Choose Beat Hazard
Choose Beat Hazard if you want the Steam Leaderboards and Color Alternatives side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 95.1% positive across 3,477 reviews.
Beat Hazard vs Beat Hazard 2
Beat Hazard and Beat Hazard 2 both land in Action, Indie, 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 Action, Indie, Casual on Steam. Beat Hazard (2010) is 9 years older than Beat Hazard 2 (2019). Beat Hazard scores higher on Steam reviews (95.1% positive) than Beat Hazard 2 (90.5% 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 Beat Hazard 2
Choose Beat Hazard 2 if you want the Shared/Split Screen PvP, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, and PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2019) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Beat Hazard 2 launched in 2019.
Both Beat Hazard and Beat Hazard 2 sit in Action, Indie, and Casual on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Custom Volume Controls, 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 |  Beat Hazard 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2010 | 2019 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Casual | Action, Indie, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Playable |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 18.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.1% positive (3,477 reviews) | 90.5% positive (755 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Co-op | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Cold Beam Games | Cold Beam Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Casual on Steam.
- Beat Hazard (2010) is 9 years older than Beat Hazard 2 (2019).
- Beat Hazard scores higher on Steam reviews (95.1% positive) than Beat Hazard 2 (90.5% positive).
- Beat Hazard is currently ~47% cheaper on Steam than Beat Hazard 2 (9.99 USD vs. 18.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Beat Hazard 2 is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Beat Hazard has no Deck rating yet.
Beat Hazard vs Beat Hazard 2 — FAQ
- Which is better, Beat Hazard or Beat Hazard 2?
- On Steam reviews Beat Hazard scores higher (95.1% positive) than Beat Hazard 2 (90.5% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Beat Hazard is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Beat Hazard or Beat Hazard 2 first?
- If you want chronology, Beat Hazard (2010) came out before Beat Hazard 2 (2019). 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 Beat Hazard 2 similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, 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 Beat Hazard and Beat Hazard 2 have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Beat Hazard ships Co-op; Beat Hazard 2 ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op.