Choose Beat Hazard
Choose Beat Hazard if you want a Casual game with Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Steam Leaderboards. On Steam, it has co-op, so you can bring a friend. 3,477 Steam reviews back the pick.
Beat Hazard vs Shmandala
Beat Hazard and Shmandala 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. Beat Hazard (2010) is 16 years older than Shmandala (2026). Beat Hazard has co-op; Shmandala does not. 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 Shmandala
Choose Shmandala if you want the Keyboard Only Option side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Shmandala launched in 2026.
Both Beat Hazard and Shmandala sit in Action and Indie on Steam and both list Color Alternatives, Custom Volume Controls, and Playable without Timed Input, 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
 Beat Hazard |  Shmandala | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2010 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Casual | Action, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 9.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 95.1% positive (3,477 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Cold Beam Games | mjoldham |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Beat Hazard (2010) is 16 years older than Shmandala (2026).
- Beat Hazard has co-op; Shmandala does not.
Beat Hazard vs Shmandala — FAQ
- Should I play Beat Hazard or Shmandala first?
- If you want chronology, Beat Hazard (2010) came out before Shmandala (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 Beat Hazard and Shmandala 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.
- Does Shmandala have multiplayer like Beat Hazard?
- No. Beat Hazard supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Co-op), while Shmandala is listed as single-player only.