Choose Sonic Mania
Choose Sonic Mania if you want a Casual game with Steam Leaderboards, Shared/Split Screen PvP, and PvP. On Steam, it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. 13,860 Steam reviews back the pick.
Sonic Mania vs Infinite Beyond The Mind
Sonic Mania and Infinite Beyond The Mind 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. Sonic Mania (2017) is 3 years older than Infinite Beyond The Mind (2020). Sonic Mania scores higher on Steam reviews (93.4% positive) than Infinite Beyond The Mind (80% 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 Infinite Beyond The Mind
Choose Infinite Beyond The Mind if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Infinite Beyond The Mind launched in 2020.
Both Sonic Mania and Infinite Beyond The Mind sit in Action and Adventure 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
 Sonic Mania |  Infinite Beyond The Mind | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2020 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Casual | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 93.4% positive (13,860 reviews) | 80% positive (10 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Christian Whitehead, Headcannon, PagodaWest Games | Emilie COYO |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure on Steam.
- Sonic Mania (2017) is 3 years older than Infinite Beyond The Mind (2020).
- Sonic Mania scores higher on Steam reviews (93.4% positive) than Infinite Beyond The Mind (80% positive).
- Sonic Mania is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Infinite Beyond The Mind (4.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: Sonic Mania is Deck Verified, Infinite Beyond The Mind is Deck Playable.
Sonic Mania vs Infinite Beyond The Mind — FAQ
- Should I play Sonic Mania or Infinite Beyond The Mind first?
- If you want chronology, Sonic Mania (2017) came out before Infinite Beyond The Mind (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 Sonic Mania and Infinite Beyond The Mind 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.
- Do both Sonic Mania and Infinite Beyond The Mind have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Sonic Mania ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op; Infinite Beyond The Mind ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op.