Choose Rivals of Aether
Choose Rivals of Aether if you want the Steam Leaderboards, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, and Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 96.6% positive across 27,490 reviews.
Rivals of Aether vs Rivals of Aether II
Rivals of Aether and Rivals of Aether II both land in Indie 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 are Indie games on Steam. Rivals of Aether (2017) is 7 years older than Rivals of Aether II (2024). Rivals of Aether scores higher on Steam reviews (96.6% positive) than Rivals of Aether II (78.6% 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 Rivals of Aether II
Choose Rivals of Aether II if you want an Action experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 5,654 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Rivals of Aether and Rivals of Aether II sit in Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, 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
 Rivals of Aether |  Rivals of Aether II | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2024 |
| Genres | Indie | Action, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 29.99 USD | 29.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.6% positive (27,490 reviews) | 78.6% positive (5,654 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player |
| Developers | Aether Studios | Aether Studios |
Side by side
- Both are Indie games on Steam.
- Rivals of Aether (2017) is 7 years older than Rivals of Aether II (2024).
- Rivals of Aether scores higher on Steam reviews (96.6% positive) than Rivals of Aether II (78.6% positive).
- Rivals of Aether II is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Rivals of Aether (29.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
- Rivals of Aether has co-op; Rivals of Aether II does not.
- Both are Deck Verified.
Rivals of Aether vs Rivals of Aether II — FAQ
- Which is better, Rivals of Aether or Rivals of Aether II?
- On Steam reviews Rivals of Aether scores higher (96.6% positive) than Rivals of Aether II (78.6% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Rivals of Aether is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Rivals of Aether or Rivals of Aether II first?
- If you want chronology, Rivals of Aether (2017) came out before Rivals of Aether II (2024). 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 Rivals of Aether and Rivals of Aether II similar?
- They overlap on Indie 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 Rivals of Aether and Rivals of Aether II both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.