Choose VRChat
Choose VRChat if you want a Sports, Simulation, and Early Access experience. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 173,195 Steam reviews back the pick.
VRChat vs Rec Room
VRChat and Rec Room both land in Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play 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 Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play on Steam. VRChat (2017) is 4 years older than Rec Room (2021). Rec Room scores higher on Steam reviews (88.7% positive) than VRChat (71.6% 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 Rec Room
Choose Rec Room if you want the SteamVR Collectibles side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 88.7% positive across 57,921 reviews.
Both VRChat and Rec Room sit in Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, and Free To Play on Steam and both list Multi-player, MMO, 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
 VRChat |  Rec Room | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2021 |
| Genres | Sports, Adventure, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play, Casual, Early Access | Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | Free to play | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 71.6% positive (173,195 reviews) | 88.7% positive (57,921 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | VRChat Inc. | Rec Room |
Side by side
- Both share Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play on Steam.
- VRChat (2017) is 4 years older than Rec Room (2021).
- Rec Room scores higher on Steam reviews (88.7% positive) than VRChat (71.6% positive).
- Both are free to play.
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: VRChat is Deck Verified, Rec Room is Deck Playable.
VRChat vs Rec Room — FAQ
- Which is better, VRChat or Rec Room?
- On Steam reviews Rec Room scores higher (88.7% positive) than VRChat (71.6% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Rec Room is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play VRChat or Rec Room first?
- If you want chronology, VRChat (2017) came out before Rec Room (2021). 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 VRChat and Rec Room similar?
- They overlap on Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play 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 VRChat and Rec Room have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: VRChat ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Rec Room ships Online Co-op, Co-op.