risk of Rain (2013) (93.2% 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 Risk of Rain (2013)

Choose Risk of Rain (2013) if you want a RPG game with Shared/Split Screen, Playable without Timed Input, and Keyboard Only Option. On Steam, it's currently about 60% cheaper on the Steam Store. 14,874 Steam reviews back the pick.

Choose Risk of Rain 2

Choose Risk of Rain 2 if you want the Steam Leaderboards, Online PvP, and Online Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 95.3% positive across 160,098 reviews.

Both Risk of Rain (2013) and Risk of Rain 2 sit in Action and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Adjustable Text Size, and Custom Volume Controls, 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.

Risk of Rain (2013) vs Risk of Rain 2 — Steam metadata comparison
	Risk of Rain (2013)	Risk of Rain 2
Released	2013	2020
Genres	Action, Indie, RPG	Action, Indie
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows
Steam Deck	Deck Playable	Deck Playable
Price	9.99 USD	24.99 USD
Steam reviews	93.2% positive (14,874 reviews)	95.3% positive (160,098 reviews)
Multiplayer	Multi-player, Co-op	Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op
Developers	Hopoo Games	Hopoo Games

Side by side

Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
Risk of Rain (2013) (2013) is 7 years older than Risk of Rain 2 (2020).
Risk of Rain 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (95.3% positive) than Risk of Rain (2013) (93.2% positive).
Risk of Rain (2013) is currently ~60% cheaper on Steam than Risk of Rain 2 (9.99 USD vs. 24.99 USD).
Both support cooperative play.
Both are Deck Playable.