IMHO.

Trailmakers vs Need for Speed™ Payback

Trailmakers and Need for Speed™ Payback both land in Action, Adventure, Racing 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, Racing on Steam. Trailmakers (2019) is 1 year older than Need for Speed™ Payback (2020). Trailmakers scores higher on Steam reviews (92.9% positive) than Need for Speed™ Payback (85.2% 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 Trailmakers

Choose Trailmakers if you want an Indie and Simulation game with Steam Leaderboards. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 92.9% positive across 20,710 reviews.

Choose Need for Speed™ Payback

Choose Need for Speed™ Payback if you want a Sports and Strategy experience. On Steam, it's currently about 68% cheaper on the Steam Store. 7,361 Steam reviews back the pick.

Both Trailmakers and Need for Speed™ Payback sit in Action, Adventure, and Racing on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online 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

Trailmakers vs Need for Speed™ Payback — Steam metadata comparison
Trailmakers — Steam game coverTrailmakersNeed for Speed™ Payback — Steam game coverNeed for Speed™ Payback
Released20192020
GenresAction, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, RacingAction, Sports, Strategy, Adventure, Racing
PlatformsWindowsWindows
Steam DeckDeck PlayableDeck Unsupported
Price24.99 USD8.09 USD
Steam reviews92.9% positive (20,710 reviews)85.2% positive (7,361 reviews)
MultiplayerMulti-player, Online Co-op, Co-opMulti-player, Online Co-op, Co-op
DevelopersFlashbulbGhost Games

Side by side

Trailmakers vs Need for Speed™ Payback — FAQ

Which is better, Trailmakers or Need for Speed™ Payback?
On Steam reviews Trailmakers scores higher (92.9% positive) than Need for Speed™ Payback (85.2% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Trailmakers is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
Should I play Trailmakers or Need for Speed™ Payback first?
If you want chronology, Trailmakers (2019) came out before Need for Speed™ Payback (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 Trailmakers and Need for Speed™ Payback similar?
They overlap on Action, Adventure, Racing 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 Trailmakers and Need for Speed™ Payback have co-op?
Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Trailmakers ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Need for Speed™ Payback ships Online Co-op, Co-op.