Choose The Chef's Shift: First Course
Choose The Chef's Shift: First Course if you want an Indie and Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. The Chef's Shift: First Course launched in 2025.
The Chef's Shift: First Course vs Numpad Chef: Pizza Rush
The Chef's Shift: First Course and Numpad Chef: Pizza Rush both land in Simulation, Casual 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 Simulation, Casual on Steam. The Chef's Shift: First Course (2025) is 1 year older than Numpad Chef: Pizza Rush (2026). The Chef's Shift: First Course is free; Numpad Chef: Pizza Rush is paid (Price unknown). 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 Numpad Chef: Pizza Rush
Choose Numpad Chef: Pizza Rush if you want a Strategy game with Camera Comfort, Custom Volume Controls, and Stereo Sound. Numpad Chef: Pizza Rush launched in 2026.
Both The Chef's Shift: First Course and Numpad Chef: Pizza Rush sit in Simulation and Casual 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
 The Chef's Shift: First Course |  Numpad Chef: Pizza Rush | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025 | 2026 |
| Genres | Indie, Simulation, Free To Play, Casual | Strategy, Simulation, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 96% positive (101 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Panitia GameDev | Loci Entertainment |
Side by side
- Both share Simulation, Casual on Steam.
- The Chef's Shift: First Course (2025) is 1 year older than Numpad Chef: Pizza Rush (2026).
- The Chef's Shift: First Course is free; Numpad Chef: Pizza Rush is paid (Price unknown).
The Chef's Shift: First Course vs Numpad Chef: Pizza Rush — FAQ
- Should I play The Chef's Shift: First Course or Numpad Chef: Pizza Rush first?
- If you want chronology, The Chef's Shift: First Course (2025) came out before Numpad Chef: Pizza Rush (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 The Chef's Shift: First Course and Numpad Chef: Pizza Rush similar?
- They overlap on Simulation, Casual 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.
- Is The Chef's Shift: First Course free?
- Yes — The Chef's Shift: First Course is a free-to-play Steam title. Numpad Chef: Pizza Rush is paid (Price unknown).