Choose Retention
Choose Retention if you want an Adventure experience. Retention launched in 2015.
Retention vs Bacteria
Retention and Bacteria both land in Indie, Casual 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, Casual on Steam. Retention (2015) is 1 year older than Bacteria (2016). Bacteria scores higher on Steam reviews (60.8% positive) than Retention (25.1% 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 Bacteria
Choose Bacteria if it matches what drew you to this matchup. Bacteria launched in 2016.
Both Retention and Bacteria sit in Indie and Casual 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
 Retention |  Bacteria | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2016 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Casual | Indie, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Playable |
| Price | 0.99 USD | 0.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 25.1% positive (275 reviews) | 60.8% positive (51 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Sometimes You | Sometimes You |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Casual on Steam.
- Retention (2015) is 1 year older than Bacteria (2016).
- Bacteria scores higher on Steam reviews (60.8% positive) than Retention (25.1% positive).
- Bacteria is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Retention (0.99 USD vs. 0.99 USD).
- Bacteria is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Retention has no Deck rating yet.
Retention vs Bacteria — FAQ
- Should I play Retention or Bacteria first?
- If you want chronology, Retention (2015) came out before Bacteria (2016). 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 Retention and Bacteria similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Casual 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.