Choose Absolver
Choose Absolver if you want an Indie game with Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online Co-op. On Steam, it has co-op, so you can bring a friend. 7,345 Steam reviews back the pick.
Absolver vs Shenmue III
Absolver and Shenmue III both land in Action, Adventure 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, Adventure on Steam. Absolver (2017) is 3 years older than Shenmue III (2020). Both sit near 74% positive on Steam (Absolver: 7,345 reviews, Shenmue III: 454). 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 Shenmue III
Choose Shenmue III if it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Shenmue III launched in 2020.
Both Absolver and Shenmue III sit in Action and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (74.1% vs 74.4% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Absolver |  Shenmue III | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2020 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure | Action, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Verified |
| Price | 29.99 USD | 29.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 74.1% positive (7,345 reviews) | 74.4% positive (454 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Sloclap | YS NET |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure on Steam.
- Absolver (2017) is 3 years older than Shenmue III (2020).
- Both sit near 74% positive on Steam (Absolver: 7,345 reviews, Shenmue III: 454).
- Shenmue III is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Absolver (29.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
- Absolver has co-op; Shenmue III does not.
- Steam Deck: Absolver is Deck Unsupported, Shenmue III is Deck Verified.
Absolver vs Shenmue III — FAQ
- Which is better, Absolver or Shenmue III?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Absolver sits at 74.1% positive (7,345 reviews), Shenmue III at 74.4% (454). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Absolver or Shenmue III first?
- If you want chronology, Absolver (2017) came out before Shenmue III (2020). 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 Absolver and Shenmue III similar?
- They overlap on Action, Adventure 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 Shenmue III have multiplayer like Absolver?
- No. Absolver supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op), while Shenmue III is listed as single-player only.