Choose Dead Effect
Choose Dead Effect if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. 1,347 Steam reviews back the pick.
Dead Effect vs Death Waves
Dead Effect and Death Waves 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. Dead Effect (2014) is 5 years older than Death Waves (2019). Death Waves is currently ~84% cheaper on Steam than Dead Effect (0.79 USD vs. 4.99 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 Death Waves
Choose Death Waves if you want an Early Access experience. On Steam, it's currently about 84% cheaper on the Steam Store. Death Waves launched in 2019.
Both Dead Effect and Death Waves sit in Action and Indie on Steam, 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
 Dead Effect |  Death Waves | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2014 | 2019 |
| Genres | Action, Indie | Action, Indie, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 0.79 USD |
| Steam reviews | 71.1% positive (1,347 reviews) | 5 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | BadFly Interactive, a.s. | SeedWall |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Dead Effect (2014) is 5 years older than Death Waves (2019).
- Death Waves is currently ~84% cheaper on Steam than Dead Effect (0.79 USD vs. 4.99 USD).
Dead Effect vs Death Waves — FAQ
- Should I play Dead Effect or Death Waves first?
- If you want chronology, Dead Effect (2014) came out before Death Waves (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 Dead Effect and Death Waves 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.