Choose Impulse of War
Choose Impulse of War if you want a Simulation, Free To Play, and Early Access experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Impulse of War launched in 2017.
Impulse of War vs Car Guys
Impulse of War and Car Guys both land in Action, Indie, Massively Multiplayer 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, Massively Multiplayer on Steam. Impulse of War (2017) is 8 years older than Car Guys (2025). Impulse of War is free; Car Guys is paid (1.49 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 Car Guys
Choose Car Guys if you want the MMO side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2025) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Car Guys launched in 2025.
Both Impulse of War and Car Guys sit in Action, Indie, and Massively Multiplayer on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP, 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
 Impulse of War |  Car Guys | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2025 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play, Early Access, Racing | Action, Indie, Massively Multiplayer, Racing |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Verified |
| Price | Free to play | 1.49 USD |
| Steam reviews | 61.4% positive (202 reviews) | 8 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer |
| Developers | Dmitry Medvedev | Ruben Alcañiz |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Massively Multiplayer on Steam.
- Impulse of War (2017) is 8 years older than Car Guys (2025).
- Impulse of War is free; Car Guys is paid (1.49 USD).
- Car Guys is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Impulse of War has no Deck rating yet.
Impulse of War vs Car Guys — FAQ
- Should I play Impulse of War or Car Guys first?
- If you want chronology, Impulse of War (2017) came out before Car Guys (2025). 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 Impulse of War and Car Guys similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, Massively Multiplayer 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.
- Is Impulse of War free?
- Yes — Impulse of War is a free-to-play Steam title. Car Guys is paid (1.49 USD).