Choose Rust
Choose Rust if you want an Indie, Massively Multiplayer, and RPG game with MMO and Valve Anti-Cheat enabled. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 86.7% positive across 519,643 reviews.
Rust vs No Man's Sky
Rust and No Man's Sky both land in Action, Adventure 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, Adventure on Steam. No Man's Sky (2016) is 2 years older than Rust (2018). Rust scores higher on Steam reviews (86.7% positive) than No Man's Sky (81.6% 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 No Man's Sky
Choose No Man's Sky if you want the Tracked Controller Support, VR Supported, and HDR available side of the pairing. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 180,011 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Rust and No Man's Sky sit in Action and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online Co-op, 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
 Rust |  No Man's Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2016 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG | Action, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Verified |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 59.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 86.7% positive (519,643 reviews) | 81.6% positive (180,011 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | Facepunch Studios | Hello Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure on Steam.
- No Man's Sky (2016) is 2 years older than Rust (2018).
- Rust scores higher on Steam reviews (86.7% positive) than No Man's Sky (81.6% positive).
- Rust is currently ~67% cheaper on Steam than No Man's Sky (19.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: Rust is Deck Unsupported, No Man's Sky is Deck Verified.
Rust vs No Man's Sky — FAQ
- Which is better, Rust or No Man's Sky?
- On Steam reviews Rust scores higher (86.7% positive) than No Man's Sky (81.6% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Rust is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Rust or No Man's Sky first?
- If you want chronology, No Man's Sky (2016) came out before Rust (2018). 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 Rust and No Man's Sky similar?
- They overlap on Action, Adventure 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 Rust and No Man's Sky have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Rust ships Online Co-op, Co-op; No Man's Sky ships Online Co-op, Co-op.