Choose No Man's Sky
Choose No Man's Sky if you want an Action game with Online PvP, PvP, and Tracked Controller Support. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 180,011 Steam reviews back the pick.
No Man's Sky vs ASTRONEER
No Man's Sky and ASTRONEER both land in 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 are Adventure games on Steam. No Man's Sky (2016) is 3 years older than ASTRONEER (2019). ASTRONEER scores higher on Steam reviews (91.6% 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 ASTRONEER
Choose ASTRONEER if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 91.6% positive across 53,284 reviews.
Both No Man's Sky and ASTRONEER sit in Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, 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
 No Man's Sky |  ASTRONEER | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2019 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure | Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 59.99 USD | 29.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 81.6% positive (180,011 reviews) | 91.6% positive (53,284 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Hello Games | System Era Softworks |
Side by side
- Both are Adventure games on Steam.
- No Man's Sky (2016) is 3 years older than ASTRONEER (2019).
- ASTRONEER scores higher on Steam reviews (91.6% positive) than No Man's Sky (81.6% positive).
- ASTRONEER is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than No Man's Sky (29.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: No Man's Sky is Deck Verified, ASTRONEER is Deck Playable.
No Man's Sky vs ASTRONEER — FAQ
- Which is better, No Man's Sky or ASTRONEER?
- On Steam reviews ASTRONEER scores higher (91.6% positive) than No Man's Sky (81.6% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, ASTRONEER is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play No Man's Sky or ASTRONEER first?
- If you want chronology, No Man's Sky (2016) came out before ASTRONEER (2019). 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 No Man's Sky and ASTRONEER similar?
- They overlap on 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 No Man's Sky and ASTRONEER have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: No Man's Sky ships Online Co-op, Co-op; ASTRONEER ships Online Co-op, Co-op.