Choose RIFT
Choose RIFT if you want an Adventure game with Online PvP, Online Co-op, and PvP. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 73.6% positive across 7,463 reviews.
RIFT vs Sphere 3
RIFT and Sphere 3 both land in Action, Massively Multiplayer, RPG 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 Action, Massively Multiplayer, RPG on Steam. RIFT (2011) is 4 years older than Sphere 3 (2015). RIFT scores higher on Steam reviews (73.6% positive) than Sphere 3 (46.8% 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 Sphere 3
Choose Sphere 3 if you want the Custom Volume Controls and Playable without Timed Input side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2015) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Sphere 3 launched in 2015.
Both RIFT and Sphere 3 sit in Action, Massively Multiplayer, and RPG on Steam and both list Multi-player and MMO, 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
 RIFT |  Sphere 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2011 | 2015 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Free To Play | Action, Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Free To Play |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 73.6% positive (7,463 reviews) | 46.8% positive (158 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player |
| Developers | gamigo US Inc. | GameXP.com |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Massively Multiplayer, RPG on Steam.
- RIFT (2011) is 4 years older than Sphere 3 (2015).
- RIFT scores higher on Steam reviews (73.6% positive) than Sphere 3 (46.8% positive).
- Both are free to play.
- RIFT has co-op; Sphere 3 does not.
- RIFT is Deck Unsupported on Steam Deck; Sphere 3 has no Deck rating yet.
RIFT vs Sphere 3 — FAQ
- Which is better, RIFT or Sphere 3?
- On Steam reviews RIFT scores higher (73.6% positive) than Sphere 3 (46.8% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, RIFT is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play RIFT or Sphere 3 first?
- If you want chronology, RIFT (2011) came out before Sphere 3 (2015). 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 RIFT and Sphere 3 similar?
- They overlap on Action, Massively Multiplayer, RPG 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.