Choose No Man's Sky
Choose No Man's Sky if you want the Online PvP, Tracked Controller Support, and VR Supported side of the pairing. 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 SquareWorld Unpixeled
No Man's Sky and SquareWorld Unpixeled both land in Action, 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, Adventure on Steam. No Man's Sky (2016) is 2 years older than SquareWorld Unpixeled (2018). SquareWorld Unpixeled is currently ~83% cheaper on Steam than No Man's Sky (9.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD). 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 SquareWorld Unpixeled
Choose SquareWorld Unpixeled if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it's currently about 83% cheaper on the Steam Store. SquareWorld Unpixeled launched in 2018.
Both No Man's Sky and SquareWorld Unpixeled sit in Action and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, 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.
Side-by-side comparison
 No Man's Sky |  SquareWorld Unpixeled | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2018 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 59.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 81.6% positive (180,011 reviews) | 6 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | Hello Games | SnowEagle Entertainment |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure on Steam.
- No Man's Sky (2016) is 2 years older than SquareWorld Unpixeled (2018).
- SquareWorld Unpixeled is currently ~83% cheaper on Steam than No Man's Sky (9.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- No Man's Sky is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; SquareWorld Unpixeled has no Deck rating yet.
No Man's Sky vs SquareWorld Unpixeled — FAQ
- Should I play No Man's Sky or SquareWorld Unpixeled first?
- If you want chronology, No Man's Sky (2016) came out before SquareWorld Unpixeled (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 No Man's Sky and SquareWorld Unpixeled similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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 SquareWorld Unpixeled have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: No Man's Sky ships Online Co-op, Co-op; SquareWorld Unpixeled ships Online Co-op, Co-op.
- Does No Man's Sky run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — No Man's Sky is rated Deck Verified by Valve. SquareWorld Unpixeled doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.