Choose Shardlight
Choose Shardlight if you want a RPG experience. On Steam, it's currently about 25% cheaper on the Steam Store. Shardlight launched in 2016.
Shardlight vs UNREAL LIFE
Shardlight and UNREAL LIFE both land in Indie, 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 Indie, Adventure on Steam. Shardlight (2016) is 4 years older than UNREAL LIFE (2020). UNREAL LIFE scores higher on Steam reviews (97.6% positive) than Shardlight (89.5% 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 UNREAL LIFE
Choose UNREAL LIFE if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 97.6% positive across 337 reviews.
Both Shardlight and UNREAL LIFE sit in Indie and Adventure 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
 Shardlight |  UNREAL LIFE | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2020 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, RPG | Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 89.5% positive (534 reviews) | 97.6% positive (337 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Wadjet Eye Games | hako life, hako 生活 |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Shardlight (2016) is 4 years older than UNREAL LIFE (2020).
- UNREAL LIFE scores higher on Steam reviews (97.6% positive) than Shardlight (89.5% positive).
- Shardlight is currently ~25% cheaper on Steam than UNREAL LIFE (14.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Verified.
Shardlight vs UNREAL LIFE — FAQ
- Which is better, Shardlight or UNREAL LIFE?
- On Steam reviews UNREAL LIFE scores higher (97.6% positive) than Shardlight (89.5% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, UNREAL LIFE is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Shardlight or UNREAL LIFE first?
- If you want chronology, Shardlight (2016) came out before UNREAL LIFE (2020). 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 Shardlight and UNREAL LIFE similar?
- They overlap on Indie, 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 Shardlight and UNREAL LIFE 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.