Choose Shiftlings
Choose Shiftlings if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. Shiftlings launched in 2015.
Shiftlings vs It Takes Two
Shiftlings and It Takes Two 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. Shiftlings (2015) is 6 years older than It Takes Two (2021). It Takes Two scores higher on Steam reviews (95.9% positive) than Shiftlings (85% 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 It Takes Two
Choose It Takes Two if you want the Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, and Stereo Sound side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2021) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 46,479 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Shiftlings and It Takes Two sit in Action and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, 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
 Shiftlings |  It Takes Two | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2021 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure | Action, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | Price unknown | 39.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 85% positive (20 reviews) | 95.9% positive (46,479 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op |
| Developers | Rock Pocket Games | Hazelight Studios |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure on Steam.
- Shiftlings (2015) is 6 years older than It Takes Two (2021).
- It Takes Two scores higher on Steam reviews (95.9% positive) than Shiftlings (85% positive).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Verified.
Shiftlings vs It Takes Two — FAQ
- Should I play Shiftlings or It Takes Two first?
- If you want chronology, Shiftlings (2015) came out before It Takes Two (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 Shiftlings and It Takes Two 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 Shiftlings and It Takes Two have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Shiftlings ships Co-op; It Takes Two ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op.
- Do Shiftlings and It Takes Two 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.