Choose ASTRONEER
Choose ASTRONEER if it's the newer release (2019) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 53,284 Steam reviews back the pick.
ASTRONEER vs Scrap Mechanic
ASTRONEER and Scrap Mechanic 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. Scrap Mechanic (2016) is 3 years older than ASTRONEER (2019). Both sit near 91% positive on Steam (ASTRONEER: 53,284 reviews, Scrap Mechanic: 45,733). 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 Scrap Mechanic
Choose Scrap Mechanic if you want an Action, Simulation, and Early Access experience. On Steam, it's currently about 33% cheaper on the Steam Store. 45,733 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both ASTRONEER and Scrap Mechanic sit in Indie and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, and Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (91.6% vs 90.7% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 ASTRONEER |  Scrap Mechanic | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2019 | 2016 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 29.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 91.6% positive (53,284 reviews) | 90.7% positive (45,733 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | System Era Softworks | Axolot Games |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Scrap Mechanic (2016) is 3 years older than ASTRONEER (2019).
- Both sit near 91% positive on Steam (ASTRONEER: 53,284 reviews, Scrap Mechanic: 45,733).
- Scrap Mechanic is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than ASTRONEER (19.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Playable.
ASTRONEER vs Scrap Mechanic — FAQ
- Which is better, ASTRONEER or Scrap Mechanic?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: ASTRONEER sits at 91.6% positive (53,284 reviews), Scrap Mechanic at 90.7% (45,733). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play ASTRONEER or Scrap Mechanic first?
- If you want chronology, Scrap Mechanic (2016) came out before ASTRONEER (2019). 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 ASTRONEER and Scrap Mechanic 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 both ASTRONEER and Scrap Mechanic have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: ASTRONEER ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Scrap Mechanic ships Online Co-op, Co-op.