Should I play Rocket League® or Island Racer first?

If you want chronology, Rocket League® (2015) came out before Island Racer (2016). 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 Rocket League® and Island Racer similar?

They overlap on Action, Sports, 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.

Does Rocket League® run on Steam Deck?

Yes — Rocket League® is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Island Racer doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.

Rocket League® vs Island Racer

Rocket League® and Island Racer both land in Action, Sports, 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, Sports, Indie on Steam. Rocket League® (2015) is 1 year older than Island Racer (2016). Rocket League® has co-op; Island Racer does not. 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 Rocket League®

Choose Rocket League® if you want the Shared/Split Screen, Shared/Split Screen PvP, and Online Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 226,694 Steam reviews back the pick.

Choose Island Racer

Choose Island Racer if you want a Simulation and Casual experience. Island Racer launched in 2016.

Both Rocket League® and Island Racer sit in Action, Sports, and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP, 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.

Rocket League® vs Island Racer — Steam metadata comparison
	Rocket League®	Island Racer
Released	2015	2016
Genres	Action, Sports, Indie, Racing	Action, Sports, Indie, Simulation, Casual, Racing
Platforms	Windows	Windows, macOS, Linux
Steam Deck	Deck Verified	Unrated
Price	Price unknown	24.99 USD
Steam reviews	86.6% positive (226,694 reviews)	2 reviews
Multiplayer	Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op	Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer
Developers	Psyonix LLC	baKno Games

Side by side

Both share Action, Sports, Indie on Steam.
Rocket League® (2015) is 1 year older than Island Racer (2016).
Rocket League® has co-op; Island Racer does not.
Rocket League® is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Island Racer has no Deck rating yet.