Choose Ikaruga
Choose Ikaruga if you want the Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 67% cheaper on the Steam Store. 1,193 Steam reviews back the pick.
Ikaruga vs DRAINUS
Ikaruga and DRAINUS both land in Action, 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, Indie on Steam. Ikaruga (2014) is 8 years older than DRAINUS (2022). Both sit near 96% positive on Steam (Ikaruga: 1,193 reviews, DRAINUS: 563). 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 DRAINUS
Choose DRAINUS if it's the newer release (2022) and ships with the modern feature baseline. DRAINUS launched in 2022.
Both Ikaruga and DRAINUS sit in Action and Indie on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (95.1% vs 95.9% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Ikaruga |  DRAINUS | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2014 | 2022 |
| Genres | Action, Indie | Action, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.1% positive (1,193 reviews) | 95.9% positive (563 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Single-player only |
| Developers | TREASURE | Team Ladybug, WSS playground |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Ikaruga (2014) is 8 years older than DRAINUS (2022).
- Both sit near 96% positive on Steam (Ikaruga: 1,193 reviews, DRAINUS: 563).
- Ikaruga is currently ~67% cheaper on Steam than DRAINUS (4.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Verified.
Ikaruga vs DRAINUS — FAQ
- Which is better, Ikaruga or DRAINUS?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Ikaruga sits at 95.1% positive (1,193 reviews), DRAINUS at 95.9% (563). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Ikaruga or DRAINUS first?
- If you want chronology, Ikaruga (2014) came out before DRAINUS (2022). 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 Ikaruga and DRAINUS similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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 DRAINUS have multiplayer like Ikaruga?
- No. Ikaruga supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player), while DRAINUS is listed as single-player only.
- Do Ikaruga and DRAINUS both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.