Choose ThunderWheels
Choose ThunderWheels if you want an Early Access experience. ThunderWheels launched in 2017.
ThunderWheels vs Total Arcade Racing
ThunderWheels and Total Arcade Racing both land in Sports, Indie, Simulation 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 Sports, Indie, Simulation on Steam. ThunderWheels (2017) is 4 years older than Total Arcade Racing (2021). Total Arcade Racing scores higher on Steam reviews (100% positive) than ThunderWheels (77.5% 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 Total Arcade Racing
Choose Total Arcade Racing if you want an Action experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2021) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Total Arcade Racing launched in 2021.
Both ThunderWheels and Total Arcade Racing sit in Sports, Indie, and Simulation on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Steam Leaderboards, 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
 ThunderWheels |  Total Arcade Racing | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2021 |
| Genres | Sports, Indie, Simulation, Casual, Early Access, Racing | Action, Sports, Indie, Simulation, Casual, Racing |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 8.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 77.5% positive (40 reviews) | 100% positive (19 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Arcade Injection | Pretty Fly Games |
Side by side
- Both share Sports, Indie, Simulation on Steam.
- ThunderWheels (2017) is 4 years older than Total Arcade Racing (2021).
- Total Arcade Racing scores higher on Steam reviews (100% positive) than ThunderWheels (77.5% positive).
- ThunderWheels is currently ~10% cheaper on Steam than Total Arcade Racing (8.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
ThunderWheels vs Total Arcade Racing — FAQ
- Should I play ThunderWheels or Total Arcade Racing first?
- If you want chronology, ThunderWheels (2017) came out before Total Arcade Racing (2021). 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 ThunderWheels and Total Arcade Racing similar?
- They overlap on Sports, Indie, Simulation 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 ThunderWheels and Total Arcade Racing have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: ThunderWheels ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op; Total Arcade Racing ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op.