Choose Temple of Rust
Choose Temple of Rust if you want an Adventure, RPG, and Casual experience. On Steam, it's currently about 68% cheaper on the Steam Store. Temple of Rust launched in 2023.
Temple of Rust vs MADNESS: Project Nexus
Temple of Rust and MADNESS: Project Nexus both land in Action, 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 share Action, Indie on Steam. MADNESS: Project Nexus (2021) is 2 years older than Temple of Rust (2023). Temple of Rust is currently ~68% cheaper on Steam than MADNESS: Project Nexus (7.99 USD vs. 24.99 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 MADNESS: Project Nexus
Choose MADNESS: Project Nexus if it matches what drew you to this matchup. 9,115 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Temple of Rust and MADNESS: Project Nexus sit in Action and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen 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
 Temple of Rust |  MADNESS: Project Nexus | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2023 | 2021 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG, Casual | Action, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Playable |
| Price | 7.99 USD | 24.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 3 reviews | 96.9% positive (9,115 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | James Mearman | GIBBING TREE, LLC |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- MADNESS: Project Nexus (2021) is 2 years older than Temple of Rust (2023).
- Temple of Rust is currently ~68% cheaper on Steam than MADNESS: Project Nexus (7.99 USD vs. 24.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- MADNESS: Project Nexus is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Temple of Rust has no Deck rating yet.
Temple of Rust vs MADNESS: Project Nexus — FAQ
- Should I play Temple of Rust or MADNESS: Project Nexus first?
- If you want chronology, MADNESS: Project Nexus (2021) came out before Temple of Rust (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 Temple of Rust and MADNESS: Project Nexus similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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.
- Do both Temple of Rust and MADNESS: Project Nexus have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Temple of Rust ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op; MADNESS: Project Nexus ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op.