Choose Rec Room
Choose Rec Room if you want a Massively Multiplayer game with MMO and SteamVR Collectibles. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. 57,921 Steam reviews back the pick.
Rec Room vs SHARKS
Rec Room and SHARKS both land in Adventure, Free To Play, Casual 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, Free To Play, Casual on Steam. Rec Room (2021) is 5 years older than SHARKS (2026). Rec Room is free; SHARKS is paid (5.09 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 SHARKS
Choose SHARKS if you want an Action, Sports, and Indie experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. SHARKS launched in 2026.
Both Rec Room and SHARKS sit in Adventure, Free To Play, and Casual on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online 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
 Rec Room |  SHARKS | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2026 |
| Genres | Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play, Casual | Action, Sports, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Free To Play, Casual, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | 5.09 USD |
| Steam reviews | 88.7% positive (57,921 reviews) | 1 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | Rec Room | Ezone PTY LTD |
Side by side
- Both share Adventure, Free To Play, Casual on Steam.
- Rec Room (2021) is 5 years older than SHARKS (2026).
- Rec Room is free; SHARKS is paid (5.09 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Rec Room is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; SHARKS has no Deck rating yet.
Rec Room vs SHARKS — FAQ
- Should I play Rec Room or SHARKS first?
- If you want chronology, Rec Room (2021) came out before SHARKS (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 Rec Room and SHARKS similar?
- They overlap on Adventure, Free To Play, Casual 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 Rec Room and SHARKS have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Rec Room ships Online Co-op, Co-op; SHARKS ships Online Co-op, Co-op.
- Is Rec Room free?
- Yes — Rec Room is a free-to-play Steam title. SHARKS is paid (5.09 USD).
- Does Rec Room run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Rec Room is rated Deck Playable by Valve. SHARKS doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.