IMHO.

Games like SIDE EFFECTS

If SIDE EFFECTS is your kind of game, the closest matches are CloverPit, The Whispering Bones and Death In Your Dice — picked from the ranked list below. Reviewers single out its darkly comedic writing, anxious and competitive. Each pick is ranked by what players of this game also play, shared genres and tags, and review-mined similarity — not a generic popularity list.

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About SIDE EFFECTS: A twisted trial of pill roulette for up to 4 players (solo or online). Pick your poison. Use experimental items to shift the odds. And remember: only one of you can survive.

2025StrategyIndie4.99 USDDeck VerifiedWindowsby hirohun, Mr.Pootsley, Jaybooty, Lofar42
SIDE EFFECTS — Steam game cover
Players highlight
Competitive multiplayer with potential to betray friendsDark humor and unique character designsDarkly comedic writingAnxiousCompetitiveContemplative

Players who liked SIDE EFFECTS also play

Steam players who put hours into SIDE EFFECTS also tend to own these titles — a signal called collaborative filtering. imho.run cross-references millions of library ownership patterns to surface games whose real audiences overlap, regardless of whether their genre tags match.

  1. CloverPit

    WHY THIS

    Shares procedural generation, resource management, competitive multiplayer and a competitive mood with SIDE EFFECTS.

    Top pick for SIDE EFFECTS fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    A rogue-lite slot machine nightmare. Gamble for your life in a never-ending debt simulator!

    2025ActionSportsStrategy9.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  2. The Whispering Bones

    WHY THIS

    Second-strongest match for SIDE EFFECTS fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    The Whispering Bones is a roguelike psychological horror where you gamble with a mysterious stranger in the depths of a nebulous wood. Roll dice with full physics simulation, unravel the hermit's secrets, make bets and win a chance for a better life.

    2026StrategyIndieSimulationSteam ↗
  3. Death In Your Dice

    WHY THIS

    Third-strongest match for SIDE EFFECTS fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    Roll the dice… or cities die. Learn lethal rules, twist outcomes, accept the cost. One bad throw calls the bombs. Win to delay death. Lose to become a murderer. Every choice reshapes your ending. Fate is loaded. Your turn is encoded?

    2026StrategyIndieAdventureSteam ↗
  4. Buckshot Roulette

    WHY THIS

    Shares survival and a funny mood with SIDE EFFECTS.

    Ranked #4 for SIDE EFFECTS fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    Play Russian roulette with a 12-gauge shotgun. Four enter. One leaves. Roll the dice with your life. Good luck!

    2024ActionIndieSimulation2.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  5. Bonesaw

    WHY THIS

    Shares a tense mood with SIDE EFFECTS.

    Ranked #5 for SIDE EFFECTS fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    Gamble your fingers against the devil and his bloodthirsty saw in this turn-based strategy game. Outsmart your opponent with special abilities, or test your luck as you defy the odds to escape eternal damnation!

    2025StrategyIndie6.66 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  6. Cup Or Die

    WHY THIS

    Ranked #6 for SIDE EFFECTS fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    Survive in a creepy bar playing beer pong against terrifying opponents in roguelite style. Throw the ball into cups with various effects, collect weird items and passive cards, choose doors, play mini-games. Miss a shot — drink. Every cup you drink can give a bonus or kill you.

    2026ActionIndieSteam ↗
  7. Under the Eye

    WHY THIS

    Ranked #7 for SIDE EFFECTS fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    The world and regime you once knew is crumbling day by day. The Major won't let you go until you've beat her at her own twisted card game. Bid, cheat and bend the rules to see another day, or die and be forgotten.

    StrategyIndieSteam ↗
  8. Mighty Mahjong

    WHY THIS

    Ranked #8 for SIDE EFFECTS fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    Still playing mahjong with 13 tiles? Mighty Mahjong is a next-gen twist where you start one tile short — and that missing tile becomes a wild card! Outsmart opponents with bold strategy and sharp reads. Anime-style online battles, special rules, team modes, and fast-paced matches. Free to play!

    StrategyIndieFree To PlayFreeSteam ↗

Cheaper alternatives

Games in the same vein priced at least 40% below SIDE EFFECTS at current Steam store prices.

  1. POSTAL 2

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~80% under SIDE EFFECTS on Steam right now. Shares Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    Live a week in the life of "The POSTAL Dude"; a hapless everyman just trying to check off some chores. Buying milk, returning an overdue library book, getting Gary Coleman's autograph, what could possibly go wrong?

    2012ActionIndieAdventure0.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  2. The Test

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~60% under SIDE EFFECTS on Steam right now. Shares Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    You will answer a series of questions that will reveal truths from deep within. These questions may make you uncomfortable, but with great knowledge comes great sacrifice. Can you make it all the way through The Test, and if you do, are you sure you want the answers you seek?

