IMHO.

Stardew Valley vs Neon Planet

Stardew Valley and Neon Planet both land in Indie, Simulation, 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 Indie, Simulation, RPG on Steam. Stardew Valley (2016) is 10 years older than Neon Planet (2026). Both support cooperative play. 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 Stardew Valley

Choose Stardew Valley if you want the Shared/Split Screen, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, and LAN Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 384,187 Steam reviews back the pick.

Choose Neon Planet

Choose Neon Planet if you want an Action, Adventure, and Casual game with Custom Volume Controls, Adjustable Difficulty, and Save Anytime. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Neon Planet launched in 2026.

Both Stardew Valley and Neon Planet sit in Indie, Simulation, and RPG on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, and Co-op, 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

Stardew Valley vs Neon Planet — Steam metadata comparison
Stardew Valley — Steam game coverStardew ValleyNeon Planet — Steam game coverNeon Planet
Released20162026
GenresIndie, Simulation, RPGAction, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, RPG, Casual
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxWindows
Steam DeckDeck VerifiedUnrated
Price14.99 USDPrice unknown
Steam reviews98.9% positive (384,187 reviews)—
MultiplayerMulti-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-opMulti-player, Online Co-op, Co-op
DevelopersConcernedApeNeon Planet Studio

Side by side

Stardew Valley vs Neon Planet — FAQ

Should I play Stardew Valley or Neon Planet first?
If you want chronology, Stardew Valley (2016) came out before Neon Planet (2026). 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 Stardew Valley and Neon Planet similar?
They overlap on Indie, Simulation, 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.
Do both Stardew Valley and Neon Planet have co-op?
Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Stardew Valley ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op; Neon Planet ships Online Co-op, Co-op.
Does Stardew Valley run on Steam Deck?
Yes — Stardew Valley is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Neon Planet doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.
Stardew Valley vs Neon Planet — Verdict (2026) · imho.run