Choose Animated Puzzles
Choose Animated Puzzles if you want the Shared/Split Screen and Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 45% cheaper on the Steam Store. Animated Puzzles launched in 2016.
Animated Puzzles vs Gem Rush
Animated Puzzles and Gem Rush 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. Animated Puzzles (2016) is 2 years older than Gem Rush (2018). Animated Puzzles scores higher on Steam reviews (97.2% positive) than Gem Rush (92.9% 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 Gem Rush
Choose Gem Rush if you want a Strategy game with Shared/Split Screen PvP. Gem Rush launched in 2018.
Both Animated Puzzles and Gem Rush sit in Indie and Casual on Steam and both list Multi-player, Steam Turn Notifications, and Online PvP, 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
 Animated Puzzles |  Gem Rush | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2018 |
| Genres | Indie, Casual | Strategy, Indie, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 5.49 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 97.2% positive (36 reviews) | 92.9% positive (14 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | Mexond | Quicksilver Software, Inc. |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Casual on Steam.
- Animated Puzzles (2016) is 2 years older than Gem Rush (2018).
- Animated Puzzles scores higher on Steam reviews (97.2% positive) than Gem Rush (92.9% positive).
- Animated Puzzles is currently ~45% cheaper on Steam than Gem Rush (5.49 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Animated Puzzles is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Gem Rush has no Deck rating yet.
Animated Puzzles vs Gem Rush — FAQ
- Should I play Animated Puzzles or Gem Rush first?
- If you want chronology, Animated Puzzles (2016) came out before Gem Rush (2018). 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 Animated Puzzles and Gem Rush 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.
- Do both Animated Puzzles and Gem Rush have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Animated Puzzles ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op; Gem Rush ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op.
- Does Animated Puzzles run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Animated Puzzles is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Gem Rush doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.