Choose Ball of Wonder
Choose Ball of Wonder if it's currently about 20% cheaper on the Steam Store. Ball of Wonder launched in 2016.
Ball of Wonder vs Adventure of the Bucket
Ball of Wonder and Adventure of the Bucket both land in 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 Indie, Casual on Steam. Ball of Wonder (2016) is 8 years older than Adventure of the Bucket (2024). Ball of Wonder is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than Adventure of the Bucket (0.79 USD vs. 0.99 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 Adventure of the Bucket
Choose Adventure of the Bucket if you want a Strategy and Adventure experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Adventure of the Bucket launched in 2024.
Both Ball of Wonder and Adventure of the Bucket sit in Indie and Casual 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
 Ball of Wonder |  Adventure of the Bucket | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2024 |
| Genres | Indie, Casual | Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 0.79 USD | 0.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 68.8% positive (32 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | White Rabbit Games | AZOTh the Creator |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Casual on Steam.
- Ball of Wonder (2016) is 8 years older than Adventure of the Bucket (2024).
- Ball of Wonder is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than Adventure of the Bucket (0.79 USD vs. 0.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Ball of Wonder is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Adventure of the Bucket has no Deck rating yet.
Ball of Wonder vs Adventure of the Bucket — FAQ
- Should I play Ball of Wonder or Adventure of the Bucket first?
- If you want chronology, Ball of Wonder (2016) came out before Adventure of the Bucket (2024). 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 Ball of Wonder and Adventure of the Bucket similar?
- They overlap on 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 Ball of Wonder and Adventure of the Bucket have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Ball of Wonder ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op; Adventure of the Bucket ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op.
- Does Ball of Wonder run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Ball of Wonder is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Adventure of the Bucket doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.