Choose Fantastic Contraption
Choose Fantastic Contraption if you want a Strategy and Simulation game with SteamVR Collectibles, Tracked Controller Support, and VR Only. Fantastic Contraption launched in 2016.
Fantastic Contraption vs Happy Lab
Fantastic Contraption and Happy Lab 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. Fantastic Contraption (2016) is 7 years older than Happy Lab (2023). Happy Lab is currently ~75% cheaper on Steam than Fantastic Contraption (4.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD). 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 Happy Lab
Choose Happy Lab if it's currently about 75% cheaper on the Steam Store. Happy Lab launched in 2023.
Both Fantastic Contraption and Happy Lab sit in Indie on Steam, 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
 Fantastic Contraption |  Happy Lab | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2023 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Simulation | Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Playable |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 71.4% positive (35 reviews) | 9 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Northway Games, Radial Games Corp | Sunset TEKO, Badim |
Side by side
- Both are Indie games on Steam.
- Fantastic Contraption (2016) is 7 years older than Happy Lab (2023).
- Happy Lab is currently ~75% cheaper on Steam than Fantastic Contraption (4.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Fantastic Contraption is Deck Unsupported, Happy Lab is Deck Playable.
Fantastic Contraption vs Happy Lab — FAQ
- Should I play Fantastic Contraption or Happy Lab first?
- If you want chronology, Fantastic Contraption (2016) came out before Happy Lab (2023). 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 Fantastic Contraption and Happy Lab 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.