Choose Ice Lakes
Choose Ice Lakes if you want an Indie game with Multi-player, Steam Leaderboards, and Online PvP. On Steam, it's currently about 25% cheaper on the Steam Store. Ice Lakes launched in 2016.
Ice Lakes vs Catch & Release
Ice Lakes and Catch & Release both land in Sports, Simulation 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 Sports, Simulation on Steam. Ice Lakes (2016) is 2 years older than Catch & Release (2018). Catch & Release scores higher on Steam reviews (89.1% positive) than Ice Lakes (87.8% 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 Catch & Release
Choose Catch & Release if you want the VR Only side of the pairing. On Steam, it's a focused single-player run rather than a multiplayer commitment. Catch & Release launched in 2018.
Both Ice Lakes and Catch & Release sit in Sports and Simulation on Steam and both list Tracked Controller Support, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (87.8% vs 89.1% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Ice Lakes |  Catch & Release | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2018 |
| Genres | Sports, Indie, Simulation | Sports, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 87.8% positive (237 reviews) | 89.1% positive (257 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer | Single-player only |
| Developers | Iceflake Studios | metricminds GmbH & Co KG |
Side by side
- Both share Sports, Simulation on Steam.
- Ice Lakes (2016) is 2 years older than Catch & Release (2018).
- Catch & Release scores higher on Steam reviews (89.1% positive) than Ice Lakes (87.8% positive).
- Ice Lakes is currently ~25% cheaper on Steam than Catch & Release (14.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Ice Lakes is Deck Playable, Catch & Release is Deck Unsupported.
Ice Lakes vs Catch & Release — FAQ
- Which is better, Ice Lakes or Catch & Release?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Ice Lakes sits at 87.8% positive (237 reviews), Catch & Release at 89.1% (257). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Ice Lakes or Catch & Release first?
- If you want chronology, Ice Lakes (2016) came out before Catch & Release (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 Ice Lakes and Catch & Release similar?
- They overlap on Sports, Simulation 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.
- Does Catch & Release have multiplayer like Ice Lakes?
- No. Ice Lakes supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer), while Catch & Release is listed as single-player only.