Choose Rust
Choose Rust if you want a Massively Multiplayer game with MMO, Online PvP, and Online Co-op. On Steam, it's the newer release (2018) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 519,643 Steam reviews back the pick.
Rust vs Shrooms
Rust and Shrooms both land in Action, Indie, 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, Indie, Adventure on Steam. Shrooms (2015) is 3 years older than Rust (2018). Rust scores higher on Steam reviews (86.7% positive) than Shrooms (16% 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 Shrooms
Choose Shrooms if you want an Early Access experience. On Steam, it's currently about 25% cheaper on the Steam Store. Shrooms launched in 2015.
Both Rust and Shrooms sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player and 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 |  Shrooms | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2015 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 86.7% positive (519,643 reviews) | 16% positive (25 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Co-op |
| Developers | Facepunch Studios | Immersive Douro |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Shrooms (2015) is 3 years older than Rust (2018).
- Rust scores higher on Steam reviews (86.7% positive) than Shrooms (16% positive).
- Shrooms is currently ~25% cheaper on Steam than Rust (14.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Rust is Deck Unsupported on Steam Deck; Shrooms has no Deck rating yet.
Rust vs Shrooms — FAQ
- Should I play Rust or Shrooms first?
- If you want chronology, Shrooms (2015) 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 Shrooms similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, 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 Shrooms have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Rust ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Shrooms ships Co-op.