Choose Rocket League®
Choose Rocket League® if you want a Racing game with Online PvP and Online Co-op. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 226,694 Steam reviews back the pick.
Rocket League® vs Desktop Soccer
Rocket League® and Desktop Soccer 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 3 years older than Desktop Soccer (2018). Both support cooperative play. 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 Desktop Soccer
Choose Desktop Soccer if it's the newer release (2018) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Desktop Soccer launched in 2018.
Both Rocket League® and Desktop Soccer sit in Action, Sports, and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen 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.
Side-by-side comparison
 Rocket League® |  Desktop Soccer | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2018 |
| Genres | Action, Sports, Indie, Racing | Action, Sports, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | Price unknown | 1.59 USD |
| Steam reviews | 86.6% positive (226,694 reviews) | 2 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Psyonix LLC | SAT-BOX |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Sports, Indie on Steam.
- Rocket League® (2015) is 3 years older than Desktop Soccer (2018).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Rocket League® is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Desktop Soccer has no Deck rating yet.
Rocket League® vs Desktop Soccer — FAQ
- Should I play Rocket League® or Desktop Soccer first?
- If you want chronology, Rocket League® (2015) came out before Desktop Soccer (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 Rocket League® and Desktop Soccer 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.
- Do both Rocket League® and Desktop Soccer have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Rocket League® ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op; Desktop Soccer ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op.
- Does Rocket League® run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Rocket League® is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Desktop Soccer doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.