Choose The Ball
Choose The Ball if you want a Strategy game with Steam Leaderboards. On Steam, it's a focused single-player run rather than a multiplayer commitment. The Ball launched in 2010.
The Ball vs Sandmason
The Ball and Sandmason both land in Action, 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 Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam. The Ball (2010) is 5 years older than Sandmason (2015). Sandmason scores higher on Steam reviews (78.1% positive) than The Ball (76.4% 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 Sandmason
Choose Sandmason if you want the Multi-player side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 60% cheaper on the Steam Store. Sandmason launched in 2015.
Both The Ball and Sandmason sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (76.4% vs 78.1% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 The Ball |  Sandmason | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2010 | 2015 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 3.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 76.4% positive (542 reviews) | 78.1% positive (32 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player |
| Developers | Teotl Studios | GoodVole |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- The Ball (2010) is 5 years older than Sandmason (2015).
- Sandmason scores higher on Steam reviews (78.1% positive) than The Ball (76.4% positive).
- Sandmason is currently ~60% cheaper on Steam than The Ball (3.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
- The Ball is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Sandmason has no Deck rating yet.
The Ball vs Sandmason — FAQ
- Should I play The Ball or Sandmason first?
- If you want chronology, The Ball (2010) came out before Sandmason (2015). 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 The Ball and Sandmason similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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.
- Does The Ball have multiplayer like Sandmason?
- No. Sandmason supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player), while The Ball is listed as single-player only.
- Does The Ball run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — The Ball is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Sandmason doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.