    2020IndieAdventureSimulation1.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  3. Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~70% under SIDE EFFECTS on Steam right now. Shares Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    A short story about what sort of challenges everyday little things can be. Help the girl buy milk, be the first not to disappoint her.

    2020IndieAdventure1.49 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  4. shapez

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~80% under SIDE EFFECTS on Steam right now. Shares Strategy and Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    shapez is an easy-going, minimalistic factory building game about the automation of shapes through extraction and satisfying production lines. Adapt to increasingly complex shapes and grow your factory across an infinitely expanding map. Your only limitation is your creativity!

    2020StrategyIndieSimulation0.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  5. The Test: Hypothesis Rising

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~60% under SIDE EFFECTS on Steam right now. Shares Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    The second chapter in The Test trilogy. Answer a series of in-depth questions to reveal hidden truths about yourself and unlock secrets to discover how your life can change drastically with just a few, slight modifications. ...But are you sure you want the answers you seek?

    2020IndieAdventureSimulation1.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  6. The NOexistenceN of you AND me

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~60% under SIDE EFFECTS on Steam right now. Shares Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    Use "game" as a medium to showcase the world of "you/girl". Explore the truth of "you/girl/world" through the form of a "visual novel".

    2024IndieAdventureRPG1.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  7. Shower With Your Dad Simulator 2015: Do You Still Shower With Your Dad

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~80% under SIDE EFFECTS on Steam right now. Shares Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    "Shower With Your Dad Simulator 2015: Do You Still Shower With Your Dad?" is a fast paced shower-simulation where you shower with your 8-bit dad.It's good, clean fun!

    2015ActionIndieSimulation0.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  8. Montaro

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~80% under SIDE EFFECTS on Steam right now. Shares Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    Montaro is a DOGE.

    2016IndieCasual0.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗

Free alternatives

Free-to-play games that recommended players of this title also tend to enjoy.

  1. Doki Doki Literature Club!

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    The Literature Club is full of cute girls! Will you write the way into their heart? This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.

    2017IndieFree To PlayCasualFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  2. Ultimate Custom Night

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    Welcome to the ultimate FNAF mashup, featuring 50 selectable characters and custom difficulties!

    2018ActionIndieFree To PlayFreeSteam ↗
  3. Bongo Cat

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    Bongo cat needs your help. Bongo cat needz more hatz!!! Every time you press a key, Bongo cat will punch your taskbar. Type, click, play, work to collect more points. Which hats will you find?

    2025IndieSimulationMassively MultiplayerFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  4. ENA: Dream BBQ

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    Experience surreal environments and inexplicable characters as ENA in a new wild world.

    2025IndieAdventureFreeDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  5. Indigo Park: Chapter 1

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    Explore the abandoned childhood wonder of Indigo Park! Guided by Rambley the Raccoon, help restore power to the destroyed amusement park while you run from the reason it shut down.

    2024ActionIndieAdventureFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  6. STRAFTAT

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it.

    STRAFTAT is a 1v1/2v2 ONLINE first person SHOOTER with quick rounds in over 350 MAPS ; Including all WEAPONS, proximity chat and 4 players FFA.

    2024ActionFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  7. Counter-Strike:Global Offensive

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it.

    Counter-Strike:Global Offensive (CS:GO) expands upon the team-based action gameplay that it pioneered when it was launched over 2 decades ago. CS:GO features new maps, characters, weapons, and game modes, and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust2, etc.).

    2012ActionFree To PlayFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  8. missed messages.

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with SIDE EFFECTS.

    ‘goth gf’s iPhone’ airdrops you - accept or decline? A love/horror story about life, death, & memes.

    2019IndieSimulationFree To PlayFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗

Frequently asked about SIDE EFFECTS

Is SIDE EFFECTS verified for Steam Deck?
Yes — SIDE EFFECTS is Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve has confirmed it runs well on the Deck with full controller, text legibility, and default configuration support.
How much does SIDE EFFECTS cost?
SIDE EFFECTS is listed on Steam at 4.99 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
Does SIDE EFFECTS have multiplayer or co-op?
Yes — SIDE EFFECTS supports multi-player play according to its Steam store listing (Multi-player, Online PvP, PvP).
What games are most similar to SIDE EFFECTS?
Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside SIDE EFFECTS are CloverPit, The Whispering Bones, Death In Your Dice.
Who developed SIDE EFFECTS?
SIDE EFFECTS was developed by hirohun, Mr.Pootsley, Jaybooty and published by Free Lives.

imho.run ranks Steam game alternatives using a mix of collaborative filtering (ALS / iALS / EASE / LightGCN), content scoring over genres, categories, Steam tags, developers, and publishers, plus AI-extracted vibes mined from review text. The page above is generated in seed mode anchored on SIDE EFFECTS.

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