Choose Dead Cells
Choose Dead Cells if you want an Indie and Adventure experience. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 96.4% positive across 43,598 reviews.
Dead Cells vs Returnal™
Dead Cells and Returnal™ both land in Action 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 are Action games on Steam. Dead Cells (2018) is 5 years older than Returnal™ (2023). Dead Cells scores higher on Steam reviews (96.4% positive) than Returnal™ (81.1% 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 Returnal™
Choose Returnal™ if you want the Multi-player, Online Co-op, and Adjustable Text Size side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 4,484 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Dead Cells and Returnal™ sit in Action on Steam, 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
 Dead Cells |  Returnal™ | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2023 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure | Action |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 24.99 USD | 59.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.4% positive (43,598 reviews) | 81.1% positive (4,484 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Motion Twin | Housemarque, Climax Studios |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Dead Cells (2018) is 5 years older than Returnal™ (2023).
- Dead Cells scores higher on Steam reviews (96.4% positive) than Returnal™ (81.1% positive).
- Dead Cells is currently ~58% cheaper on Steam than Returnal™ (24.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD).
- Returnal™ has co-op; Dead Cells does not.
- Steam Deck: Dead Cells is Deck Verified, Returnal™ is Deck Unsupported.
Dead Cells vs Returnal™ — FAQ
- Which is better, Dead Cells or Returnal™?
- On Steam reviews Dead Cells scores higher (96.4% positive) than Returnal™ (81.1% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Dead Cells is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Dead Cells or Returnal™ first?
- If you want chronology, Dead Cells (2018) came out before Returnal™ (2023). 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 Dead Cells and Returnal™ similar?
- They overlap on Action 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.
- Does Dead Cells have multiplayer like Returnal™?
- No. Returnal™ supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op), while Dead Cells is listed as single-player only.