Choose Neighboring Islands
Choose Neighboring Islands if it's currently about 86% cheaper on the Steam Store. Neighboring Islands launched in 2017.
Neighboring Islands vs Road to Empress Ⅱ
Neighboring Islands and Road to Empress Ⅱ both land in Indie, 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 Indie, Adventure on Steam. Neighboring Islands (2017) is 9 years older than Road to Empress Ⅱ (2026). Road to Empress Ⅱ scores higher on Steam reviews (74.2% positive) than Neighboring Islands (61.9% 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 Road to Empress Ⅱ
Choose Road to Empress Ⅱ if you want a Simulation, RPG, and Casual experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 2,310 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Neighboring Islands and Road to Empress Ⅱ sit in Indie and Adventure 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
 Neighboring Islands |  Road to Empress Ⅱ | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2026 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Adventure, Simulation, RPG, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 1.99 USD | 14.40 USD |
| Steam reviews | 61.9% positive (21 reviews) | 74.2% positive (2,310 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Angry games, Total | New One Studio |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Neighboring Islands (2017) is 9 years older than Road to Empress Ⅱ (2026).
- Road to Empress Ⅱ scores higher on Steam reviews (74.2% positive) than Neighboring Islands (61.9% positive).
- Neighboring Islands is currently ~86% cheaper on Steam than Road to Empress Ⅱ (1.99 USD vs. 14.40 USD).
Neighboring Islands vs Road to Empress Ⅱ — FAQ
- Should I play Neighboring Islands or Road to Empress Ⅱ first?
- If you want chronology, Neighboring Islands (2017) came out before Road to Empress Ⅱ (2026). 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 Neighboring Islands and Road to Empress Ⅱ similar?
- They overlap on Indie, 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.